ZOE Science & Nutrition

Picture the sound of a bone snapping - the kind of sound that makes you wince - and ask yourself how often you’ve thought about your bone health. Most of us only think about bone density when something breaks. Until then, your bones stay almost invisible, carrying you through every day. In today’s episode, Professor Elaine Dennison, a world-leading expert in bone health, explains why that needs to change, why stronger bones are key to living more healthy years, and why declining bone health isn’

We’ve all heard the saying: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And while it may sound like a cliché, there’s some truth to it. Because for many of us, breakfast is the one meal we keep the same - day after day, morning after morning. This consistency means our breakfast choices have a powerful influence on our long-term health. So, today I’m joined by Tim Spector and behaviour expert Professor Ben Gardner to share practical ways to break out of unhealthy routines and build a breakf

Are some of your "healthy" foods actually high-risk ultra-processed foods?  For decades, nutrition advice seemed relatively straightforward. Eat less sugar. Less salt. Less saturated fat. Then it all fell apart. In today’s episode, we examine the research that has forced us to rethink what makes food harmful in the first place. Two of the world’s leading nutrition scientists, Professor Tim Spector and Professor Sarah Berry, tell their own story of why they’ve changed their minds about i

Floating through all of our bodies is a complex network of hormones. You can think of it as an internal postal service, delivering vital messages and instructions to different organs and systems. But what happens if these messages get intercepted, mixed up, or worse, not delivered at all? In this episode, Dr Andrew Jenkinson tells us about a hormone that plays a crucial role in weight regulation and the undesirable consequences when it isn’t functioning properly. He also shares three simple tips

Growing up, many of us were taught to just stay calm and carry on - as if stress was all in the mind, with no real effect on the body. But chronic stress can change your brain, raise your risk of heart disease, and even shorten your life.  In this episode, we ask: what happens when a stress response built to last minutes never switches off? Today, Professor Carmine Pariante, one of the world's leading researchers on stress, helps us understand what’s happening in your body during a stre

Today we’re talking about gut microbes. Professor Tim Spector often refers to the microbes in our gut as ‘mini pharmacies’. This is because they provide us with powerful chemicals that help support our health. But not all gut microbes are on our side. In fact, there’s an ongoing battle in our digestive system between the beneficial bugs and those that wish to do us harm. I’m joined by Tim Spector and microbiome researcher Nicola Segata join me to explore this microscopic war, and explain how sim

Is fat good or bad for your heart? For decades, we blamed fat and cholesterol for clogged arteries and heart attacks. Now you choose low-fat yogurt to protect your heart, while others cook with beef tallow. In this episode, Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, a world-leading expert on dietary fat and heart health, helps settle the debate. Dr. Lichtenstein explains which fats protect your heart and which to cut back on, you'll learn what raises your cholesterol, and why the type of fat you eat matters more t

Today we’re talking about the immune system. It’s one of the most important systems in our body, yet it’s also one of the hardest to understand. You can’t see it, you can’t feel it working, and there’s no simple way to measure whether it’s strong or weak. But when it fails, we certainly notice. Everywhere we look, supplements and superfoods promise to ‘boost’ our immune system. But how many of these claims are actually supported by science? Professor Daniel Davis joins me to explain how our immu

1 in 4 people have insulin resistance, which quietly raises your risk of heart disease and cancer, often without any change in your blood sugar. And most of those who have it have no idea. It can remain completely hidden for years, with no obvious symptoms and no warning signs… But it can be reversed. Today, Professor Rob Semple, a world-leading expert on insulin resistance, explains what insulin does in your body, why you need it to live, and what happens when it stops working properly. By the

Today we’re talking about food additives. Take a look at the back of some ultra-processed packaged food and you’ll see a long list of unfamiliar ingredients. Complex, sciencey sounding names that most of us can barely pronounce. These are called additives. But what exactly are they? How are they tested? And, most importantly, are they truly safe for us to eat? Food policy expert Professor Marion Nestle joins me to explore how additives became so deeply embedded in modern food production — and wh

There's a hidden fat that matters more for your health than your weight.  This is visceral fat: it wraps around your organs, raises your risk of heart disease and cancer, and builds up even in people who look slim and healthy.  In today’s episode, Professor Jimmy Bell, a world-leading expert in measuring visceral fat, explains how we can shrink this dangerous belly fat in just 12 weeks. Jimmy explores why two people can weigh exactly the same and carry completely different amou

Today we’re talking about sleep. The more scientists study sleep, the clearer it becomes that it’s not just about resting our bodies - it’s much more than that. In fact, sleep is the foundation upon which a healthy diet, exercise, and overall wellbeing are all built upon. So what happens when that foundation is shaky? Recent research suggests that poor sleep quality may significantly increase your risk of heart disease and even heart attacks. Dr. Nour Makarem joins me to explore the powerful con

Why can’t you lose weight, and why do modern diets fail? Today, Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman explains how evolution shapes hunger, body fat, foo

Today we’re talking about vitamins. Walk into any pharmacy or supermarket and you’ll find a shelf stacked with brightly coloured jars promising better

Could 12 everyday high-fibre foods really help lower your risk of heart disease, dementia and some cancers?  The world is obsessed with protein,