The world’s top scientists explain the latest health, nutrition, and gut health research and translate it into practical advice to improve your health & weight....
1 in 3 people have anxiety. It’s the most common mental health disorder in the world. And many of us know what anxiety feels like: palms sweating before a job interview, losing your appetite before a looming deadline, a pit in your stomach when you get bad news. It’s not just in your head, it’s in your gut.
Today, we’ll learn how food could help us cope. Our guest explains the rising global trend toward increased anxiety: its rise through the pandemic, and explosion among young people.
Dr. Uma Naidoo is on the forefront of nutritional psychiatry. She directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the US, at Massachusetts General Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School.
Uma will help you understand the symptoms and biology of anxiety, painting a picture of the risks it poses for long-term health. And her diet tips will help you fuel your gut for a healthy mind.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
Follow ZOE on Instagram.
Timecodes:
00:00 Change your diet to beat anxiety
01:23 Quickfire questions
02:52 What is anxiety?
05:58 Are humans more anxious now than in the past?
08:50 This is where anxiety occurs in the brain
11:29 The gut-brain connection
12:45 Serotonin: the happiness hormone
20:05 How gut bacteria impact the brain
21:20 What happens 2 hours after stress?
23:10 Foods that disrupt dopamine pathways
24:50 Is food addiction real?
30:35 How chronic stress affects hunger
34:00 The importance of feeding good gut microbes
41:00 Eat more of these vegetables
45:02 How to overcome diet anxiety
49:20 How to use Uma’s ‘Calm’ approach
53:13 The anti-anxiety plate
Find Uma's Cauliflower Tikka Massala recipe here
Get Uma's latest book 'Calm Your Mind With Food'
📚Books by our ZOE Scientists
The Food For Life Cookbook
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Free resources from ZOE
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Mentioned in today's episode
Eat to Beat Stress (2020), published in American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
Effect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review (2020), published in BMC Psychiatry
A review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress (2018), published in Nutritional Neuroscience
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
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1:03:15
Recap: Diet changes that could reduce bad cholesterol | Dr Sarah Berry
Today we’re discussing how the food we eat can lower cholesterol.
It’s an important question, as high cholesterol can increase our chances of developing heart disease. Around half of adults have high cholesterol, and it gets more common as you age.
So, how can we break this trend?
Today’s guest, Professor Sarah Berry has led more than 30 human studies on cardio-metabolic health. It’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about heart health and cholesterol.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:
The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here
Listen to the full episode on Apple or Spotify
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9:52
Eat your way to better gynecological health | Dr. Jennifer Ashton & Prof. Sarah Berry
A good gynecologist is like a detective. She gathers evidence to diagnose infections. She uncovers the truth behind stages like puberty, pregnancy and perimenopause. Yet many women still feel that their physiology is a mystery.
What if a clue to that mystery hides in our diet? Similar to the gut, certain foods make the vaginal microbiome thrive. New research suggests that the right diet could alleviate symptoms of the most common gynecological diseases.
Dr Jennifer Ashton is former Chief Medical Correspondent at ABC News and is a double-board certified OBGYN. She joins us today to discuss ‘nutritional gynecology’, a term she coined after realizing multiple women’s health issues have a direct relationship to nutrition.
Alongside Jen is King’s College London professor and ZOE’s Chief Scientist Sarah Berry. Sarah shines light on the growing evidence of the role of nutrition in offsetting uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous, symptoms of menopause.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
Follow ZOE on Instagram.
Timecodes:
00:00 What you eat matters
02:00 Quickfire questions
04:05 What gets treated in gynecology?
07:19 What is the vaginal microbiome?
11:30 This affects the vaginal microbiome
13:46 The new field of nutritional gynecology
15:57 Does estrogen affect appetite?
17:19 The gut bacteria that breaks down estrogen
21:22 How food impacts puberty
23:21 Do glucose spikes affect pregnancy?
28:35 Symptoms of PCOS
33:00 Dr Jen explains endometriosis
37:20 Does diet affect these conditions?
42:00 How to test diet changes on yourself
📚Books by our ZOE Scientists
The Food For Life Cookbook
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Studies relevant to this episode
Diet and Nutrition in Gynecological Disorders: A Focus on Clinical Studies (2021, published in Nutrients
Effects of caloric intake timing on insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2013), published in Clinical Science
Weight Regulation in Menopause (2022), published in Menopause
Menopause, the gut microbiome, and weight gain: correlation or causation? (2020), published in Menopause
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
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57:39
Recap: How much protein do you need? | Prof. Christopher Gardner
Did you know you can now buy ice cream with added protein? Even breakfast cereals are jumping on the trend, boasting an extra protein punch.
In nearly every supermarket aisle, you'll spot the catchy slogan "high in protein" plastered across packaging.
But why is that? Are we not getting enough protein already, or are these high-protein products giving us too much?
Our guest is Christopher Gardner, a professor at Stanford University and a member of ZOE’s scientific advisory board, who has published widely on the relationship between protein and our health.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:
The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here
Listen to the full episode on Apple or Spotify
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10:02
4 immunity tips for healthy ageing | Dr. Jenna Macciochi
Over the last two years, there’s been a rise in “immune-boosting” foods, supplements and trends. Today's guest, immunologist Dr. Jenna Macciochi, believes the immune system doesn’t need boosting. Instead, it should be balanced.
In this episode, Jenna - a Senior Lecturer in Immunology at the University of Sussex - reveals how your immune system is your body’s housekeeper. Jenna highlights the case for the ‘good bugs’ in our gut microbiome, the role of micronutrients and how our immune system isn’t born, but made.
We'll also tackle the age-old question: do we really need Vitamin C supplements?
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
Follow ZOE on Instagram
Timecodes:
01:21 Quickfire questions
04:51 What is the immune system?
06:49 How your immune system works
09:35 What are natural killer cells?
14:18 Is your immune system inherited?
16:42 The impact of sleep and stress
19:53 Cancer and immunotherapy
28:23 This can trigger inflammation
30:25 Are vitamin C supplements worth it?
31:30 Foods to empower your immune system
40:10 How inflammation affects your brain
44:10 New science of the impact of stress
48:52 Immunity and your body clock
📚 Get Jenna's book Your Blueprint for Strong Immunity
📚 Books by our ZOE Scientists:
The Food For Life Cookbook
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Mentioned in today’s episode:
“Immune Boosting” in the time of COVID: selling immunity on Instagram (2020), published in Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold (2013), published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the beautiful (2014), published in Journal of Immunology Research
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
The world’s top scientists explain the latest health, nutrition, and gut health research and translate it into practical advice to improve your health & weight. Join ZOE Science & Nutrition, on a journey of scientific discovery. Hosted by Jonathan Wolf.
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