Growing up WEIRD Podcast

If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.
In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how a child’s exposure to interparental violence is linked to their risk of cancer in adulthood. We talk about the effects of early life sleep deprivation and sugar restriction on the risk of dementia, and then review a paper on the skills required for children to stay home alone. We then talk about frustration tolerance - what it is, why it’s important, and why we might try avoiding modelling frustration behaviours for children. Finally, we talk about how we try to set children up to not want sugar.
For more information on how to reduce parental frustration, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/making-children-unfrustratable-part
For more information on helping children to not want sugar, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/raising-children-who-dont-want-sugar

My veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.
My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.
Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.
I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in bi-weekly articles and podcast episodes.
Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.
Topics covered
* How does exposure to interparental violence affects a child’s later cancer risk?
* How does early-life sleep deprivation affect a mouse’s risk of dementia?
* How does sugar restriction in infancy affect later brain health?
* Why should we raise children who aren’t easily frustrated?
* How can we reduce our own frustration?
* How much sugar do our own children eat?
Recent episodes
Notes
“Long-term impact of childhood exposure to interparental physical violence on cancer risk in adulthood: a prospective cohort study” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/20008066.2026.2708407
“Effects of early adulthood chronic sleep disruption on late life cognition, brain pathology, and microglial reactivity in the PS19 mouse model of tauopathy” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-63866-5
“Association of Sugar Restriction in Utero Through Age 2 Years on Dementia Risk Later in Life” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42525901/
“Home alone: aligning childhood supervision guidelines with child neurodevelopment” Full article here: https://academic.oup.com/pch/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/pch/pxag059/8732036 and commentary from the author here: https://theconversation.com/when-can-your-child-stay-home-alone-neuroscience-suggests-were-asking-the-wrong-question-288575


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If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.
In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how outdoor play in preschoolers predicts their risk of mental health problems in later childhood. We talk about biological aging in different generations, and how that influences people’s risk of disease. We then talk about toddlers falling over - why it’s so vital for body and brain health and why toddlers don’t fall down as much as they should. We talk about how we can set toddlers up to fall more in early life so they fall less in adulthood. Finally we talk about tree climbing - why it’s important, and what simple rules support safe climbing.
For more information on how toddlers learn from falling, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/dont-stop-your-child-falling-over
For more information on helping children develop upper body strength, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/why-hanging-by-the-arms-helps-children
My veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.
My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.
Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.
I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.
Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.
Topics covered
* How outdoor play in early life affects children’s risk of mental health problems
* Why different generations age at different speeds, and what affects this
* Why falling over is so important for toddlers
* Why toddlers don’t fall over enough
* How to help toddlers fall over more
* Whether children should climb trees
Recent episodes
Notes
Early outdoor play predicts trajectories of child mental health in a population-based cohort: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.70175
Biological aging and generational shifts in early-onset cancer risk: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04448-w


Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.
In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how children’s willingness to take risks during play affects how they take risks when crossing the road. We talk about air pollution and about the recently renamed ‘PCOS’ (now Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome). We talk about how ultraprocessed food reprograms taste preferences, and how certain probiotics affect that. We then discuss our recent article on satiety - helping children to feel full. Finally, we discuss what to do if your toddler doesn’t want to consume anything other than milk.
For more information on how to set children up to recognise when they are full, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/how-do-we-help-children-stop-eating
For more information on picky eating, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/why-arent-all-children-picky-eaters
My veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.
My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.
Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.
I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.
Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.
Topics covered
* How children’s risk willingness affects their ability to cross roads
* When air pollution affects children most, and what we can do
* Why PCOS has been renamed
* How ultraprocessed food affects taste preferences in children, and what probiotics do to this
* How children learn to feel full
* How to help older babies satisfy their hunger with food rather than milk
Recent episodes
Notes
The developmental importance of risky play: A cross-national virtual reality study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494426001635
Prenatal and early life exposure to air pollution and lung function development aged 8-24 years: The ALSPAC study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935126006080
Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext
Early Exposure to High-Sucrose Diet Leads to Deteriorated Ovarian Health: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8092397/
Bifidobacterium longum and prebiotic interventions restore early-life high-fat/high-sugar diet-induced alterations in feeding behavior in adult mice: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68968-2


Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how environmental exposures in early childhood affect adulthood health, and on the link between low socioeconomic status in childhood and worse physical health in adulthood. We talk about muscular strength and how it influences cognitive and psychological health. We then discuss last week’s article on laundry and health. Finally, we discuss the tradeoffs between washing harmful chemicals off the skin and damaging the skin barrier.
For more information on how to do laundry in a way that reduces harms to health, see this article:
https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/weird-laundry-habits-can-increase
For more information on how often to wash children, see this article:
https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/how-clean-should-children-be
My veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.
My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.
Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.
I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.
Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.
Topics covered
* Why are environmental effects in early life so important to a child’s risk of future disease?
* What mediates the link between low socioeconomic status in childhood and chronic disease in adulthood?
* Why is muscular strength important for brain health in old age?
* Why do we do laundry, what are the health effects, and how can we do it better?
* How should we weigh up the risks of environmental toxins with the risks of washing clothes and skin?
Recent episodes
Notes
Understanding environmental exposures in early life for lifelong health (Nature Comment paper): https://www.nature.com/articles/s44360-026-00130-0.epdf
Breastfeeding may lessen socioeconomic disparities in child health through differences in the infant gut microbiome: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666379126001722
Kicking Back Cognitive Ageing: Leg Power Predicts Cognitive Ageing after Ten Years in Older Female Twins https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4789972/
The Association between Lower Extremity Muscular Strength and Cognitive Function in a National Sample of Older Adults https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6239135/
Investigating the mediating effect of myokines on exercise-induced cognitive changes in older adults: A living systematic review and meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40998287/



Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.
In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how hanging and swinging from the arms affects the length and strength of our upper body muscles. We discuss how SSRI antidepressants alter gut function, and how new drug targets may better help new mothers. We then talk about the links between sugar and metabolic syndrome, and how the scientific understanding is evolving.
We then discuss children’s independent mobility and exploration - what it is, why it’s important, and why it’s hard to provide in our culture. We then talk about how we navigate this, and how we reassure other adults in our community.
Finally, we talk about what movements are important for setting up abdominal muscles that are the right length and strength.
* For more information on childhood exploration and independent mobility, see this article:
https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/children-love-to-get-lost-what-happens
* For more information on how sucking in your belly affects your health, see this article:
https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/should-kids-suck-their-bellies-in
My veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.
My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.
Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.
I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.
Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.
Topics covered
* How does hanging and swinging from the arms (or ‘brachiating’) affects the length and strength of our upper body muscles?
* How do SSRI antidepressants affect gut function in babies, and how can we reduce the risk of depression in mothers?
* What do we know about sugar and metabolic syndrome?
* Why do children need to explore, and why is this hard to enable in our culture?
* How do we reassure other adults in our community?
* What movements are important for setting up abdominal muscles that are the right length and strength?
Recent episodes
Notes
“This theoretical paper proposes that brachiation-based movements—particularly unilateral hanging with oscillatory perturbation—may offer a biomechanically optimal approach for addressing Upper Crossed Syndrome and related postural dysfunctions by restoring muscle activation patterns consistent with our evolutionary heritage.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859226000148
“These findings provide fundamental insights into how the gastrointestinal tract modulates emotional behaviors, reveal a novel gut-targeted therapeutic approach for mood modulation, and suggest a new link in humans between in utero SSRI exposure and DGBI development.” https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(24)05751-2/fulltext
Guardian article on Barnardo’s and baby boxes to reduce stress on families: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/apr/09/four-in-10-uk-parents-struggle-to-afford-newborn-babies-essentials-study-barnardos
“Under modern conditions of overnutrition, chronic excess fructose drives features of metabolic syndrome. Emerging evidence further links fructose to cancer and dementia.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01506-y



Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe