The 4 rules to protect your muscle, bones and brain health when using Ozempic and other weight loss injections | Dr Federica Amati

Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can help people lose weight. But what should you eat on GLP-1 drugs to avoid side effects, protect muscle, and maintain results long term? In this episode, Dr Federica Amati, ZOE’s Head Nutritionist and author of The Appetite Reset, explains how these drugs work, why many people struggle with side effects, and why losing weight does not automatically mean better health. You’ll learn why the weight lost may not be fat, why nutrient deficiencies, dehydration and muscle loss can become a risk, and what to eat before, during and after treatment. Federica shares four practical principles to help reduce side effects, protect lean mass, improve diet quality and support long-term health whether you stay on these medications or eventually stop taking them. Millions of people are now using GLP-1 drugs. But if these medications reduce appetite so effectively, how do you make sure your body still gets the nutrients it needs? 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30 🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar 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 03:23 What Ozempic actually does inside your body 06:00 Are Ozempic and Mounjaro really miracle drugs? 10:53 Ozempic vs Wegovy vs Mounjaro: what’s the difference? 11:40 The step almost everyone skips before starting GLP-1s 13:16 Why do some people get worse Ozempic side effects? 15:20 The surprising brain effect changing people’s lives 18:20 The appetite system most people never learn about 21:25 How fibre helps your body make more GLP-1 naturally 24:24 Why ultra-processed foods never keep you full 27:20 Why staying a healthy weight is harder than ever 30:11 The hidden risk nobody mentions when losing weight 32:11 The 4 rules to protect muscle, bones and brain health 34:24 The side effect that can make life feel less enjoyable 35:26 What happens if you stay on Ozempic but never change your diet? 38:16 Can Ozempic cause malnutrition? Warning signs to know 39:35 Why some people suddenly stop craving junk food 41:15 What should you eat before starting Ozempic? 42:50 What should you eat while taking Ozempic? 44:01 Why meal timing matters more than you think 46:25 The eating mistake that triggers nausea and vomiting 47:18 The best protein foods for GLP-1 users 49:15 Can Ozempic cause muscle loss? The protein myth explained 51:40 What should you eat when coming off Ozempic? 53:15 Why some people keep the weight off for years 57:45 Why do most people quit Ozempic within a year? 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati The Appetite Reset 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 The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati GLP-1 Discontinuation Among Patients, Diabetes and Endocrinology (2024) How much protein do you need? ZOE’s new guide Managing Gastrointestinal Adverse Events in Patients Treated with GLP-1s, Journal of Clinical Medicine (2022) Neurological complications following GLP-1 use, BMC Neurology (2025) 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 what causes ageing. Here’s an important term you may not have heard before: inflammaging. It describes the link between chronic inflammation in the body and accelerated ageing. While it’s relatively unknown, this process is one of the most important concepts to understand if we want to live longer, healthier lives. I’m joined by Professor Janet Lord to break down what inflammaging is, why it’s one of the biggest threats to healthy longevity, and the surprisingly simple, science-backed habits we can all use to slow it down. 🌱 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 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 Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here

Could inflammation be causing low mood, anxiety, depression, or even affecting your risk of dementia?  Emerging science suggests that inflammation in the body may change how the brain works. In this episode, Ed Bullmore, a Professor of Psychiatry at King's College London and a leading voice in brain research, explores why feeling low, emotionally flat, foggy or exhausted may not always be “all in your head”. Ed explores emerging science suggesting that inflammation in the body may alter how the brain works. He explains how inflammation can influence the brain and discusses why obesity, gut health, gum disease, menopause, ageing and stress may all play a role. He also examines why medicine has traditionally separated physical and mental health, and what this may mean for understanding the root causes of low mood. By the end of the episode, you’ll have some practical ways to support both brain and body health. Ed shares the evidence behind which exercise and diet matter most, and why discussing mental and physical health together may help you get closer to the causes of your symptoms. If your mood, energy and brain health are shaped by more than what’s happening in your mind, what might your body be trying to tell 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.

Today we’re talking about skin and sunlight. Skin and sunlight have a complicated relationship. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which is essential for overall health. However, too much exposure can accelerate skin ageing and increase the risk of skin cancer. So how much sun is enough? Are most of us getting too little, or too much? And where does sunscreen fit into a healthy daily routine? I’m joined by Professor John McGrath to explore how sunlight affects our skin, and how to strike the perfect balance 🌱 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 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 Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here

Could mushrooms hold the secret to better gut health, lower cholesterol, and can they protect your brain? Today, Professor Robin May, a leading microbiologist and the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Officer, explores why our interest in mushrooms has exploded. He explains why they are not just another vegetable but could hold the key to better gut health, brain health, immune health, and lower cholesterol. By the end of the episode, you’ll know which health claims about mushrooms are real, which are exaggerated and where the science is just too early to trust. You’ll have a solid understanding of what mushrooms are really doing inside our bodies and how to unlock the secret health powers they hold. Should mushrooms become a regular part of your weekly shop rather than an occasional side dish? And if fungi have evolved alongside humans for millions of years, what else might they reveal about the future of nutrition and health? 🌱 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 03:32 Are mushrooms closer to humans than plants? 06:20 What is a mushroom, really? 10:46 Why we’re eating more mushrooms now 12:14 The hidden nutrients inside mushrooms 13:56 Can mushrooms boost vitamin D? 15:35 The sunlight trick for healthier mushrooms 17:27 How many mushrooms give you enough vitamin D? 18:01 The mushroom with 500x more vitamin D 20:25 The mystery compound found in mushrooms 22:00 Should you take mushroom supplements? 24:30 Do all mushrooms contain this rare compound? 26:22 Can mushrooms help you live longer? 28:35 Can lion’s mane protect your brain? 30:24 Do mushrooms really boost IQ? 34:21 Can mushrooms affect your immune system? 36:40 How mushrooms feed your gut microbes 38:20 Should fungi live in your gut? 39:45 The fungus that lives on your head 41:50 Can mushrooms lower cholesterol? 43:21 Are you cooking mushrooms wrong? 45:25 Should you eat raw mushrooms? 47:21 How to make mushrooms taste better 49:25 The easiest way to eat more mushrooms 52:17 Robin’s top mushroom tip 📚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 A Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D, Nutrients (2018) Ergothioneine: an underrecognised dietary micronutrient required for healthy ageing, British Journal of Nutrition (2023) Ergothioneine: A Stress Vitamin with Antiaging, Vascular, and Neuroprotective Roles?, Antioxidants and Redox Signaling (2022) Mushrooms & longevity, Nature (2025) Lion’s mane & nerve growth factor, Journal of Biological Engineering (2023) The Relationship between Mushroom Intake and Cognitive Performance, Nutrients (2024) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re exploring the impact of ultra-processed foods on young people. One of the big reasons ultra-processed foods have become so widespread is convenience. They offer quick, easy meals for people short on time - and few groups are more time-pressed than parents trying to feed young children. But does this convenience come at a cost? I’m joined by Harvard professor Dr Andy Chan, whose research is helping us understand how early exposure to ultra-processed food can shape 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. 📚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 Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here

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

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

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 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 How gut viruses shape your gut microbiome 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.

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 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