Home Podcasts ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE 318 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

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.

Episodes

Most replayed moment: Sleep myths that are ruining your rest | Dr Sophie Bostock
Most replayed moment: Sleep myths that are ruining your rest | Dr Sophie Bostock Oct 13, 2026 913 Sleep. It’s a bizarre process when you think about it. We lie down, close our eyes, and before we know it, we’re waking up the next morning with a head full of hazy dreams. Because of its mysterious nature, sleep has long been surrounded by all kinds of strange ideas and theories about what might help or harm it. From cheese causing nightmares to turkey making you sleepy. So today I’m joined by
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
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 Oct 8, 2026 3719 How do you build muscle and stay strong as you age? For most of us, muscle loss starts in our 30s. It’s easy to think that you can combat this and stay strong into old age by strength training and eating plenty of protein. Exercise and macros matter, but scientists are uncovering another important piece of the puzzle - a direct connection between your gut health and healthy ageing. It could chan
Most replayed moment: How to stop fighting your body clock | Prof. Debra Skene
Most replayed moment: How to stop fighting your body clock | Prof. Debra Skene Oct 6, 2026 680 Every one of us runs on a biological rhythm - a finely tuned system that controls when we feel alert, when we feel tired, and even how we process food. But here’s the problem: modern life doesn’t always respect this rhythm. Late nights, early alarms, and irregular meals put many of us out of sync with our own biology. I’m joined by Professor Debra Skene to explain why this mismatch matters, and
How to eat to lower inflammation - the top 5 foods to boost energy, stop pain, and to live longer | Prof Luke O’Neill
How to eat to lower inflammation - the top 5 foods to boost energy, stop pain, and to live longer | Prof Luke O’Neill Oct 1, 2026 3619 Most of us think of inflammation when an ankle swells or a cut turns red. It’s our body’s immune system, and without it, we couldn't fight infections or repair injuries.  But when it stays switched on, this chronic inflammation can drain your energy, can affect your health over the years, and even lead to heart disease. Eventually, 1 in 3 of us will develop an inflammatory disease. In today
Most replayed moment: The hidden dangers of hearing loss | Prof. Marcelo Rivolta
Most replayed moment: The hidden dangers of hearing loss | Prof. Marcelo Rivolta Sep 29, 2026 546 The world around us is louder than ever. From booming speakers to roaring traffic, our ears can take quite a beating. But have you ever stopped to consider the long-term impact of all this noise? Because hearing loss isn’t just about your ears. Emerging research suggests it could also affect your brain health in surprising ways. I’m joined by Professor Marcelo Rivolta to explore how noise exposu
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
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 Sep 24, 2026 3756 Supermarket shelves are full of foods promising to be healthy: high-protein, low-fat, gluten-free, sugar-free. How do you know what's true?  Today, Professors Tim Spector and Sarah Berry, world-leading experts in nutrition and diet, share the six rules they use for their own weekly grocery shopping. They cover which food labels are worth trusting and which are just marketing scams, how to ma
Most replayed moment: What your wearable is really telling you | Dr Malcolm Finlay
Most replayed moment: What your wearable is really telling you | Dr Malcolm Finlay Sep 22, 2026 873 From smartwatches to fitness trackers, more of us than ever are monitoring our health in real time. With just a glance at our wrist, we can check our step count, sleep quality, heart rate and, more recently, something called HRV. But what do these numbers actually mean? And more importantly, how can we use them to improve our lives? I’m joined by Dr Malcolm Finlay to break down the data behind t
Is your gut the secret to anti-aging? 6 science-backed ways to boost your bone strength, muscle, and balance | Prof Elaine Dennison
Is your gut the secret to anti-aging? 6 science-backed ways to boost your bone strength, muscle, and balance | Prof Elaine Dennison Sep 17, 2026 3309 Picture the sound of a bone snapping - the kind of sound that makes you wince - and ask yourself how often you’ve thought about your bone health. Most of us only think about bone density when something breaks. Until then, your bones stay almost invisible, carrying you through every day. In today’s episode, Professor Elaine Dennison, a world-leading expert in bone health, explains why that needs
Most replayed moment: How to build a better breakfast | Prof. Ben Gardner & Tim Spector
Most replayed moment: How to build a better breakfast | Prof. Ben Gardner & Tim Spector Sep 15, 2026 862 We’ve all heard the saying: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And while it may sound like a cliché, there’s some truth to it. Because for many of us, breakfast is the one meal we keep the same - day after day, morning after morning.  This consistency means our breakfast choices have a powerful influence on our long-term health. So, today I’m joined by Tim Spector and behaviour exp
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
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 Sep 10, 2026 4412 Are some of your "healthy" foods actually high-risk ultra-processed foods?  For decades, nutrition advice seemed relatively straightforward. Eat less sugar. Less salt. Less saturated fat. Then it all fell apart. In today’s episode, we examine the research that has forced us to rethink what makes food harmful in the first place. Two of the world’s leading nutrition scientists, Professor Tim
Most replayed moment: The hormone that controls your weight | Dr Andrew Jenkinson
Most replayed moment: The hormone that controls your weight | Dr Andrew Jenkinson Sep 8, 2026 746 Floating through all of our bodies is a complex network of hormones. You can think of it as an internal postal service, delivering vital messages and instructions to different organs and systems. But what happens if these messages get intercepted, mixed up, or worse, not delivered at all? In this episode, Dr Andrew Jenkinson tells us about a hormone that plays a crucial role in weight regulation
The secret to coping with stress - how to protect your brain and body, and feel calmer now | Prof Carmine Pariante
The secret to coping with stress - how to protect your brain and body, and feel calmer now | Prof Carmine Pariante Sep 3, 2026 3595 Growing up, many of us were taught to just stay calm and carry on - as if stress was all in the mind, with no real effect on the body. But chronic stress can change your brain, raise your risk of heart disease, and even shorten your life.  In this episode, we ask: what happens when a stress response built to last minutes never switches off? Today, Professor Carmine Pariante, one of the worl

Recommended