Most replayed moment: Lessons from a 5000-year-old diet | Frank Maixner & Tim Spector

Today we’re going prehistoric. We have to stay sharp at ZOE. Nutritional science moves fast, so it’s important for us to stay up to date with new discoveries and the latest advice.  However, every now and then, it helps to look back - way back. In this recap, we’re turning to a rather unusual teacher: a 5,000-year-old Iceman, preserved in ice and carrying clues about the diet of our ancient ancestors. I’m joined by Frank Maixner and Professor Tim Spector to uncover what this prehistoric man ate and what those findings can teach us about our diet today. 🌱 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 here Listen to the full episode here

The blueprint for your life starts much earlier than you realise - long before you took your first breath, before your heart beat its first beat, before your mum and dad even met.  This is the story of the first 1,000 days of life. From conception to age 2, a window so powerful that scientists now believe it influences our future risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even how our immune system reacts to the world. In this episode, the world’s leading expert on how childhood nutrition and metabolism shape our long-term health, Professor Lucilla Poston, explains how early nutrition may influence appetite, metabolism, and future disease risk.  Lucilla and ZOE’s Head Nutritionist, Dr Federica Amati, break down what science says about pregnancy, early feeding and the food children eat, and questions how lifelong health is shaped before a child even chooses their first meal. Lucilla offers practical guidance on what matters most and explains key nutrients to consider. They discuss why regular movement may help support healthy blood sugar levels. They also explain what a balanced diet can look like for parents and young children, why babies should try a wide range of whole foods, and why many packaged baby foods may contain far more sugar than parents expect. What small choices can you make today to help shape a healthier future for you, your children, and your children’s children? 🌱 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 03:47 Why the first 1,000 days can shape your entire life 08:12 What happens in the womb doesn’t stay in the womb 11:16 The tiny window where everything can go wrong 13:35 Why obesity in pregnancy is now a silent epidemic 15:17 Can a father’s health affect a baby before it even exists? 17:50 The missing nutrient most women don’t realise they need 20:35 The simplest way to improve your chances of conceiving 22:31 Should pregnant women worry about getting it wrong? 24:25 The biggest lies about pregnancy you’ve probably heard 26:47 Why pregnancy nutrition isn’t about being perfect 28:13 Why some children are at higher risk before they’re born 30:05 Can a mother’s diet rewire a baby’s brain for life? 31:47 The hormone that could make you crave junk food forever 35:11 When a normal pregnancy change becomes dangerous 39:04 Why pregnancy diabetes doesn’t end after birth 40:07 The one habit that lowers blood sugar during pregnancy 42:11 What pregnant women should actually be eating 45:37 The truth about ‘6 eggs a day’ and other diet myths 47:11 Why breast milk is more powerful than we ever realised 50:14 What babies should eat (and what to avoid) 52:13 The truth about baby food pouches parents aren’t told 55:20 The shocking reality of childhood obesity today 60:19 Is it too late to undo what happened before birth? 📚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 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 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 Paternal body mass index and offspring obesity, Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (2023) Lifestyle intervention in obese pregnancy, Nature (2022) Exercise during pregnancy, BMJ (2026) The long-term impact of obesity in pregnancy on offspring hypothalamic feeding pathways, Royal Society Open Science (2025) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re looking at a novel way to improve our mental health. If I’ve learnt anything from hosting this podcast, it’s just how interconnected all the systems in our body are. Nothing works in isolation, which means we often have to step back and look at the bigger picture if we want to improve a particular aspect of our health. With this in mind, let’s shift our focus on mental health. Can we approach it from a different angle? Harvard nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo is here to explain the science behind the gut-brain axis, and how you can help one to help the other. 🌱 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 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

Is gut health just about taking a probiotic? Or could the bacteria in your gut be shaping your body fat, inflammation and cholesterol? In this episode, Professor Nicola Segata, a pioneer of new gut technology, and ZOE’s Chief Scientist Professor Sarah Berry, explain a major breakthrough in gut science. After analysing more than 34,000 microbiomes, the team identified 50 gut bacteria strongly linked to better health. Even more striking, many of them were previously unknown to science. Nicola explains how his team ranked hundreds of gut bacteria to define the “top 50” linked to better health, and explore how these bacteria group into patterns connected to inflammation, blood sugar, heart health and body fat. We uncover how you can improve your overall health in weeks by optimising your microbiome, ask whether probiotics do what we think they do, and examine why plant diversity may matter more than any single supplement. This episode also reveals what happened when these findings were tested in trials, and why the results surprised even the scientists. Are you feeding the right gut bacteria? And, if not, what will happen to your health if you start today? 🌱 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 03:00 The biggest microbiome breakthrough in a decade 08:20 The problem with most gut research 10:25 Scientists identified the top 50 gut bacteria 11:05 The first real way to measure gut health 13:45 The “dark matter” scientists found in our guts 15:50 Why bad gut bacteria love sugar 16:30 The red meat chemical your microbes can create 18:30 The microbiome score out of 1,000 21:10 Why your microbiome is easier to change than your body 23:15 Old microbiome tests can reveal new discoveries 25:30 The 4 microbiome clusters linked to health 26:40 The gut clusters linked to inflammation, cholesterol and body fat 28:05 Why one “good bug” isn’t enough 31:25 Can diet really change your microbiome in weeks? 32:25 What happened when people changed their diet 35:10 The gold-standard trials behind this research 36:10 Why you can’t just take good bacteria in a pill 40:35 Probiotics vs prebiotics: the surprising result 41:50 The 30-plant result that shocked scientists 44:05 Why modern diets may starve our microbiome 46:10 You can pick up gut microbes from other people 47:45 Why one fibre supplement won’t fix your gut 50:35 The menopause example that shows gut bugs matter 54:30 What happens to your microbiome after antibiotics 58:35 The simple resistant starch gut health hack 📚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 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 Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks  Better Breakfast Guide Mentioned in today's episode Huge microbiome breakthrough from ZOE, thanks to community science Does ZOE work? The evidence Introducing gut bug clusters Sending babies to nursery completely reshapes their microbiomes, Nature (2026) The foods you must avoid to live longer | Dan Buettner Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re talking about carbohydrates. Pasta, potatoes, fruit and beans - carbs crop up everywhere. However, few topics in nutrition cause as much confusion. Are they essential fuel or the enemy of weight loss? Should we cut them down, or just choose our carbs more carefully? I’m joined by Professor Tim Spector to help untangle the truth and answer your biggest carbohydrate questions. Stick around to find out if freezing your bread makes it healthier. 🌱 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

What health habits actually protect your brain and long-term health?  In this episode, Professor Tim Spector shares the seven health ideas he has changed his mind about after reviewing new research. From oral health and inflammation to vitamin D, sleep, and exercise, Tim explains the daily habits he now prioritises and helps us understand what we should do differently if the science changes. Tim revisits 7 common health beliefs and explains how new evidence has shifted his thinking. He explores the link between oral health, inflammation and brain ageing, and discusses vitamin D, sunlight and omega-3s. The conversation also looks at sleep timing, exercise and how everyday habits interact with our biology. Tim also shares the small changes he now makes in his own routine and provides practical ideas for incorporating them into your daily life. We all know that science evolves as new evidence emerges, so if the research changes, should our daily health habits change too? 🌱 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 04:00 The nutrition advice scientists completely reversed 08:30 How scientists decide if a health trend is real 10:30 The vitamin D discovery that fooled scientists for years 12:35 The one health belief Tim is more convinced about than ever 14:00 The public health threat Tim says may be worse than smoking 15:20 The new research linking oral health to dementia 17:05 How mouth bacteria may affect your brain 18:20 The test that revealed plastic in Tim’s blood 20:15 The simple changes Tim made to reduce microplastics 21:40 The omega-3 test most doctors still don’t use 23:05 Why Tim chose food over omega-3 supplements 24:50 The omega-3 measurement scientists now care about most 26:40 Should vegans worry about omega-3? 29:25 The vitamin deficiency Tim has had since he was 18 31:20 The surprising brain benefits of folic acid 33:10 Why supplements should be personalised 34:30 Why Tim changed his mind about vitamin D 36:15 The simple way sunlight doubled his vitamin D 38:10 Why we shouldn’t fear winter sun 39:45 The exercise change Tim made this year 42:05 The muscle supplement Tim thought was “complete rubbish” 43:30 The sleep rule Tim now follows every night 45:30 The unusual sleep experiment Tim tried 📚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 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 Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks  Better Breakfast Guide Mentioned in today's episode What is your gut-brain connection and what role does nutrition play? Oral Health and Dementia, Journal of Dental Research (2025) Neuroinflammation: A Distal Consequence of Periodontitis, Journal of Dental Research (2022) Vitamin D Supplementation and the Incidence of Fractures, JGIM (2024) Does a good diet reduce your heart disease risk? Vitamin B12 and Age-Related Cognitive Decline-Dementia and "Alzheimer's Disease", FNB (2024) Vitamin D and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, Annals of Internal Medicine (2023) Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training, Nutrients (2024) Why you're probably breathing wrong (and what to do about it) | James Nestor Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re exploring one of the most ambitious self-experiments in human history. Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has spent over $2 million in an attempt to slow - or even stop - the ageing process. From diet and supplements to sleep and skin care, every part of his life is measured, analysed and optimised. So what does his daily routine actually look like? And what can the rest of us learn from it? I’m joined by Professor Tim Spector to dissect Bryan’s data-driven diet, discuss the future of personalised health, and hear Bryan’s top five tips for a better night’s sleep. 🌱 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

Hormones control almost every system in your body. They are like an orchestra playing, so when one instrument is a little off-key, it affects the whole system. If you feel tired, anxious, or are gaining weight, your hormones may be involved. In this episode, leading reproductive expert Dr Helen O’Neill explains how hormone health affects fertility, metabolism, and mental health for both men and women.  The core question is simple: if hormones run your body, how much influence do you have over them?  Alongside ZOE’s head nutritionist, Dr Federica Amati, Helen explores the links between hormones and fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, fertility, and metabolic health. The episode covers thyroid health, chronic pain, sperm health, and why gut hormones play a central role in appetite and weight regulation. We also examine why some female-specific conditions remain misunderstood or undiagnosed, and how better data may help change that. Most importantly, this episode focuses on what you can do to take back control. With emerging science suggesting that diet plays a key role in hormone regulation, you’ll hear how fibre, plant diversity, healthy fats, and key micronutrients support gut hormone production and fertility. You’ll also learn why changes made over three months may meaningfully influence fertility, and why conception is always a shared responsibility. Help keep your hormones in tune with this guide to the relationship between gut, diet and hormones, produced in partnership with the hormone experts at Hertility. 🌱 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 03:50 One hormone can change everything 09:50 Injecting testosterone can shut this down 12:30 You were born with all the eggs you’ll ever have 15:15 The subtle signs your hormones are off 17:55 The most common thyroid problem no one spots 20:30 ‘Balancing hormones’ — myth or medicine? 23:10 The condition affecting one in 10 women 25:40 Why PCOS impacts weight and mood 28:10 Why women were excluded from medical trials 30:25 The data breakthrough changing women’s health 32:30 The devastating disease that mimics cancer 35:15 It takes nine years to diagnose this 37:00 The symptom doctors often miss 39:15 Your gut is a hormone factory 41:00 As powerful as a drug? 43:00 The ‘gourmet meal’ your hormones love 44:05 The flash of zinc at fertilisation 46:15 A handful of walnuts improved sperm health 48:50 Your sperm affects your child’s future 50:30 The fertility habits that really matter 52:40 The biggest takeaway about hormones and food 📚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 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 Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks  Better Breakfast Guide Mentioned in today's episode Hertility Health Effect of Walnuts on Male Fertility, Current Developments in Nutrition (2019) Sperm health and risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, Nature (2023) Interplay of Gut Microbiota in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Pharmaceuticals (2023) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re talking about strength. Building muscle doesn’t have to mean lifting heavy weights in a fancy gym. In fact, you can do it from the comfort of your living room. No expensive memberships, no extra long workouts, no excuses. To prove it, I asked human performance expert Andy Galpin to design an at-home strength session for someone who’s never lifted a weight before - my sister. It’s quick, cheap, and a sure fire way to add years to your healthspan.  If you’re new to strength training, this episode is the perfect place to start. 🌱 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 healthLive 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

Most of us never question how we breathe. Yet many of us over-breathe or mouth-breathe without realising it. In this episode, investigative journalist and international bestselling author James Nestor shares four breathing techniques to retrain your nervous system and support better health. This episode is for anyone who feels stressed, snores, wakes up tired, or wants a simple way to improve their health. James, who has spent over a decade researching breathing science with leading respiratory experts, guides us through daily breathing habits to help calm your body, improve oxygen efficiency, and support long-term wellbeing. We explore why nasal breathing is more efficient, how slow breathing can influence the nervous system, and how modern lifestyles may have reshaped our airways.  If breathing is something you do 20,000 times a day, what might change if you retrained it? 🌱 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 04:15 The change that fixed my sleep and energy 09:55 Could your headaches start with your breath? 11:40 Are you telling your brain you’re stressed? 15:25 Is this the junk food of breathing? 17:30 Snoring isn’t just annoying 19:35 Can you strengthen your airway? 23:35 The moment modern food changed our faces 27:10 How early habits shape how you breathe for life 28:10 Why your nose is more powerful than you think 30:20 Why slower breathing gives you more oxygen 32:35 The molecule you activate just by using your nose 35:20 The 10-day mouth breathing experiment 37:05 One night of mouth breathing changed everything 39:15 The surprising asthma connection 42:35 The fix is boring — and that’s the point 43:00 The one rule that changes everything 44:45 The truth about mouth taping 47:05 The safe way to try mouth tape 48:05 The five-minute breathing reset 49:25 Can you calm your nervous system in 20 seconds? 52:30 How fast will you feel a difference? 📚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 Breath Reset: Free guided audio tracks from James Nestor Breath: Improve your health and wellbeing by discovering the lost art of breathing by James Nestor Asthma & anxiety, Biological Psychology (2022) Different breathing techniques in the management of asthma, Thorax (2006) 61% Self-Identify as Mouth Breathers, Sleep Review (2015) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.