ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE
ZOE Science & Nutrition

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.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    The science of weight loss – and why calories don’t count! | Prof. Giles Yeo

    Think weight loss is all about eating less and moving more? Think again. In this episode, Prof. Giles Yeo reveals why calorie counting isn’t just inaccurate—it could actually make weight management harder. He explains why the popular “calories in, calories out” method doesn’t add up and explores how factors like genetics, brain signals, and gut health play a major role in shaping our weight. Giles Yeo is a Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology at the University of Cambridge and Honorary President of the British Dietetic Association. His research focuses on the influence of genes on feeding behaviour and body weight. Giles is also the author of ‘Gene Eating’ and ‘Why Calories Don’t Count’. Giles shares the surprising impact of ultra-processed foods on how we process calories and why losing weight often feels like a battle against our own biology. With decades of research in his back pocket, Giles shares science-backed advice to help you break free from yo-yo dieting, read calorie labels smarter, and embrace a more balanced, plant-rich diet for long-term health. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 01:17 The quickfire round on weight myths 02:05 The biggest weight loss myth revealed 03:07 What are calories, really? 04:08 Burning poop: a bizarre calorie experiment 08:05 The woman who invented calorie counting 11:41 How calories became a diet obsession 15:00 Why calorie counting doesn’t work 18:56 Why food quality matters more 20:05 The blindspot of calorie labels 23:13 We eat food, not calories 27:02 Stress eating vs. stress starving 31:00 Why we always have room for dessert 38:22 How your gut controls your hunger 45:17 Why pizza makes your brain light up 49:41 Ultra-processed foods hijack your appetite 📚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 Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies, 2001, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition How dieting might make some fatter: modeling weight cycling toward obesity from a perspective of body composition autoregulation, 2020, published in International Journal of Obesity Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up, 2007, published in Journal of the American Dietetic Association Diet or Exercise Interventions vs Combined Behavioral Weight Management Programs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Direct Comparisons, 2014, published in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Diet, exercise or diet with exercise: comparing the effectiveness of treatment options for weight-loss and changes in fitness for adults (18–65 years old) who are overfat, or obese; systematic review and meta-analysis, 2015, published in Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders  Is regular exercise an effective strategy for weight loss maintenance?, 2019, Physiology & Behavior Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

    1h 4m
  2. 9 JAN

    Is your gut microbiome preventing weight loss? | Dr. Suzanne Devkota and Prof. Tim Spector

    Belly fat is more than just stubborn weight – it plays a complex role in our health, interacting with the immune system and gut bacteria. But could gut microbes hold the key to understanding and managing belly fat? In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Devkota, Director of the Microbiome Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai, shares groundbreaking findings on how gut bacteria interact with belly fat. Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology and scientific co-founder at ZOE, also joins the conversation to explain how the diversity of your gut bacteria affects weight and overall health. Together, our guests share surprising ways the microbiome influences fat storage and offer practical tips for supporting gut health. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 The risks of internal fat 01:45 Quickfire questions 03:12 What is belly fat? 04:30 How dangerous is internal fat? 05:44 How our body uses belly fat 16:20 Groundbreaking study on gut bacteria 21:05 These gut bacteria live in your fat tissue 24:50 Gut health and your immune system 31:58 Why microbes are essential to survive 38:30 Why gut health starts at birth 46:40 The importance of sampling your gut microbes 50:50 Two changes you can make right now 53:02 Easy fermented eating tips 55:10 Why not all pickles are fermented 📚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 Translocation of Viable Gut Microbiota to Mesenteric Adipose Drives Formation of Creeping Fat in Humans (2020), published in Cell Our extended microbiome: The human-relevant metabolites and biology of fermented foods (2024), published in Cell Metabolism Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial (2024), published in Nature Heritable components of the human fecal microbiome are associated with visceral fat (2016) published in Genome Biology Dissecting the role of the gut microbiota and diet on visceral fat mass accumulation (2019), published in Scientific Reports Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

    1h 4m
  3. 1 JAN

    How to eat in 2025: 7 science-backed tips | Prof. Tim Spector and Prof. Sarah Berry

    Forget crash diets this January. In this episode, we discuss simple, effective ways to eat well and truly enjoy food in 2025. Today, Prof. Tim Spector and Prof. Sarah Berry join us to share seven essential strategies to help you improve your health this year. Based on the latest science that’s come out over the last 365 days, they bust common food myths, highlight the importance of quality over quantity, and show how the joy of eating can go hand in hand with good health. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 What's your nutrition goal for 2025? 03:08 This choice matters most for your health 05:20 Changes that could add 10 years to your life 12:30 Tip 1: Reduce intake of these foods 21:20 Tip 2: Try eating at these times 30:50 Tip 3: Stop counting calories 41:39 Tip 4: Change drink habits 48:15 Tip 5: Eat more plants 55:48 Tip 6: Are you getting enough protein? 59:07 Tip 7: Start eating these healthy snacks 01:03:50 Add these foods to your plate 📚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 Ultra-processed foods cause weight gain and increased energy intake associated with reduced chewing frequency: A randomized, open-label, crossover study, (2024) published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Counting hours or calories? Metabolic regulatory role of time-restricted eating in adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis, (2024) published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition  Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities (2024), published in International Journal of Obesity  The potential effects of chlorogenic acid, the main phenolic components in coffee, on health: a comprehensive review of the literature (2017), published in European Journal of Nutrition  Differential peripheral immune signatures elicited by vegan versus ketogenic diets in humans (2024), published in Nature Medicine Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

    1h 12m
  4. 26/12/2024

    ZOE's best health tips of 2024 - Part 2

    In the second part of our 2024 recap, we take another look back at more of the best nuggets of wisdom from ZOE Science & Nutrition this year. In this jam-packed episode, we’ll hear how your second brain affects your mood, why fasting doesn’t actually have to be difficult, and how to prevent the disease you probably don’t know much about - but can lead to hospital time.  As you consider your New Year’s Resolutions and new habits, this episode will ready you with some great ideas. Why not share with a friend whose also trying to make positive change? 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Introduction 01:08 Should you try fasting? 10:30 Eat more mushrooms 15:40 The power of spices 27:10 Your second brain 35:10 How to prevent osteoporosis 📚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  Enjoy the full episodes here 👇 Intermittent fasting | Spotify or Apple Mushrooms | Spotify or Apple Spices | Spotify or Apple Gut health | Spotify or Apple Osteoporosis | Spotify or Apple Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

    49 min
  5. 19/12/2024

    ZOE's best health tips of 2024 - Part 1

    Let’s take a look back at our best episodes of 2024. We had an incredible lineup of guests this year who shared a huge range of actionable tips on improving your nutrition and gut health.  A lot of what we learned might surprise you. Like the beverage you’re probably drinking every day that we thought was bad for us? Turns out it can actually be super beneficial. Or that what counts as a plant is actually so much more than just fruit and veg. Not forgetting the topic we’ve shattered the taboo on - which made our celebrity guest emotional.  You’ll finish this episode equipped to tackle your post-Christmas slump and feel energised to build new habits with ZOE in 2025.  🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Introduction 01:41 Build healthy food habits 08:15 Eat more plants with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall 17:20 Reduce dementia risk 21:20 Is coffee healthy? 24:40 Why you need more olive oil 33:30 Our special guest! 📚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  Enjoy the full episodes here 👇 Habits with James Clear | Spotify or Apple Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Spotify or Apple Dementia | Spotify or Apple Coffee | Spotify or Apple Olive oil | Spotify or Apple Davina McCall | Spotify or Apple Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

    49 min

About

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.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada