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ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE Science & Nutrition

By: ZOE
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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.Copyright 2024 ZOE Hygiene & Healthy Living Science
Episodes
  • How to unlock the secret power of the mushrooms to heal your gut, cut cholesterol and protect your brain | Prof Robin May

    How to unlock the secret power of the mushrooms to heal your gut, cut cholesterol and protect your brain | Prof Robin May
    Jun 4 2026
    Could mushrooms hold the secret to better gut health, lower cholesterol, and can they protect your brain? Today, Professor Robin May, a leading microbiologist and the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Officer, explores why our interest in mushrooms has exploded. He explains why they are not just another vegetable but could hold the key to better gut health, brain health, immune health, and lower cholesterol. By the end of the episode, you’ll know which health claims about mushrooms are real, which are exaggerated and where the science is just too early to trust. You’ll have a solid understanding of what mushrooms are really doing inside our bodies and how to unlock the secret health powers they hold. Should mushrooms become a regular part of your weekly shop rather than an occasional side dish? And if fungi have evolved alongside humans for millions of years, what else might they reveal about the future of nutrition and health? 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30 Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Intro 03:32 Are mushrooms closer to humans than plants? 06:20 What is a mushroom, really? 10:46 Why we’re eating more mushrooms now 12:14 The hidden nutrients inside mushrooms 13:56 Can mushrooms boost vitamin D? 15:35 The sunlight trick for healthier mushrooms 17:27 How many mushrooms give you enough vitamin D? 18:01 The mushroom with 500x more vitamin D 20:25 The mystery compound found in mushrooms 22:00 Should you take mushroom supplements? 24:30 Do all mushrooms contain this rare compound? 26:22 Can mushrooms help you live longer? 28:35 Can lion’s mane protect your brain? 30:24 Do mushrooms really boost IQ? 34:21 Can mushrooms affect your immune system? 36:40 How mushrooms feed your gut microbes 38:20 Should fungi live in your gut? 39:45 The fungus that lives on your head 41:50 Can mushrooms lower cholesterol? 43:21 Are you cooking mushrooms wrong? 45:25 Should you eat raw mushrooms? 47:21 How to make mushrooms taste better 49:25 The easiest way to eat more mushrooms 52:17 Robin’s top mushroom tip 📚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 Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Better Breakfast Guide Mentioned in today's episode A Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D, Nutrients (2018) Ergothioneine: an underrecognised dietary micronutrient required for healthy ageing, British Journal of Nutrition (2023) Ergothioneine: A Stress Vitamin with Antiaging, Vascular, and Neuroprotective Roles?, Antioxidants and Redox Signaling (2022) Mushrooms & longevity, Nature (2025) Lion’s mane & nerve growth factor, Journal of Biological Engineering (2023) The Relationship between Mushroom Intake and Cognitive Performance, Nutrients (2024) 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 mins
  • Most replayed moment: The Impact of Ultra-Processed Food on Young People | Dr Andy Chan

    Most replayed moment: The Impact of Ultra-Processed Food on Young People | Dr Andy Chan
    Jun 2 2026
    Today we’re exploring the impact of ultra-processed foods on young people. One of the big reasons ultra-processed foods have become so widespread is convenience. They offer quick, easy meals for people short on time - and few groups are more time-pressed than parents trying to feed young children. But does this convenience come at a cost? I’m joined by Harvard professor Dr Andy Chan, whose research is helping us understand how early exposure to ultra-processed food can shape future health. 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30+ Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE Follow ZOE on Instagram. 📚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 Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Better Breakfast Guide Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here
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    16 mins
  • Why you can't stop eating: The science of cravings, food addiction and 5 ways to regain control | Michael Pollan & Prof Tim Spector

    Why you can't stop eating: The science of cravings, food addiction and 5 ways to regain control | Michael Pollan & Prof Tim Spector
    May 28 2026
    If you feel like you can’t stop eating, constantly crave junk food, or struggle with overeating, this episode will change how you see food. Michael Pollan, one of the world's most influential science writers, joins Professor Tim Spector to explain how ultra-processed food may drive food addiction, override fullness signals, and keep us craving more. Together, they explore why foods high in sugar, salt, and fat can feel so hard to resist, and what we can do to fight back. Michael and Tim unpack how the modern food system changed over the last 50 years, and why many ultra-processed foods are designed around “craveability.” They explain how these foods may stimulate the brain’s reward systems, why fibre and plants help us feel fuller, and why cooking more meals at home may help reduce overeating without calorie counting. The episode includes practical ways to regain control of your eating habits, reduce cravings, feel better and live more healthy years. If your cravings feel impossible to control, is it really a lack of willpower, or is modern food engineered to keep us coming back for more? 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30 Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Intro 04:04 How monoculture changed modern food 08:52 Are we basically made of corn? 12:58 The 3 ingredients engineered to drive cravings 14:32 Why ultra-processed food keeps you hungry 15:44 Why governments subsidize junk food 18:01 How fast food changed family cooking 20:00 Is ultra-processed food destroying family meals? 21:46 What happens when you stop eating plants? 22:55 Your gut microbes are eating too 25:31 Caffeine and the world’s most used drug 26:26 Michael Pollan quits caffeine for 3 months 28:35 Is caffeine addiction actually harmful? 29:11 Coffee and heart disease risk explained 32:34 Why workplaces normalized caffeine 33:40 The simplest way to stop overeating 35:30 Did food companies convince us cooking is hard? 37:02 How to identify ultra-processed food 38:25 Michael Pollan’s famous food rule explained 40:14 Why “plant-based” doesn’t always mean healthy 42:46 The Japanese habit that may reduce overeating 44:24 How food companies engineer craveability 45:25 Are food companies manipulating your cravings? 46:41 Why eating 30 plants a week matters 47:36 Eat food, not too much, mostly plants
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    53 mins
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All stars
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Information given in an easy to understand way. Great advice for food hacks to manage blood glucose.

Informative podcast Zoe Nutrition

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really good insight into menopause .Found it really useful. Definitely need a name change to women's hormone disfunction.

fab insight

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Once again, it is like Jonathan is reading my mind and asking all the questions I have! (except for the one on tomatoes...). Thank you for explaining the science and debunking the latest myth, which although one can see it's just aimed at selling a miracle cure in the form of one supplement, it's good to have the tiny doubts it raises squashed.

Great episode!

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I've listened to this several times because I've found it so interesting. I was totally ignorant of this subject before hearing this podcast, and I'm not able to get the CGM test done, but the advice given is something anyone can take up, whether or not they know their blood glucose level. Thank you for this, and all the Zoe free podcasts.

Very helpful

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Just listened to the programme about vitamins, and was amazed that the fact that BAME people deaths from covid were over represented and a link was made to lack of vitamin D. The advice given about vitamin D was clearly targeted at white people/those living in sunny climates. Those of us with melanin living in UK don't absorb enough vitamin D from sunshine. And if also a vegan then surely supplements should be taken? Also, there is an issue with absorption of vitamin D supplements. Even though I take supplements, my levels are still low. Why no research into why people of colour seem to not absorb vitamin D as a supplement?

Good information, annoying posh voices!

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