ZOE Science &amp; Nutrition

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

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

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

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

Show notes

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

Most replayed moment: Which Wellness Trends Are Worth Your Time? | Liz Earle & Dr Federica Amati May 26, 2026

Show notes

Today we’re talking about wellness trends.

Social media has supercharged the wellness world, with new trends popping up and spreading faster than ever. It feels like we’re constantly being sold the next must-have product - each one a guaranteed route to better health that you simply can’t live without.

But how many of these trends are actually backed by science? And could some of them actually be doing more harm than good?

I’m joined by wellness expert Liz Earle and nutritional scientist Dr Federica Amati to separate evidence from exaggeration. From red light therapy to cow fat, they’ll reveal which trends are worth your time - and which are best left behind.

🌱 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

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

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

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

10 million deaths predicted but science is fighting back! The secret gut viruses that attack cancer, fight infection and slow aging | Prof Martha Clokie & Prof Tim Spector May 21, 2026

Show notes

10 million deaths a year.

That is how many people are predicted to die from antibiotic-resistant infections if we do not find new treatments.

In today’s episode, Professor Martha Clokie and Professor Tim Spector explore the secret gut viruses, known as phages, being studied to fight deadly infection, target cancer cells, and to protect your gut microbiome.

Martha is a world-leading expert on the mysterious phage and, for the last 20 years, has pioneered research to revolutionise the treatment of infections without antibiotics. She explains why antibiotic resistance is a growing global threat, why everyday infections are becoming harder to treat, and how some bacteria are now resistant to every antibiotic available. We explore how the viruses in our gut may help solve this problem, and how scientists may one day use them to deliver highly targeted cancer treatment.

By the end of the episode, you’ll have some ideas to help support a healthier gut ecosystem and understand how to increase the number of friendly gut viruses that live inside you.

The science is still early, but the message is clear: the small choices we make every day are shaping our long-term resilience to disease.

If viruses can help protect us from infection rather than cause it, how much of human health are we only just beginning to understand?

🌱 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

01:34 The gut viruses scientists say we need to survive

03:19 There are more gut viruses than stars in the universe

10:50 The billion-year war happening inside your gut

13:10 The hidden system controlling your microbiome

14:42 What healthy microbiomes have that unhealthy guts lose

16:33 The gut viruses that may protect you from infection

17:38 Why your immune system allows trillions of viruses to live inside you

19:25 The natural viruses that kill salmonella

20:52 Why ageing may weaken your gut’s viral defences

22:05 Scientists still don’t know what most gut viruses do

25:12 The strange origin story of phage therapy

27:22 Doctors are already using viruses to treat deadly infections

28:02 Why antibiotics are starting to fail

29:07 The deadly infection crisis bigger than cancer

30:38 How factory farming fuels antibiotic resistance

32:27 The antibiotic resistance emergency is already here

33:25 The forgotten treatment abandoned after antibiotics

35:50 Why phage therapy may spare your microbiome

36:37 The dying patient saved by experimental viruses

39:41 Could phages replace antibiotics in the future?

40:50 The viruses scientists are using to target cancer cells

44:35 How diet shapes the viruses living in your gut

46:05 The surprising link between coffee and gut health

47:25 The foods that may increase healthy gut viruses

50:34 The future of gut health, cancer treatment and infection prevention

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

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

How gut viruses shape your gut microbiome

Mentioned in today's episode

Phages to the rescue, Trends in Microbiology (2024)

Compounds in the foods we eat can trigger phage production, Gut Microbes (2020)

Microbiomes of garden vs supermarket produce, Nature (2022)

Phage Therapy at Belgium’s Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Viruses (2019)

Habitual coffee intake shapes the gut microbiome, Nature (2026)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.

Most replayed moment: Ice Baths: Science or Fad? | Susanna Søberg & Prof Tim Spector May 19, 2026

Show notes

Today, we’re diving into one of the most requested topics we’ve ever had: cold water therapy.

Cold showers, ice baths and wild winter swimming have exploded in popularity over recent years with supporters claiming a range of health benefits.

But are these claims actually backed by science, or is it all just another wellness fad?

I’m joined by Dr. Susanna Søberg and Proffesor Tim Spector to break down the studies and discover if we could all do with a bit more ice in our life.

🌱 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

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

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

Is your gut making hay fever, seasonal allergies, eczema and food intolerances worse? Here are 5 ways to fight back | Prof. Adam Fox May 14, 2026

Show notes

Allergies have tripled - with hay fever, seasonal allergies, eczema and food intolerances now affecting millions of people. But why are allergy symptoms getting worse, and what does gut health have to do with it?

In this episode, Adam Fox, a world-leading allergy Professor at King’s College London, explains why allergies may be rising so fast, why many beliefs about allergies are wrong, and what new science reveals about your immune system, skin and gut.

Professor Fox explores why some foods are more likely to trigger reactions, and why modern allergy science is increasingly focused on gut health. Adam also discusses why 90% of people told they are allergic to certain things may not actually be allergic, the difference between allergies and intolerances, and why some antihistamines may be doing you more harm than you realise.

By the end of this episode, you will have some practical ways to manage hay fever and seasonal allergies, including which antihistamines experts now recommend avoiding, simple ways to reduce pollen exposure at home, and when allergy testing or desensitisation treatment may help. Adam explains how newer treatments are starting to retrain the immune system rather than simply suppress symptoms.

If allergies barely existed a few hundred years ago, what changed? And could your gut now be shaping the way your immune system reacts to the world around you?

🌱 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

03:19 Why peanut allergies became so common in children

08:05 Why allergies are different in every country

10:00 The hidden link between eczema and food allergies

11:14 Your gut and skin train your immune system differently

12:42 What eczema actually does to your immune system

15:15 Did hay fever barely exist 200 years ago?

17:36 Why hay fever can seriously affect your life

18:11 Hay fever may affect exam results and work performance

20:20 Most people diagnosed with penicillin allergy may not have it

22:30 90% of penicillin allergies may be wrong

25:52 The hygiene hypothesis may not explain allergies after all

28:10 The microbiome connection scientists can’t ignore

31:24 The mouse experiment that changed allergy science

34:05 The eating pattern linked to fewer allergies in children

36:35 Food allergy vs food intolerance - what’s the difference?

39:51 What anaphylaxis actually feels like in the body

43:43 Gluten allergy, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity explained

47:49 Why allergy blood tests can give misleading results

49:46 The new treatment changing peanut allergy care

52:41 5 science-backed ways to reduce hay fever symptoms

55:16 The antihistamines some doctors now avoid

56:40 The future of allergy treatment is changing fast

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

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

Mentioned in today's episode

Professor Adam Fox OBE uses Instagram to share clear bite-sized insights on children’s allergies, eczema & other allergic diseases - Follow at @DrAdamFox

Rising Trends in Food Allergies, The Lancet (2024)

Pollen exposure and exam performance, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2026)

Almost nine in ten patients labelled allergic to penicillin had no allergy, The Lancet (2025)

Risk Factors for the Development of Food Allergy, JAMA (2026)

Food Allergy and the Microbiome, Current Research in Microbial Sciences (2025)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Most replayed moment: Is Our Food System Making Us Sick? | Prof Brian Elbel & Prof Tim Spector May 12, 2026

Show notes

Today, we’re zooming out to look at the bigger picture.

On this podcast, we often talk about things that you can do to improve your diet. However, you're not the only one who has an impact on your health. The truth is, our food system - from government policy to supermarket placement - has a profound influence on what we eat, how we eat, and ultimately how healthy we all are.

So, what steps can we take to improve not just our own health, but the health of society as a whole?

Today, I’m joined by Professor Brian Elbel and Professor Tim Spector to explore the forces shaping our food system — and the changes that could benefit our collective well-being.

How 'boosting' your immune system increases inflammation and 4 ways to support balance instead | Dr Giulia Enders May 07, 2026

Show notes

What if boosting your immune system is the wrong goal?

Today, Dr Giulia Enders explains how boosting immunity may increase inflammation and why your symptoms are often part of your body’s defence. Your immune system is not failing when you feel sick. It is trying to protect you. So what should you focus on instead?

That’s the idea at the very heart of Giulia’s new book, Organ Speak. Giulia is a gastroenterologist and author whose previous book, Gut, sold eight million copies and helped convince the world that gut health was worth taking seriously.

She explains how the immune system really works and why symptoms like a runny nose, cough, or fever come from your body, not the infection itself. You’ll learn how sugar may push the immune system toward inflammation, how stress can weaken it, and why sleep is key for producing immune cells. This episode also explores how exercise helps regulate your immune response. The core idea is simple: health is not about making your immune system stronger. It is about keeping it balanced.

By the end of this episode, you will have practical ways to support that balance and habits to help your immune system respond in the right way.

If the sneezing, runny nose, fever - all of it - are actually the whole point, how much energy should you spend in suppressing them?

🌱 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

02:45 Why being sick feels like failure

04:30 The problem with only treating the gut

07:16 Why your body is not broken

10:25 When your immune system gets overprotective

13:28 The virus may not cause your symptoms

15:36 Should you stop cold symptoms?

16:40 When diarrhoea medicine can backfire

18:05 Should you take painkillers when sick?

18:52 Why immunity is not a war

20:46 The invisible microbe cloak protecting you

22:49 How your body clears bacteria from skin

24:10 Your microbiome is part of immunity

26:58 Is your immune system like AI?

28:00 Why boosting immunity can go wrong

30:36 Are immune supplements worth taking?

31:45 How stress weakens your gut barrier

34:25 The one-minute breathing reset

37:48 Why sleep builds immune cells

39:27 The most important half of sleep

44:16 Do naps help your immune system?

46:40 What to eat for immune balance

48:00 How exercise moves immune cells

49:10 Why exercise when sick can be risky

54:26 Strength vs cardio for immunity

56:00 The immune system takeaway everyone needs

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

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

Organ Speak: What it really means to listen to our bodies by Giulia Enders

Mentioned in today's episode

Gut by Giulia Enders

Association of Stress-Related Disorders With Autoimmune Disease, JAMA (2018)

Sugar-sweetened soda consumption and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, AJCN (2014)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Most replayed moment: Do You Have High-Functioning Depression? | Dr Judith Joseph & Professor Sarah Berry May 05, 2026

Show notes

Today, we’re shining a light on a lesser-known form of depression.

When we imagine depression, we often think of someone unable to get out of bed, someone who struggles to complete daily tasks. However, many people with depression are the exact opposite. They meet deadlines, achieve goals and appear successful. Yet, on the inside, they feel disconnected and distant from joy.

This quieter, harder-to-spot condition is known as high-functioning depression.

I’m joined by psychiatrist Dr. Judith Joseph and Professor Sarah Berry to unpack what high-functioning depression looks like, why it’s so frequently missed, and how we should approach it. Sarah starts by asking for clarity on a word that is closely connected to this condition.

🌱 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

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

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