The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee - Physicians Committee

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Are Vegans Sexier? The Science of Food and Attraction | Dr. Matt Nagra Nov 10, 2026

Show notes

Can eating more plants give your skin a glow—and change how attractive you are?

Dr. Matt Nagra joins Chuck Carroll to unpack the research behind the "vegans are sexier" headlines.

Nagra, a Vancouver-based naturopathic doctor and co-author of research on vegan attractiveness, explains three connections between diet and perceived attractiveness: skin coloration, body odor, and body composition.

Find out why carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers enter the conversation; garlic's surprising effects; and why carbohydrate quality matters more than simply fearing carbs.

You will learn:

Carotenoids and the science behind the "glow"
How researchers test whether diet changes body odor
Meat intake, sweat, and the limits of the evidence
The surprising garlic findings
Plant-forward eating versus a vegan label
Body composition without assuming thinner always means better
Why beans, fruit, and whole grains belong in the carbohydrate conversation
How quickly some changes may appear
Matt's research updates on carnivore diets, collagen, and cancer survivorship

Reversing Diabetes Watch Party

Join host Chuck and Dr. Neal Barnard for a screening of PCRM's documentary Reversing Diabetes. After the film you'll enjoy a behind-the-scenes conversation with the stars of the film, including Dr. Barnard, Dr. Hana Kahleova, and former University of Michigan football star Marc Ramirez and his wife Kim.

Marc shares his experience reversing type 2 diabetes after seeing the disease profoundly affect his family. We'll explore the personal stories, blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, and research behind the film. The event benefits the Physicians Committee.

🎬 Watch Party Tickets

https://www.pcrm.org/watchparty

📕 Vegan Attractiveness Study

https://bit.ly/sexyveganstudy

🩺 Dr. Matthew Nagra

https://drmatthewnagra.com

- About Us -

The Physicians Committee combines the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of nearly one million members and supporters worldwide.

Doctor Doubted Plant-Based Diet, Then Lost 25 Pounds | Dr. Kerry Graff Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Kerry Graff hoped the doctors in Forks Over Knives were wrong. Then she tried a whole food, plant-based diet herself—and says she lost 25 pounds in three months without feeling hungry.

After 17 years in family practice, the experience changed how she understood her own health and how she helped her patients.

Dr. Graff joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room to share her journey from skepticism to lifestyle medicine, including the changes she experienced in reflux, constipation, and mood. She also explains why helping someone change their diet means understanding their sleep, stress, relationships, and reasons for wanting to feel better.

Today, she brings that personal, practical approach to her work with Lifestyle Telemedicine and as medical director of Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute.

In this conversation:

Why being vegetarian did not automatically mean she was eating well.
How she evaluated the nutrition claims that challenged her medical training.
Ways to make the transition to more fiber easier on your digestion.
Why trying one new recipe a week can make healthy eating more sustainable.
How to handle holiday meals when your family eats differently.
Why she looks for positive motivation when working with patients.
Her experience working with autoimmune conditions and why responses vary.
How telemedicine physicians collaborate and how to find a doctor available in your state.

🎬 Reversing Diabetes Watch Party

🎟️ Tickets

https://www.pcrm.org/watchparty

🩺 Lifestyle Telemedicine

https://lifestyletelemedicine.com

🩺 Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute

https://www.rochesterlifestylemedicine.org

👩🏻‍⚕️ Dr. Kerry Graff

https://www.kerrygraffmd.com

- About Us -

The Physicians Committee combines the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of nearly one million members and supporters worldwide.

Why Can't I Stop Eating? Milkshake Study Offers Surprising Clues | Dr. Kevin Hall Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Why can ultra-processed foods be so hard to stop eating? Kevin Hall, Ph.D. explains the surprising results of a brain-imaging study—and why they do NOT settle the debate about food addiction.

The nutrition, metabolism, and obesity scientist joins Chuck Carroll to unpack research that challenged his own expectations. After participants consumed an ultra-processed milkshake high in fat and sugar, researchers did not detect the average increase in dopamine they anticipated under the study conditions.

But Hall is clear: that does not prove food addiction is imaginary or that ultra-processed foods cannot drive overeating.

For Chuck, who once weighed 420 pounds and ate as many as 10,000 calories of fast food and junk food a day, the findings raise deeply personal questions.

In this conversation:

What the 50-person milkshake study measured—and what it could not establish
Why overeating and addiction are different research questions
How calorie density and combinations of fat, sugar, and salt may influence food intake
How Hall's team changed calorie intake while keeping diets highly ultra-processed
Why Hall left the NIH after 21 years
His account of restrictions on communicating research findings
His concerns about research funding and the next generation of scientists

Hall also discusses his subsequent work at AstraZeneca on obesity medications.

🥤 Milk Shake Study

https://bit.ly/milkshakestudy

👨‍🏫 Kevin Hall, Ph.D.

https://www.kevinhallphd.com

Exam Roomie of the Week

- Judy Leahy

Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-saving work of the Physicians Committee. All gifts of $20 or more receive a mention from Chuck. Gifts of $100 or more receive an exclusive Exam Room Podcast tote!

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

- About Us -

The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Pain Fighting Foods: Discover How Not To Hurt | Dr. Michael Greger Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Certain foods produce similar pain fighting effects as Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Dr. Michael Greger joins Chuck Carroll for an early look at his forthcoming book, How Not to Hurt, and the research that surprised him while investigating food, lifestyle, and pain.

This conversation explores ginger and cinnamon in migraine research, turmeric and curcumin, and an unexpected study comparing a kale preparation with ibuprofen after wisdom-tooth surgery.

Dr. Greger also introduces his "Soothing Seven," explains the evidence threshold for making that list, and names three members: ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric.

Plus, he discusses:

Research on topical flaxseed oil for carpal tunnel symptoms.
Why short-term pain relief and long-term outcomes can differ.
Questions raised by sham-controlled procedure studies.
Why some inexpensive interventions receive little attention.
How dietary changes can fit alongside other medical care.

There's serious science, plenty of Big Greger Energy, and a shared goal of helping people spend less of their lives hurting.

Thank you to our Exam Room VIPs for joining us before the public release! Invite a friend to become a VIP for FREE. More exclusive interviews, newsletters, and events will be announced soon.

📕 How Not To Hurt by Dr. Greger

https://link.amazon/B0dw88WWh

Make a gift to support The Exam Room Podcast and the life-changing work of the Physicians Committee. All gifts of $20 or more receive a mention on the show. Gifts of $100 or more receive an exclusive Exam Room Podcast tote!

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM

https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

- About Us -

Five Foods Proven to Boost Your Immune System | Dr. Niki Davis Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Can a bag of frozen berries earn a place on your immune-health grocery list? What do beans and mushrooms bring to the table?

Dr. Niki Davis from Lifestyle Telemedicine joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room to explore five foods and food groups for supporting a healthy immune system, with practical ideas for cold and flu season.

Her five picks:

Mushrooms
Beans, peas, and lentils
Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables
Berries
Sweet potatoes

Learn why Dr. Davis highlights beta-glucans in mushrooms, how gut bacteria turn fiber into butyrate, and why variety matters when choosing plant foods. The conversation also covers broccoli and sulforaphane, frozen versus fresh berries, and different sweet potato varieties.

Beyond the plate, Dr. Davis discusses movement, strength training, sleep, and stress. Audience questions explore oxalates and kidney stones, dairy, yogurt and kefir, probiotics after antibiotics, and eating with Hashimoto's.

Plus, Chuck shares his experience eating a mushroom steak at one of the top rated plant-based restaurants in the world, and Dr. Davis reveals her favorite frozen blueberries.

🩺 Lifestyle Telemedicine

https://lifestyletelemedicine.com

👩🏻‍⚕️ Dr. Niki Davis

https://drnikidavis.com

🩺 Barnard Medical Center

https://www.barnardmedical.org

Exam Roomie of the Week

Andrea Csuvay

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

- About Us -

Gut Health Hype: What Actually Works? | Christopher Gardner, PhD Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Before you buy another gut-health product, hear what the human research actually found. Stanford nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner, PhD, explains the evidence on fiber, fermented foods, and inflammation.

When you're trying to feel better, a promise of billions of beneficial bacteria can sound convincing. But what do those numbers really tell you about the product you're buying?

Gardner joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to unpack a human trial that surprised his own research team. The fermented-food group increased gut microbial diversity and had lower levels of several inflammatory markers, while the fiber group's responses were more complicated. He explains why these findings do not mean fiber has failed, and why a study of foods cannot automatically validate every product marketed for your microbiome.

In this episode:

What prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics mean
Why a bigger CFU count does not establish a better health outcome
How fermented foods and fiber produced different results in a small human trial
Why mouse findings did not predict the human results
Why fibermaxxing can be a rough transition for your gut
The limits of research measurements of inflammation
Gardner's response to seed-oil claims
How to build a varied, plant-rich eating pattern you can sustain
What he has learned from making 250 batches of kombucha

📕 Food Sense: What to Eat and Why

👉 https://link.amazon/B0ebl1EAc

🔬 Gut Immune System Trial

👉 https://bit.ly/gutimmunetrial

Exam Roomie of the Week

- Lori Goosmann

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

- About Us -

5 Ways to Reduce Bloating | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

You're eating healthier, but the bloating won't quit. By afternoon, your stomach feels tight, your clothes feel uncomfortable, and you're wondering which food to give up next.

Before you cut out another healthy food, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz wants you to consider something surprising: You can poop every day and still be constipated.

The gastroenterologist joins Chuck Carroll to explain five approaches to reducing bloating and why simply eating more fiber isn't always the answer.

DR. B'S FIVE TIPS FOR REDUCING BLOATING

Address constipation. Going every day doesn't necessarily mean you're emptying your bowels fully.
Reduce swallowed air. Look at habits such as drinking carbonated beverages, sipping through straws, chewing gum, and gulping drinks.
Increase fiber gradually. "Low and slow—that's the tempo." Start with what you tolerate and build at your own pace.
Consider a trial without dairy and artificial sweeteners. Dr. B explains how lactose and certain sweeteners, including sugar alcohols, can contribute to gas and bloating.
Slow down when you eat. Take time to chew, avoid rushing through meals, and try putting your fork down between bites.

BONUS: Take a "fart walk"! Dr. B explains how moving your body can help move gas through your digestive system.

You'll also hear the difference between feeling bloated and having a visibly distended abdomen, plus when ongoing symptoms deserve a conversation with your doctor.

Dr. B discusses BDR, the supplement he developed through his company, 38TERA, and explains its peppermint oil, probiotic, and capsule design.

There are plenty of laughs along the way—but the message is serious: You deserve to feel comfortable, and persistent bloating shouldn't be something you simply accept.

🙏 Become and Exam Room VIP and get early access to the interview with Dr. Michael Greger before anyone else!

👉 https://pcrm.org/examroomvip

🩺 Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

👉 https://www.theguthealthmd.com

🩺 38Tera

👉 https://www.38tera.com

This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

- About Us -

Kidney Disease: Silent Signals and Best Foods | Dr. Sean Hashmi Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Kidney disease can develop quietly. What should you ask when your blood work is labeled "normal" but your numbers are changing?

Kidney and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Sean Hashmi joins Chuck Carroll to discuss foamy urine, the role of urine testing, and why he pays close attention to trends in kidney function.

Then the conversation becomes deeply personal.

Dr. Hashmi explains why he tells patients struggling with obesity that it isn't their fault, how food can become a source of comfort through trauma, and why he wants to understand someone's "why" before prescribing another major lifestyle change.

Chuck reflects on his own journey from 420 pounds and the lunchtime walks that helped him build consistency.

In this episode:

Recurrent foamy urine and questions to ask your doctor
Kidney health, blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight
Pain relievers and kidney concerns
Muscle preservation during weight loss
Five-minute walks, chair squats, and wall push-ups
Substitution, realistic goals, and building trust with your doctor
Why a lab result or a number on the scale should not define you

Dr. Hashmi also shares how losing his sister shaped his understanding of pain and human connection.

🙏 Become and Exam Room VIP and get early access to the interview with Dr. Michael Greger before anyone else!

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

💻 Dr. Hashmi Website

https://www.seanhashmimd.com

▶️ Dr. Hashmi YouTube

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@SeanHashmiMD

🏥 Barnard Medical Center Appointments

👉 https://www.barnardmedical.org

This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

- About Us -

Health Benefits of Pink Foods: The Science Behind Their Color | Dr. Neal Barnard Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

When breast cancer touches your life, everyday choices can take on a new urgency. What should you eat? Does exercise matter? And what should you make of products wrapped in pink for breast cancer awareness?

Dr. Neal Barnard joins Chuck Carroll to explore the science behind pink and red plant foods as part of the Physicians Committee's Let's Beat Breast Cancer campaign.

The conversation goes inside strawberries, watermelon, tomatoes, and beets to explain why similar colors can come from very different compounds—and why an overall eating pattern matters more than chasing one superfood.

You'll hear:

How gut bacteria break down the colorful compounds in berries.
Why tomato sauce can provide more absorbable lycopene than a raw tomato.
What breast cancer survivor research found about fruit and vegetable intake combined with physical activity.
How the pigments in plant foods differ from the pink color in meat.
Why breast cancer fundraising tied to alcohol deserves scrutiny.
Whether cooking and freezing change the benefits of these foods.
How Dr. Barnard went from avoiding berries to eating them every morning.

The research discussion includes both a randomized dietary trial and an observational analysis of diet plus activity.

🙏 Become and Exam Room VIP and get early access to the interview with Dr. Michael Greger before anyone else!

👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

💪 Let's Beat Breast Cancer

👉 https://letsbeatbreastcancer.org

▶️ Venus Williams and Dr. Funk Ad

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH4djQ0OATg

This episode of The Exam Room Podcast is sponsored by the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund. Our sincere thanks to Alysoun Mahoney and everyone at the fund for their generous support of the Physicians Committee and The Exam Room Podcast.

🙂 Gregory Reiter Fund

👉 https://gregoryreiterfund.org

This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

- About Us -

Breast Cancer Beyond Genetics: Better Outcomes | Dr. Kristi Funk Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

An abnormal mammogram. No ride to the next appointment. No one to watch the kids. And a paycheck that won't stretch far enough to cover both groceries and medical care.

Breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk explains how those everyday challenges can become barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment—and why helping women overcome them can change lives.

She joins Chuck Carroll to examine a troubling finding: Black women have a lower overall incidence of breast cancer than white women, yet a higher death rate. Dr. Funk explains why differences in age, cancer subtype, and stage at diagnosis don't tell the whole story.

The conversation also follows the connections between the food available in a neighborhood and the health of the people living there. What happens when nutritious food is difficult to find, but less healthy options are everywhere? And how do insulin resistance, inflammation, hormones, and gut bacteria fit into the breast cancer picture?

You'll hear: