Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice. More
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Oprah v. Beef Part 2: Apocalypse Cow
The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!"How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime Schwartz“Deadly Feasts” by Richard Rhodes "Mad Cow USA"UK Parliamentary inquiryHow The West Was Won OverTexas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsAppealOriginal LawsuitFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowHarvard Risk Assessment of Bovine Spongiform EncephalopathyMad Cow congressional hearingGAO reportThe Harvard Risk AssessmentThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show
23/05/2023
1:08:01
Oprah v. Beef Part 1: The Rise of "Veggie Libel"
On April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey did a show about mad cow disease. Six weeks later, a couple of Texas cattlemen had a cow (sorry). Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Original LawsuitAppealHow Oprah Got Sued for Dissing a BurgerTwo Degrees of Speech Protection Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsHoward Lyman talkThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsHow the Cows Turned MadFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowGAO reportA is for Apple, Alar, and ... Alarmist?Alar Five Years LaterAuvil v. CBS 60 MinutesAlar and Apples: Newspaper Coverage of a Major Risk Issue.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show
09/05/2023
1:03:40
The 10,000 Steps Myth
This week we're digging into the weird history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!10,000 Steps: A Brief HistoryDo We Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day for Our Health?A Japanese first-mover in the fitness wearables raceCounting Every Step You TakeWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?McDonald's Enlists Trainer To Help Sell Its New MealGet happy with McDonald's Go Active Happy Meal for adultsMcDonald's StepometerMcDonald's pushing salads and pedometersThe fight for healthier McDonald's Happy MealsStep-It Canadian TV ad McDonald's serves up Happy Meals for grow-upsMcDonald's removes fitness tracker from Happy MealsA Very Serious Review of McDonald’s Flesh-Burning Fitness TrackerMcDonald’s quietly ended controversial program that was making parents and teachers uncomfortableWatch your step: why the 10,000 daily goal is built on bad scienceWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?Why Counting Your Steps Could Make You UnhappierHow many steps are enough? Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show
25/04/2023
49:07
The Trouble with Sugar
This week we're tackling three big ideas about sugar: It causes hyperactivity in kids, it's as addictive as cocaine and it raises blood sugar in universal, predictably spiky ways. Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this week’s episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole SmithSugar Rush: Science, Politics and the Demonisation of Fatness by Karen ThrosbyIs sugar really as addictive as cocaine? Scientists row over effect on body and brainSugar Is Not the EnemyDr. Benjamin F. Feingold, Controversial PediatricianIs There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’?Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of ChildrenSugar and the Hyperactive ChildSome popular diets are based on this carb-rating scale. Here’s why it could be misleading.Glycemic Index: History and Clinical ApplicationGlycemic Index and Glycemic Load Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesityWhat is the glycaemic indexDon't Play a Numbers Game, Experts Say, Just Eat Your VegetablesSugar addiction: the state of the scienceThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show
11/04/2023
49:21
"Forks Over Knives": Is a Vegetarian Diet Better For You?
A viral documentary says a "whole foods plant-based diet" will prevent heart disease and cure cancer. But once we look into the MEAT of the matter will we find factual CREAM of the crop or will we cry FOWL? (we're so sorry)Thanks to Katherine Flegal for helping Mike with this episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof studyUnprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) ConsortiumPresent status of the aflatoxin situation in the PhilippinesThe role of natural consequences in the changing death patternsDietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A ReviewQuality of Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Total, Ischemic, and Hemorrhagic StrokeParachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trialDo We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?Observational evidence does not necessarily imply causationThe Problem with Observational Studies (Epidemiology)Vegetarian Diet Patterns and Chronic Disease Risk: What We Know and What We Don’tThe rise, the fall and the renaissance of vitamin EThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show