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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
  • 7 gut-friendly snacks that won't destroy your diet | Prof Sarah Berry

    7 gut-friendly snacks that won't destroy your diet | Prof Sarah Berry
    Feb 19 2026
    Snacks make up a quarter of what most people eat. Yet most of us never question them. In this episode, Professor Sarah Berry, ZOE’s Chief Scientist, explains why snacking is not the problem and how seven snack swaps can lower cholesterol, support gut health, and reduce heart disease risk. Most snacks are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and many carry “health” claims that hide this. Sarah breaks down how to spot this, explains what makes a good snack and why snack timing matters. You’ll walk away with seven simple snack ideas that help improve cholesterol, blood sugar, and heart health in weeks. If you’re a snacker, this may be the easiest place to improve your diet. 🌱 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. Timecodes 00:00 Intro 03:31 95% of us snack every day 06:33 The 9pm rule that changes everything 12:43 Why late snacks keep you less full 16:33 The breakfast mistake that adds 320 calories 21:35 The ‘bliss point’ that makes snacks hard to stop 25:37 Should you worry about sugar? 29:32 How to actually read a snack label 33:45 Why sugar appears under 42 different names 35:30 The simple snack most people overlook 38:15 The protein-packed food we don’t eat enough of 41:26 The one swap that cut heart disease risk by 30% 43:22 Why this high-fat snack doesn’t cause weight gain 46:26 The fermented food that supports your gut 48:20 The creamy fruit that keeps you full 50:30 The sweet treat that may help your heart 52:55 How quickly you’ll feel the difference 55:35 Why most snacks quietly drag your diet down 56:32 Why timing may matter more than frequency 01:00:20 Can you snack and still stay healthy? 📚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 Mentioned in today's episode ZOE snacking study: What should you do? The ZOE Big IF Study: What did we find? Whole Fruits Versus 100% Fruit Juice, Nutrition Bulletin (2025) What are added sugars, and where are they hidden? 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 hr and 1 min
  • Recap: How exercise slows brain ageing | Dr Wendy Suzuki

    Recap: How exercise slows brain ageing | Dr Wendy Suzuki
    Feb 17 2026
    Today, we’re asking how we can boost our brain. Our brain is a living, morphing organ that is constantly responding to the stimuli we feed it. So the big question is: what sort of stimuli will keep our brain strong and healthy? Is it brain puzzles? Supplements? Neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki believes the most powerful way to support your brain is by simply moving your body. She’s joining me today to explain why. 🌱 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 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 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 hereListen to the full episode here
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    14 mins
  • The #1 diet change to make today to fight chronic disease | Dr Mark Hyman

    The #1 diet change to make today to fight chronic disease | Dr Mark Hyman
    Feb 12 2026
    Chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are killing more people than ever before. Could your diet be the biggest driver of this risk? Today, Dr Mark Hyman explains why food matters more than genetics for long-term health, and how one diet change can make the biggest difference. Alongside Professor Tim Spector, Mark, a 15-times New York Times bestselling author and a practising family doctor, explores how modern eating is linked to chronic disease and what the science says reduces risk. We break down how food is designed to make us eat more, how this affects metabolism, insulin and inflammation, and why this matters more than your genes. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand the single most important dietary change Mark believes can lower chronic disease risk, based on clinical experience. If the modern world is driving these conditions, what’s one small change you can make to take back control of your 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. Timecodes 00:00 Intro 04:12 Why birth is designed to be messy 08:32 Why your first microbes shape everything later 10:46 Can you replace microbes after a C-section? 13:05 Why the first few years matter more than the rest 15:54 Why antibiotics always come with a hidden cost 17:42 How families swap microbes without realising 19:06 Why microbes survive in some places — and not others 21:25 Why bigger social groups protect your immune system 22:30 How scientists can tell who you live with 24:15 Why closeness matters more than genetics 25:38 Can you catch bad gut bugs from other people? 26:29 Can anxiety spread through gut microbes? 27:55 How scientists now rank “good” and “bad” gut bugs 31:05 Why countryside living changes your gut health 33:49 Why getting dirty may improve mental health 35:33 Why sterilising everything can backfire 38:05 Why pets — especially dogs — boost gut health 42:18 Can your partner improve your health without dieting? 43:25 Why loneliness harms your gut microbiome 45:25 The shared habit of long-living communities 52:01 Why fighting germs may be harming your health 📚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 Mentioned in today's episodeFood Fix Uncensored: Inside The Food Industry's Biggest Cover-Ups by Mark Hyman Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom by Fred Provenza Global Burden of Disease study: Diet vs. smoking, Lancet (2019) Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain, Cell (2019) The study of food addiction, Appetite (2010) Can fermented food fight inflammation? Breast Cancer Risk among US-Resident Polish Migrant Women, IJERPH (2021) Milk and Health, NEJM (2020) 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 hr and 1 min
All stars
Most relevant
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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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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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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