Change Your Mind with New Scientist

Chances are you’ve eaten something ultra-processed already today, but should you be worried? 

Many of us have a sense that ultra-processed food could be harming our bodies, but what impact does it have on our brains? In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist health Journalists Helen Thomson and Cat de Lange ask whether the food we eat is damaging our mental health, increasing our risk of dementia or even making us age prematurely.

With help from doctor, broadcaster and researcher Chris van Tulleken they explore how ultra-processed food really impacts the brain and whether we should be making changes to our own diets. 

Produced by Emily Bird 

Get in touch at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Find out more about Ultra-processed foods at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2519704-how-worried-should-you-be-about-ultra-processed-foods/

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2499135-why-not-all-ultra-processed-foods-are-bad-for-you/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2438428-is-ultra-processed-food-unhealthy-heres-why-no-one-can-agree/ 

Calories from UPF: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/oct/toddlers-get-nearly-half-their-calories-ultra-processed-foods

https://www.ukri.org/news/families-left-in-dark-on-upfs-risks-to-children-ukri-dialogue/ 

Daniel Lieberman interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puRaNQpwW6U

We all know how important sleep is for our health, it’s a chance to rest our body and mind, but what if it’s also a vital opportunity for the brain to clear away waste? 

In this episode of Change Your Mind, health journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson explore the glymphatic system, a hidden cleaning network deep in the brain that has alluded scientists for years. They’re asking how it helps keep the brain healthy, and why sleep could play such an important role.

Joining them is Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist whose research helped uncover the system. Together, they look at how fluid moves through the brain, what scientists are learning about its links to sleep and conditions such as Alzheimer’s, and what might help support it.

Produced by Emily Bird 

Get in touch at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Find out more about the glymphatic system at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2590514-can-we-harness-the-brains-deep-cleaning-system-to-prevent-alzheimers/

Series 3 of Change Your Mind with New Scientist is on it's way! But we couldn't leave you with nothing whilst we put together our next batch of myth-busting interviews with top brain experts. Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson share the very best tips and tricks they've picked up in their decades as Health Journalists.

We learn how avoiding AI could give our brains a dopamine hit and How to really make a habit stick.

Produced by Emily Bird

Bonus Brain Tips!

Series 3 of Change Your Mind with New Scientist is on it's way! But we couldn't leave you with nothing whilst we put together our next batch of myth-busting interviews with top brain experts. Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson share the very best tips and tricks they've picked up in their decades as Health Journalists.

We learn how protecting your hearing could be the secret to protecting against dementia and how to fight habituation and feel more alive.

Produced by Emily Bird

Can a growth mindset help you cope with exam pressure? Does writing by hand help you remember more? And what does the science really say about lion’s mane and pets?

In this special listener Q&A, Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson bring series two of Change Your Mind with New Scientist to a close by answering questions from the inbox. Drawing on neuroscience research, they explore effective studying, stress, memory and the claims surrounding popular brain-health supplements.

Along the way, they consider why the way we take notes might matter, what doodling could be doing for your attention, and whether having a pet can benefit your brain.

Change Your Mind will be back with two shorter episodes of brain-boosting tips, before returning for series three with new expert guests and discoveries.

We want to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment or send your ideas and questions for future episodes to [email protected].

Produced by Emily Bird.

Exercise is often framed as a way to get fit, but what if its biggest benefits are happening in your brain? In this episode of Change Your Mind, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson explore why movement matters for our mood and long-term brain health, and why making exercise part of everyday life can feel like such a challenge.

Joining them is Brendon Stubbs, a leading researcher in physical activity and mental health. Together, they look at what science is beginning to reveal about exercise and the brain, whether some kinds of movement might be better than others, and how much you need to do to make a difference. 

Produced by Emily Bird 

Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠

Find out more about the brain benefits of exercise at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2589563-short-bursts-of-exercise-can-boost-your-cognition/

Sources:

Astrocytes - ttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2586505-exercise-may-create-new-neurons-by-making-other-brain-cells-contract/

Depression as good as antidepressants 

ttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2510492-exercise-may-relieve-depression-as-effectively-as-antidepressants/

Endorphins: ttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453021000470?via%3Dihub

Is now really the worst time in history to be a teenager? This week, health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson take on a topic that worries many parents: teenage mental health.

Helping them wade through the misinformation is Lucy Foulkes, a psychologist at the University of Oxford who specialises in teenage mental health and social development.  She explains why adolescence is such a vulnerable time for the brain, and why it lasts much longer than you might expect. She also shares a surprising idea about whether all our talk about mental health might have unexpected downsides.

Are smartphones really villain they're made out to be, or is something bigger going on? Cat and Helen come away with practical ideas for supporting the teenagers in their lives, and a few habits they need to change themselves.

Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]

If you're struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, support is available from the UK Samaritans and the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Produced by Emily Bird.

Find out more about Adolescent Mental Health at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443636-is-youth-mental-health-really-worse-today-than-it-was-decades-ago/ 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2495265-matt-richtel-grapples-with-how-modern-life-is-warping-adolescence/ 

Lucy’s reading list: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Their-World-Adolescence-ParentingTM/dp/B0DJHQJXVH/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screensaver-Judgement-Free-Guide-Childs-Smartphone/dp/1805226479

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartphone-Solution-bestselling-clinical-psychologist/dp/0008773920

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlocked-Pete-Etchells/dp/0349432937/

Lucy’s podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5kWA0hyOrlRAKpAC27Dk2e 

Lucy’s books:

https://www.lucyfoulkes.co.uk/books 

Lucy’s research: 

https://www.lucyfoulkes.co.uk/research  

Feeling tempted by social media tips to “reset” your vagus nerve, fix your anxiety and banish inflammation? In this episode, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dig into the science behind vagus nerve stimulation. 

With neurosurgeon and researcher Kevin Tracey, they explore how this a modern wellness obsession came about, what FDA‑approved implants can really do for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and why most DIY hacks may be running ahead of the evidence.

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Find out more about The Vagus Nerve at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388223-unravelling-the-secrets-of-the-vagus-nerve-will-revolutionise-medicine/ 

Sources: 

The Great Nerve book by Kevin Tracey

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470370/the-great-nerve-by-tracey-dr-kevin/978140597850

Linda Watkins paper:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7746479/

Kevin’s original paper triggering the discovery of inflammation and vagus nerve: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9361344/

Testing the inflammation-vagus nerve theory:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10839541/

Earlobe experiment:

https://jasontsukahara.com/publications/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil.pdf

Small human study recording non invasive vagus stimulation and brain response

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28648089/

POTS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37999672/ 

Why do so many of us feel calmer, clearer and more creative by the sea, a river or a lake? In this episode, Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dive into the science of blue spaces. Picking apart the theories behind why water captures our attention and how time spent near water can change how we feel pain, our stress levels and even long-term physical health. 

They’re joined by psychologist Dr Mathew White, whose large-scale studies are revealing why time near water might give our brains an extra boost over green spaces alone, and how much you really need each week to feel the effects. 

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Find out more about Blue Spaces at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2328003-why-spending-time-near-water-gives-us-a-powerful-mental-health-boost/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2272260-green-spaces-arent-just-for-nature-they-boost-our-mental-health-too/

Sources:

https://bluehealth2020.eu/people/mathew-white/

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/06/best-walk-hike-for-mental-health-uk

Attention Restoration theory 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155

Wales study:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196%2823%2900212-7/fulltext

Large England study:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024002538?via%3Dihub

Moving urban to rural

http://pubs.acs.org/esthag/article/48/2/1247/1481535/Longitudinal-Effects-on-Mental-Health-of-Moving-to

Lake and electric shocks  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56870-2

Lake and dentist https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013916517710077 

19 country study of blue spaces:

https://natureandhealth.uw.edu/publications/the-restorative-power-of-blue-spaces-a-19-country-study/ 

If after a record-breaking summer of heatwaves our warming planet is weighing heavily on your mind, you are not alone. Climate anxiety is on the rise, especially among young people, but what makes it different from “ordinary” anxiety, and how should we respond? 

In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson talk to psychotherapist and climate-aware therapy expert Caroline Hickman about why eco anxiety is a rational response to a warming world, how it is reshaping young people’s lives and decisions, and what her global research reveals about sadness, fear and a sense of betrayal. They explore practical ways to live with climate distress without being overwhelmed from reframing anxiety as care, to building resilience, to using imagination to create hopeful visions of the future. 

Produced by Emily Bird

We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Find out more about Climate Anxiety at New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424806-what-is-eco-anxiety-and-how-can-we-overcome-it/

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/four-in-10-young-people-fear-having-children-due-to-climate-crisis

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2290232-younger-generations-are-the-most-fatalistic-about-climate-change/

https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(24)00100-3

https://imagine5.com/interview/rob-hopkins-the-future-is-beautiful-but-to-get-there-we-have-to-believe-in-it/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23774240607&gbraid=0AAAAA9TOeEgsQNAaHACtVCr7BZGz_jAoM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm8bTBhDWARIsAC9Hi8lmbg6K7Ou7MYIHqmk2QBhqm52Ggr8V_ffnWSc-RLjqf_flePH7_o8aAhLBEALw_wcB