Patrick Holford: Simple Wisdom for a Healthy Life

My guest today is Bob Quinn - a true pioneer of ancient, organic grains. In this rare opportunity to meet with him in his 80th year, en route to Italy, recorded in the car on the way to the airport, we unpack the whole story from the origins of the organic, wholegrain movement in the 80’s, up to now. He explains why it isn't gluten that’s causing so many people to react to wheat (other than coeliacs), what’s really happening, and what needs to happen to our food supply. His hat contains Kamut Khorosan grain - mine is made from our alpacas.   Find out more about food intolerances on my website or read my book Hidden Food Allergies.  

My guest today, Professor Robert Lustig - neuroendocrinologist and Professor Emeritus from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), world-renowned for unravelling how sugar, fructose and ultra-processed foods degenerate health - proposes that there is one messed up underlying process that almost all contributors to cognitive decline compound. This is an overload of reactive oxygen species (ROS), or oxidants, due to a four step dance that grinds healthy metabolism to a halt. If this is right - and I think it is - this means there are four avenues open to us all to prevent the damping down of energy, both in the brain, but also in the body. Find out how in this podcast. For more about brain health see my books Upgrade Your Brain and Alzheimer's: Prevention is the Cure and Brain Health topic on my website.  Take part in Alzheimer's Prevention Day on Tuesday 19 May. Take the 3 minute test and learn more.     

Dr Tommy Wood, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Pediatrics and researcher at Food for the Brain, shares how to future-proof your brain. He explores retirement myths and the need to replace lost cognitive and social stimulation. He explains the 3S model: stimulus, supply and support. He describes best brain‑stimulating activities, exercise types, diet levers and practical biomarkers and supplements.

Dr Bill Wilson, a family physician with 40+ years who reversed his own mild cognitive impairment. He discusses MRI shrinkage, cutting alcohol, targeted diet (Mediterranean/keto lean), omega-3s and B vitamins, exercise, MCTs and supplements, hearing aids, sauna and lifestyle shifts that helped restore cognition. Short, practical neuroscience and lifestyle strategies are the focus.

Clear, punchy health predictions for 2026 and which habits are worth keeping. A deep look at vitamin C dosing, new antioxidants like ergothioneine, and how antioxidant networks support brain health. A critical tour of pharma incentives, vaccine scrutiny, and Alzheimer’s biomarkers. Practical dietary shifts to cut cancer risk and why marine nutrients matter for cognition.

Dr Greg Potter, a sleep coach and researcher at the London Psychiatry Clinic, focuses on sleep, circadian rhythms, nutrition and metabolism. He explains sleep’s housekeeping role and how REM supports emotional processing and creativity. Practical tips cover extending sleep opportunity, CBT techniques, breathing exercises for HRV, and sensible supplement and melatonin use.

Professor Jonathan Stone, a neurobiologist with 200+ research papers, explores why amyloid forms and how the brain defends itself. He discusses microbleeds, amyloid’s protective roles, vascular links to dementia, risks of removing amyloid, and lifestyle measures—exercise, plant compounds, intermittent hunger and heat—to build brain reserve and resilience.

If you keep meaning to change your food or drink habits but fail, you might be stuck in an ‘addiction’ trap. My guest in this podcast is clinical psychologist Dr Jen Unwin, an expert in food addiction, campaigning to get it recognised in the same way that alcohol addiction is. You’ll learn the six tell-tale signs that you’re getting hooked. The ever-increasing prevalence of addiction to junk food, sugar and carbs, as well as alcohol and coffee, keeps many people trapped in a cycle of fatigue, weight gain, poor sleep and, ultimately metabolic diseases from diabetes to dementia. If you’d like to break free from all food and drink cravings or understand how addiction is a major drag factor in health transformation, and how to deal with it. Do listen in. See Collaborative Health Community (CHC) See Dr Jen Unwin's book The Fork in the Road: A Hopeful Guide to Food Freedom Visit my weight-loss topic and addiction topic on my website. For more on addiction see my book - How to Quit Without Feeling S**t.

Artificial intelligence is going to have a bigger impact than the ‘digital revolution’ that gave us computers and smartphones. As conventional healthcare crumbles, and disease, especially mental and neurological disorders, accelerate as a direct consequence of big pharma and big food influence, will AI have the ability to change the paradigm for better or worse?   Former GP Dr David Jehring, digital expert and founder of Blackpear, whose software is used extensively within the NHS, is a pioneer in the use of AI for personalised health transformation. How can AI help us and what does the near and far future look like in an AI-centric world? Things are going to change very fast. Now is the time to think forward. Do listen in. 

My guest today is Dr Louise Newson. She is a physician, women’s hormone specialist and member of the UK Government’s Menopause Taskforce. She is also an award-winning doctor, educator, and author, committed to increasing awareness and knowledge of perimenopause and menopause. Described as the ‘medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution’, she has empowered a generation of women to have a greater understanding, choice and control over their treatment, bodies and mind. I’ll be talking about her latest book - ‘The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause’. Do listen in.  Visit my website for more on brain health - www.patrickholford.com and read my books ‘Alzheimer’s: Prevention is the Cure’ and How to Balance Your Hormones.