ZOE Science & Nutrition

How to build muscle & stay strong at any age: The surprising links between your gut health, strength training and healthy ageing | Prof Claire Steves & Prof Tim Spector

Muscle health is a lifelong process rather than a concern limited to the elderly. The gut-muscle axis reveals that gut microbes influence muscle fibers through molecular messages, directly impacting inflammation and metabolic function. After age 30, muscle mass naturally declines, but consistent resistance training and...

Most replayed moment: How to stop fighting your body clock | Prof. Debra Skene

Biological rhythms act as internal tickers governing alertness, sleep, and metabolic processes, yet modern social clocks frequently conflict with these natural cycles. Professor Debra Skene, a chronobiologist, explains that this mismatch—common in shift workers and late-type "owls" forced into early schedules—increases...

How to eat to lower inflammation - the top 5 foods to boost energy, stop pain, and to live longer | Prof Luke O’Neill

Inflammation is a fundamental biological defense mechanism that, while essential for healing injuries and fighting infections, becomes destructive when it transitions into chronic, low-grade systemic activation. Modern environmental factors—particularly rising obesity, excessive sugar and fructose consumption, and a la...

Most replayed moment: The hidden dangers of hearing loss | Prof. Marcelo Rivolta

Inside Tim Spector’s weekly food shop - 6 grocery rules to lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease risk | Prof Tim Spector & Prof Sarah Berry

Navigating modern supermarkets requires skepticism toward front-of-pack health claims like "low-fat" or "high-protein," which frequently mask ultra-processed ingredients. Nutrition scientists Tim Spector and Sarah Berry emphasize that true health comes from prioritizing whole foods and scrutinizing back-of-pack ingredi...

Most replayed moment: What your wearable is really telling you | Dr Malcolm Finlay

Is your gut the secret to anti-aging? 6 science-backed ways to boost your bone strength, muscle, and balance | Prof Elaine Dennison

Most replayed moment: How to build a better breakfast | Prof. Ben Gardner & Tim Spector

Breakfast choices significantly influence long-term health, yet many rely on highly processed, sugar-laden cereals that trigger energy crashes and hunger. Replacing these with whole foods—such as full-fat Greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, and fermented options like kefir or sourdough—stabilizes blood sugar and improves satiet...

The science behind food that isn’t food, why you love it and why you should not fear it all | Prof Tim Spector & Prof Sarah Berry

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) represent a fundamental shift in nutrition science, moving beyond simple macronutrient labels to consider how processing methods, additives, and food structure impact metabolic health. Research indicates that UPFs override natural satiety signals, with studies showing that individuals on UPF...

Most replayed moment: The hormone that controls your weight | Dr Andrew Jenkinson

Leptin functions as the primary hormonal regulator of human weight, signaling the hypothalamus to adjust appetite and metabolism based on energy storage levels. When insulin levels remain chronically elevated due to diets high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and frequent snacking, the leptin signal becomes blocked. Th...

The secret to coping with stress - how to protect your brain and body, and feel calmer now | Prof Carmine Pariante

Stress functions as a biological mismatch between perceived environmental challenges and an individual’s capacity to cope. While acute stress once served as a vital survival mechanism, modern chronic stress keeps the sympathetic nervous system and cortisol levels perpetually elevated, triggering systemic inflammation t...

Most replayed moment: The hidden battle inside your gut | Tim Spector & Nicola Segata

The gut microbiome functions as a "mini pharmacy," where the balance between beneficial and harmful microbes dictates overall health. These trillions of microorganisms act as an interface between diet and the immune system, producing essential metabolites that influence systemic well-being. Maintaining this balance req...

The 5 best food swaps to lower cholesterol, protect your heart and to live longer | Dr. Alice Lichtenstein

Most replayed moment: Can you really boost your immune system? | Professor Daniel Davis

The immune system functions as a complex, multifaceted defense mechanism that must distinguish between dangerous pathogens and the body's own healthy cells. Rather than seeking to "boost" immunity—a concept often promoted by misleading health claims—the goal is to maintain a balanced state that avoids overreaction, suc...

5 ways to control your blood sugar, reverse insulin resistance, and reduce your heart disease risk | Prof Rob Semple

Insulin resistance, a condition affecting roughly one in four people, acts as a critical metabolic challenge where the body struggles to regulate energy and blood sugar effectively. Professor Rob Semple explains that while insulin is essential for life, modern diets high in processed foods force the pancreas to overpro...

Most replayed moment: The things hiding in your food? | Professor Marion Nestle

Food additives, which number around 10,000 in the modern food supply, often lack rigorous safety evaluation due to the U.S. "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) regulatory framework. Under this system, companies frequently self-assess the safety of new additives, a process that prioritizes industry convenience over co...

How to shrink the dangerous fat linked to heart disease and cancer in 12 weeks | Prof Jimmy Bell

Visceral fat, stored around vital organs, functions as a metabolically active organ rather than a passive energy reserve. This tissue significantly influences systemic inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and long-term health, often independently of total body weight. Individuals with a "thin on the outside, fat on the i...

Most replayed moment: Why sleep may be the key to heart health | Dr Nour Makarem

Sleep health serves as a critical foundation for cardiovascular well-being, with poor sleep quality significantly increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Dr. Nour Makarem identifies high blood pressure as the primary driver of heart disease and emphasizes that sleep health extends beyond the absence of disorde...

The evolutionary science behind why you can’t lose weight and how to avoid 5 modern food mistakes | Prof Daniel Lieberman

Evolutionary biology offers the essential framework for understanding modern human nutrition and the current obesity crisis. Humans evolved for scarcity, meaning the contemporary environment of constant caloric abundance and infinite food choices triggers biological impulses that are now maladaptive. Unique human trait...

Most replayed moment: Do you really need vitamin supplements? | David Seres

Vitamin supplements, often marketed as essential for health, lack the rigorous scientific testing required for medical products due to the 1995 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. For the general healthy population, these supplements provide no proven benefit and may carry unidentified risks. While historical ...