If you haven’t heard of the Don’t Die movement or Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint Protocol, then buckle in.

Johnson is a millionaire who is pouring his money into a massive effort to stay as young as possible, for as long as possible.

Norman and Tegan unpack the basics of his routine, and some of his whackier attempts to turn back the biological clock.

References:

• DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging
• How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be?
• Plasma-Based Strategies for Therapeutic Modulation of Brain Aging
• Infusion of young donor plasma components in older patients modifies the immune and inflammatory response to surgical tissue injury: a randomized clinical trial | Journal of Translational Medicine
• Old plasma dilution reduces human biological age: a clinical study
• Metformin as Anti-Aging Therapy: Is It for Everyone?
• Targeting ageing with rapamycin and its derivatives in humans: a systematic review - The Lancet Healthy Longevity
• A Phase 1/2a Follistatin Gene Therapy Trial for Becker Muscular Dystrophy
• Follistatin Gene Therapy Improves Ambulation in Becker Muscular Dystrophy

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Is it safe to dose yourself with pre-workout?
• Can collagen supplements keep your skin supple?
• Can you train yourself to sleep less?

You go to make a sandwich and notice mould on the corner of a single slice of bread — we've all been there. 

So what do you do? Chop off the affected corner? Ditch the single slice and choose bread from further down in the bag? Or chuck the entire bag?

Norman and Tegan take on this controversial topic at the World Science Festival in Brisbane. 

References:

• Mycotoxin contamination in moldy slices of bread is mostly limited to the immediate vicinity of the visible infestation
• Aflatoxins - National Cancer Institute
• Ergot poisoning: Symptoms, treatment, and history
• The expert verdict on whether it's ever OK to cut off the mould on food and eat the rest - ABC News
• Disgust as an adaptive system for disease avoidance behaviour
• Yucky! How Do Toddlers Learn About Disgust?

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Why the carnivore diet is so risky
• Cracking your knuckles: good, bad or just annoying?

It might be the last thing on your mind when you’re congested and miserable, but we swear it’s a genuine question we get asked.

When you’ve got exercise baked into your routine, do you have to take a break when you’re unwell?

Norman and Tegan unpack the nuance of exercising when you’re sick – when you can, and when you can’t.

References:

• The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defense system
• Moderate exercise induces trained immunity in macrophages | American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology
• Higher risk of upper respiratory tract infection post marathon running: when physical exercise becomes a threat to the immune system
• Sport and exercise during viral acute respiratory illness—Time to revisit
• Exercise effect on symptom severity, morbidity and mortality in viral infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Effects of 60-day bed rest with and without exercise on cellular and humoral immunological parameters | Cellular & Molecular Immunology
• The effect of exercise training on the severity and duration of a viral upper respiratory illness
• Orthostatic reactions and blood volumes after moderate physical activation during acute febrile infections
• Exercising while sick won’t help you get over a cold faster – but it may prevent your next one

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Can you train yourself to pee less?
• Why is everyone suddenly talking about seed oils?
• Is sitting the new smoking?

It has become pretty common to send off a saliva sample or a cheek swab to find out more about yourself.

At-home DNA testing kits offer insights into ancestry, but also claim to be able to tell you your risk of certain diseases, or even give you unique diet advice.

Norman and Tegan explore the limits of these kits, and some things you should consider before potentially buying one.

References:

• Understanding Human Genetic Variation
• What Can At-Home Genetic Tests Tell Me About My Health? - PMC
• The sense and nonsense of direct-to-consumer genetic testing for cardiovascular disease
• First, do no harm: direct-to-consumer genetic testing
• Do at-home genetic tests work? - MD Anderson
• Genetic testing | Cancer Council 
• Direct‐to‐consumer genetic tests providing health risk information: A systematic review of consequences for consumers and health services
• Australians’ perspectives on support around use of personal genomic testing: Findings from the Genioz study
• Understanding Direct-to-Consumer genetic DNA testing | NHMRC
• What people really change after genetic testing (GT) performed in private labs: results from an Italian study
• Direct‐to‐consumer genetic tests providing health risk information: A systematic review of consequences for consumers and health services

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Should you base your diet on your blood type?
• Why is the internet telling me to lower my cortisol?
• What on earth is grounding?!

Australians have a long and complicated history with the emu – and the tale continues in the murky wellness space.

There are a handful of emu farms still operating locally to harvest meat, oil, eggs and feathers from the flightless birds.

Norman and Tegan discuss the growing demand for emu oil, and what it’s claimed to do.

References:

• The Emu: More-Than-Human and More-Than-Animal Geographies
• Chemical Characterization and In Vivo Toxicological Safety Evaluation of Emu Oil - PMC 
• Review on emu products for use as complementary and alternative medicine - ScienceDirect 
• Anti-inflammatory activity of emu oils in rats | Inflammopharmacology
• Emu Oil Combined with Lyprinol™ Reduces Small Intestinal Damage in a Rat Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Mucositis
• Emu oil expedites small intestinal repair following 5-fluorouracil-induced mucositis in rats
• Vitamins and fatty acids against chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis
• Emu Oil and zinc monoglycerolate independently reduce disease severity in a rat model of ulcerative colitis
• Orally administered emu oil attenuates disease in a mouse model of Crohn's-like colitis
• Emu Oil reduces disease severity in a mouse model of chronic ulcerative colitis
• Emu oil enhances cutaneous wound healing by modulating inflammation through promoting macrophage M2 polarization via MAPK signaling pathway
• Effects of Topical Emu Oil on Burn Wounds in the Skin of Balb/c Mice
• Preparation and evaluation of minoxidil foamable emu oil emulsion
• Comparative effects of emu and olive oil on aortic early atherosclerosis and associated risk factors in hypercholesterolemic hamsters
• Emu oil decreases atherogenic plaque formation in cafeteria diet-induced obese rats 

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Should we all be vegetarian?
• Infrared, ultraviolet and LED therapy – can lights cure us?
• Can collagen supplements keep your skin supple?

Not everyone is a morning person, and not everyone can stay up past midnight. How hard-wired are our internal schedules?

It’s long been suspected there was an evolutionary advantage to humans falling asleep and waking up at different times.

Norman and Tegan unpack what are called chronotypes, and whether you can shift yours to better fit your lifestyle.

References:

• Early bird trait might run in families - the Health Report
• Genetic Basis of Chronotype in Humans: Insights From Three Landmark GWAS
• A Length Polymorphism in the Circadian Clock Gene Per3 is Linked to Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and Extreme Diurnal Preference
• Chronotype variation drives night-time sentinel-like behaviour in hunter–gatherers | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Mindful larks and lonely owls: The relationship between chronotype, mental health, sleep quality, and social support in young adults
• A systematic review of circadian function, chronotype and chronotherapy in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders
• How to Become a Morning Person - Sleep Foundation
• Resetting the late timing of ‘night owls’ has a positive impact on mental health and performance
• Chronotype changes with age; seven-year follow-up from the Netherlands study of depression and anxiety cohort
• From early birds to night owls: a longitudinal study of actigraphy-assessed sleep trajectories during the transition from pre- to early adolescence
• The morality of larks and owls: unethical behavior depends on chronotype as well as time of day

Check out our other sleep episodes!

• What is the perfect nap duration?
• Rapid-fire round: Answering your sleep questions
• Can you train yourself to sleep less?
• Is melatonin the answer to a good night's sleep?

In a video that went viral, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was seen on a plane dropping a cobalt blue liquid into his drink.

People quickly started to assume it was methylene blue, a substance that in some corners is being heralded for apparent anti-ageing properties.

Norman and Tegan look at the research that has been done so far … and some of the risks of dosing yourself with unproven medications.

References:

• Efficacy and safety of methylene blue in the treatment of malaria: a systematic review
• Methylene blue as antidote for cyanide poisoning - JAMA
• Cellular and Molecular Actions of Methylene Blue in the Nervous System
• Methylene Blue: The Little-Known Disinfectant
• The Potentials of Methylene Blue as an Anti-Aging Drug - PMC
• Is methylene blue really a brain booster? A pharmacologist explains the science
• From Mitochondrial Function to Neuroprotection—an Emerging Role for Methylene Blue | Molecular Neurobiology
• Anti-Aging Potentials of Methylene Blue for Human Skin Longevity | Scientific Reports
• What to know about methylene blue - Harvard Health 
• Toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of methylene blue trihydrate (Cas No. 7220-79-3) in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice
• Chromoendoscopy with methylene blue and associated DNA damage in Barrett's oesophagus - The Lancet
• Generation of oxidant stress in cultured endothelial cells by methylene blue: protective effects of glucose and ascorbic acid - ScienceDirect
• The photodynamic and direct actions of methylene blue on mitochondrial energy metabolism: A balance of the useful and harmful effects of this photosensitizer

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• How worried should you be about microplastics?
• Is NAD+ a miracle anti-ageing supplement?

You might've been advertised lymphatic massage treatments promising to boost your energy and leave you looking snatched.

The lymphatic system is great at clearing out gunk and checking our bodies for potential nasties like bacteria and viruses.

Norman and Tegan discuss whether it's possible to have a 'sluggish' lymphatic system in need of help, without having a diagnosable condition.

References: 

• Manual lymphatic drainage treatment for lymphedema: a systematic review of the literature
• Comparative Effects of Facial Roller and Gua Sha Massage on Facial Contour, Muscle Tone, and Skin Elasticity: Randomized Controlled Trial
• Comparison of the Immediate Effect of Petrissage Massage and Manual Lymph Drainage Following Exercise on Biomechanical and Viscoelastic Properties of the Rectus Femoris Muscle in Women
• The Effects of Kinect-Enhanced Lymphatic Exercise Intervention on Lymphatic Pain, Swelling, and Lymph Fluid Level
• Exercise and the lymphatic system | MD Anderson Cancer Center 

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Can collagen supplements keep your skin supple?
• Which hair loss treatments actually work?

Some people might be naturally blessed with pearly whites, but many people aren’t happy with the shade of their teeth.

There’s nothing inherently unhealthy about yellower teeth, and staining happens throughout our lives.

Norman and Tegan unpack the long history of teeth whitening (with everything from urine to nitric acid) and discuss where there’s potential for harm.

References: 

• From Gunpowder to Teeth Whitener: The Science Behind Historic Uses of Urine
• Shades of white: what you should know about teeth whitening - The University of Sydney
• White wine can stain teeth - Nature
• Do different bleaching protocols affect the enamel microhardness? - PMC 
• Assessment of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of conventional and whitening kinds of toothpaste on oral mucosa cells: Acta Odontologica Scandinavica
• Accidental ingestion of 35% hydrogen peroxide - PMC

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• How risky is sharing a toothbrush?
• Why are people taping their mouths?

Coffee has been an important part of human cultures for centuries, and it has a long history of being both heralded and demonised.

But the more we learn about coffee – even independent from caffeine – the more that comes to light about its potential benefits.

Norman and Tegan drink in the evidence so far, which gets down to the nitty gritty of brewing techniques and milk additions. 

References:

• Coffee - The Nutrition Source - Harvard School of Public Health
• Coffee consumption and risk of endometrial cancer: Findings from a large up-to-date meta-analysis
• Caffeinated and Decaffeinated Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and a Dose-Response Meta-analysis
• Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women
• Caffeine, Mental Health, and Psychiatric Disorders
• Association of Coffee Drinking With Mortality by Genetic Variation in Caffeine Metabolism: Findings From the UK Biobank
• Physical characteristics of the paper filter and low cafestol content filter coffee brews - ScienceDirect 
• Coffee consumption and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and total mortality: Does the brewing method matter? | European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
• Phenolic Acid–Amino Acid Adducts Exert Distinct Immunomodulatory Effects in Macrophages Compared to Parent Phenolic Acids | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 
• The deep, rich and problematic history of coffee in Australia and worldwide - ABC News

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Am I addicted to caffeine?
• Can consuming dairy really give you acne?
• A single glass of red wine for your health, yeah or nah?