Patrick Holford: Simple Wisdom for a Healthy Life

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.

My guest is Dr Tommy Wood, who is Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Paediatrics at the University of Washington. He also heads research at the Food for the Brain Foundation and brain trains professional athletes including Olympians and Formula 1 racing drivers.

With a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, a medical degree from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of Oslo, he has approached how to optimise and recover your brain - from all sides. He is also co-founder of the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine.
 
Here we talk about his new book 'The Stimulated Mind' - just out - and how to future proof your brain.
 

 
For more on brain health, visit my website and read my books Upgrade Your Brain and Alzheimer's Prevention is the Cure.

In today’s podcast, my guest is Dr Bill Wilson, a front-line physician who practiced medicine in Minnesota and Massachusetts for over 40 years.

Three years ago, Dr Wilson was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment - often described as pre-dementia. Instead of accepting it as inevitable, he took action. The result? He reversed it.

Now, drawing on both his medical background and personal experience, Dr. Wilson has developed a sharp, highly practical focus on neuroscience.

In this conversation, he breaks down exactly what helped restore his cognitive function - and, just as importantly, what truly matters for anyone on the slippery slope of cognitive decline.

If brain health is something you—or someone you love—are thinking about, this episode is essential listening.

 

For more information read my book 'Upgrade Your Brain' and visit the Alzheimer's and Dementia Topic on my website. 

Take the Food for the Brain Cognitive Function Test.

Happy New Year!

As we head into 2026, what actually matters when it comes to protecting your health - and what’s just noise?

In this month’s podcast, I share my top health predictions for the year ahead and the habits truly worth adding to your New Year Resolutions. We go behind the headlines to unpack health politics, misinformation, and some uncomfortable truths - from vaccines and new Alzheimer’s drugs to how nutritional medicine is really moving forward.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

The five most important actions you can take to reduce your risk of cancer

Why vitamin C, when used correctly, may be more effective than a flu vaccine

The latest breakthroughs in antioxidants and anti-ageing science—including one powerful antioxidant you may not have heard of

If your goal this year is clarity, resilience, and long-term health - not fads or fear- this episode will give you a strong head start.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and well-informed New Year.

Do listen in.

Visit my website www.patrickholford.com and sign up to my E-News to stay informed.

My guest today is sleep expert Dr Greg Potter. He is a recent addition to Food for the Brain’s scientific advisory board and helps individuals and organisations sustainably improve their health and performance.

He’s an expert in sleep, circadian rhythms, nutrition, and metabolism and in this podcast we are going to find out what sleep is all about and how to optimise your sleep for better health for both mind and body. Greg is a Sleep Coach at the London Psychiatry Clinic.

Do listen in. 

Read more on Sleep my website.