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Why does one person crave rice, another mashed potatoes, and someone else a very specific brand of instant noodles they have not eaten since university?

In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science and psychology of comfort food. From dopamine and smell to memory, stress, familiarity, and culture, I look at why certain foods have the remarkable ability to make us feel better.

Along the way, there is the Proust effect, the neuroscience of anticipation, why comfort foods differ across cultures yet serve the same emotional purpose, and what happens in the brain when we reach for familiar foods during times of stress or uncertainty.

There is also a detour through some of the stranger stories in food history, from the invention of the Graham cracker to bacon on the moon, and a look at why food has always been about more than nutrition alone.

At its heart, this episode is about familiarity. The foods we return to, the meanings we attach to them, and why certain meals can feel like home long after we have left the places they came from.

Because comfort food is rarely just about what is on the plate. It is about what it represents, what it remembers, and what it helps us find again.

This episode is for anyone who has ever stood in front of an open fridge at midnight. Which is to say, everyone.

REFERENCES

1.Smell, memory, and the brain’s bypass of the thalamus — Harvard Medicine Magazine: https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health

2.Food-related odours and dopaminergic brain activation — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00625/full

3.Smell and memory pathway (bypassing the thalamus) — Cleveland Clinic: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/smells-and-memory

4.Flavour preferences formed via amniotic fluid and breast milk — BookPage / The Secret History of Food: https://www.bookpage.com/behind-the-book/26562-top-12-weirdest-moments-food-history-history/

The neuroscience of comfort food and individual variation (Yale) — BrainFacts.org: https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/diet-and-lifestyle/2023/why-cant-we-resist-comfort-food-080123

6.Cortisol, stress, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — Time Out: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-science-behind-why-comfort-food-is-actually-a-thing-122620

7.Graham cracker history and ketchup/tomato history — LoveFood: https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/128759/killer-tomatoes-and-other-strange-historic-food-facts

8.Apollo 11 freeze-dried bacon — Instacart Food Facts: https://www.instacart.com/company/ideas/food-facts

9.Chicken soup, neutrophils, and anti-inflammatory effects — The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/does-chicken-soup-really-help-when-youre-sick-a-nutrition-specialist-explains-whats-behind-the-beloved-comfort-food-213847

10.Comfort food around the world — Diversity Plus: https://diversityplus.com/web/Article.aspx?id=Finding-Comfort-in-Food-Around-the-Globe-5544

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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Minoxidil is one of the most recognised treatments for hair loss in the world. Millions of people use it. Few know how it was discovered.

In this episode of Mohivate, I explore the remarkable story of a medication that was never meant to grow hair. What began as a failed ulcer treatment became a powerful blood pressure drug, and an unexpected side effect went on to change dermatology forever.

Along the way, we explore the science of hair growth, why hair loss occurs, the difference between telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia, and what minoxidil is actually doing inside the hair follicle. We look at the science behind topical and oral minoxidil, why some people respond dramatically while others do not, the role of sulphotransferase enzymes, shedding, side effects, and what current evidence tells us about combination treatments including microneedling and low-dose oral minoxidil.

But this episode is about more than hair.

Hair loss, like so many things in health, sits at the intersection of biology and identity. It is rarely just about a hairline, a parting, or a reflection in the mirror. It is often about how we see ourselves, how we experience change, and the small things that carry more meaning than we realise.

With science, history, humour, and practical evidence, this episode explores one of medicine's most fascinating accidental discoveries, and why it continues to matter to millions of people around the world.

References:

1. Minoxidil and Its Use in Hair Disorders
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6691938/
2. Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil for Alopecia: A Comprehensive Review
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10806356/
3. Efficacy and Safety of Oral Minoxidil in Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188453/
4. Predicting Minoxidil Response Through Follicular Sulfotransferase Activity
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326921/
5. Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil Initiation for Patients With Hair Loss: An International Delphi Consensus Statement
   https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2826573

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of the most important conversations we rarely have. Death, dying, and what it means to live well until the very end.

The episode begins with a simple observation. Despite being the one certainty every human being shares, death remains one of the least discussed subjects in modern life. Through personal stories, medical insight, and reflections from years in healthcare, she explores why so many families avoid these conversations and why having them may be one of the greatest gifts we leave the people we love.

Along the way, the episode unpacks what palliative care actually is and what it is not. From symptom management and quality of life to the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders and the origin of the modern hospice movement. This episode is a conversation about dignity, compassion, and caring for the whole person.

The episode explores advance care planning, the evidence behind palliative care, and why conversations about our wishes matter long before they become urgent. You will discover how these discussions support families and help people make decisions that reflect what matters most to them.

Woven throughout are stories from clinical practice. Moments of humour, humanity, and wisdom that no textbook can teach. Because dying patients often leave behind some of life’s most important lessons for the living.

At its heart, this episode is not about death. It is about love, legacy, and the conversations that matter. The words we say while we still can. The things we leave behind. And the reminder that a life is not measured by how long it lasts, but by how deeply it touches others.

This episode is shared in fond remembrance of my uncle. 

29.03.1955 - 02.06 2025. Forever missed.

REFERENCES

1.WHO — Palliative Care as a Human Right, World Health Assembly Resolution 2014

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care

2.Temel et al. 2010 — Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, New England Journal of Medicine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678

3.Temel et al. 2024 — Stepped Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer, JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2819643

4.Tsubaki et al. 2025 — Effects of Advance Care Planning on the Mental Health of Bereaved Families: A Systematic Review, Cureus

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12084671/

5.St Christopher’s Hospice — History of Dame Cicely Saunders

https://www.stchristophers.org.uk/about/history

6.Bronnie Ware — The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

https://bronnieware.com/regrets-of-the-dying/

7.Cicely Saunders and the concept of total pain — PMC

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11700540/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of summer’s most familiar yet misunderstood conditions : Prickly Heat. A rash so common that most of us have experienced it, treated it, or complained about it without ever really understanding what is happening beneath the skin.

The episode begins with the name. Prickly heat is medically known as miliaria, from the Latin word milium, meaning millet. The story travels from Roman physicians who first described it to British soldiers itching their way through India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, where the rash became such a military concern that researchers eventually studied it formally in tropical conditions.

The science follows the sweat. From the remarkable efficiency of eccrine sweat glands to what happens when a sweat duct becomes blocked, Dr Mohi explores why prickly heat develops and how skin bacteria can turn a minor irritation into something far more uncomfortable. The three forms of miliaria : Crystallina, Rubra, and Profunda,  are explained clearly, including what each type means, who is most at risk, and when a doctor rather than a pharmacy is the right call.

Practical guidance covers acclimatisation, clothing, skin care, prevention, and treatment, including why the answer has never been an enthusiastic application of powder.

With clinical insight, personal reflection, humour, and a thread that runs beyond the skin itself, this episode asks a simple question: what happens when something designed to flow becomes blocked? Because sometimes the smallest discomforts are simply the body’s way of asking us to pay attention.

This episode gives prickly heat the conversation it has always deserved.

References:

1.Miliaria — StatPearls, National Library of Medicine (2024)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537176/

2.Heat Rash — Mayo Clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-rash/symptoms-causes/syc-20373276

3.Heat Rash — NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heat-rash-prickly-heat/

4.Miliaria — DermNet NZ

https://dermnetnz.org/topics/miliaria

5.Anhydrous Lanolin for Miliaria — Mayo Clinic Treatment Guide

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-rash/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373282

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of the most talked about viral health trends of 2026 so far. Women combining an antihistamine and a heartburn tablet to manage menopause symptoms. And asks the question medicine should always ask first. What does the science actually say?

The episode begins with histamine. Not the allergy molecule most people think they know, but a far more versatile chemical messenger with receptors in the gut, the heart, and the brain. From H1 to H2, from mast cells to the oestrogen-histamine feedback loop, this episode unpacks the biology behind the trend with clarity and warmth.

It then explores the relationship between oestrogen and histamine in perimenopause, the role of the DAO enzyme, histamine intolerance as a distinct and underrecognised condition, and why mast cell activation syndrome is not the same as menopause, even when the symptoms overlap.

The honest clinical verdict follows. Including why hot flushes are driven by the neurokinin B pathway and not histamine, what fezolinetant and elinzanetant are and why the UK was the first country in the world to approve the latter, and what HRT and non-hormonal options currently offer women who are struggling.

With clinical insight, personal perspective, and a keen interest in perimenopause and menopause, this episode gives a viral trend the honest conversation it deserves. 

REFERENCES

1.PCOS renamed to PMOS, The Lancet, 12 May 2026

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext

2.CNN coverage of the viral menopause trend, May 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/health/menopause-hormones-antacids-antihistamines-wellness

3.Oestrogen and histamine bidirectional relationship

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651948/

4.Diamine oxidase and oestrogen regulation

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31234240/

5.Histamine intolerance, clinical overview

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30239565/

6.MCAS diagnostic criteria, 

https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)00569-4/fulltext

7.KNDy neurons and neurokinin B in menopausal hot flushes

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21253695/

8.Fezolinetant, NICE supports NHS prescribing, March 2026

https://thebms.org.uk/2026/03/nice-supports-nhs-prescribing-of-fezolinetant/

9.Elinzanetant, first global approval, MHRA, July 2025

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-approves-elinzanetant-to-treat-moderate-to-severe-vasomotor-symptoms-hot-flushes-caused-by-menopause

10.Cetirizine withdrawal rebound pruritus, FDA warning 2025

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-warns-about-serious-problems-stopping-certain-allergy-medications

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this special episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee brings together music, memory, and meaning in the podcast’s first original musical collaboration.
At the heart of this episode is a beautiful piece of music titled The Long Way Home, created by Johan Sebastian Ledesma, who composes under the name Bragei. 

What begins as a chance conversation on an ordinary street becomes something far more unexpected. A story of timing, recognition, and the kind of moments that seem to arrive without being planned, yet feel deeply aligned when they do.

The episode moves through personal memory, from childhood road trips filled with music, to the people who shaped a lifelong relationship with sound, rhythm, and presence. It reflects on how music is not simply something we listen to, but something that holds memory, carries emotion, and connects us across time.

Alongside this, Dr Mohi briefly explores what science understands about music and the brain. From its effects on stress, mood, and the nervous system, to the way it engages multiple regions of the brain at once, music is both deeply felt and biologically significant.

At its heart, this episode is about the moments we do not plan. The ones that arrive through chance encounters, shared interests, and quiet attention. What some might call synchronicity, or serendipity. Moments that shape direction without announcement.
The original piece The Long Way Home plays at the end of this episode, and will be available separately on YouTube for listeners who wish to return to it.
With reflection, story, and collaboration, this episode offers something slightly different. A pause. A memory. And a reminder of the ways we find our way back, often without realising we were looking.

References:

1. Music and the brain — stress, dopamine, and emotional response:
Salimpoor, V.N. et al. (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature Neuroscience.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2726

2. Music, stress hormones, and the nervous system:
Thoma, M.V. et al. (2013). The effect of music on the human stress response. PLOS ONE.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070156

3. 3. Singing and wellbeing:
Grape, C. et al. (2003). Does singing promote well-being? Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02734261

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores screen time in children: the first episode on MOHIVATE dedicated entirely to children, and an honest conversation about what is actually happening inside a child’s developing brain, and what the science is telling us in a world none of us were prepared for.

The episode begins with context. From smartphones and tablets, to a pandemic that made screens the only classroom and playground available, to the first generation of children growing up alongside artificial intelligence as a daily presence. This is the world today’s parents are navigating. Without a guidebook, and largely without support.

The science covers language development, attention and dopamine, sleep and melatonin, the video deficit effect in infants, and the childhood myopia epidemic, including why outdoor light, not eye drops, is the prescription. Age-specific guidance runs from birth through adolescence, including what the research says about social media, cyberbullying, and the teenage brain.

Dr Mohi Sarawgee introduces the Three C’s framework — Content, Context, and Child — a practical lens for families navigating screen time at every age, alongside evidence-based anchors for sleep, eye health, and real life.

With clinical insight, fifteen years of consulting rooms, and a doctor’s deep respect for every parent doing their absolute best, this episode gives screen time the conversation it deserves.

REFERENCES
1. Screen Time and Early Childhood Development
Frontiers in Developmental Psychology — Systematic Scoping Review (2025)
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/developmental-psychology/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1439040/full
2. Screen Time and Sleep
Hale & Guan — Screen Time and Sleep, Systematic Review, Sleep Medicine Reviews
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4437561/
3. Screen Time and Myopia
Ha et al. — JAMA Network Open (February 2025) — 45 studies, 335,524 individuals
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830598
4. Book by Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation — Research and Evidence Base
https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/research/the-evidence
5. Adolescent Mental Health and Social Media — Dr. Jean Twenge
Research publications and evidence base — Dr. Jean Twenge, San Diego State University
https://www.jeantwenge.com/research/
6. NHS Mental Health of Children and Young People in England (2023)
NHS England Digital — most recent UK data
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up
7. UK Government — Children’s Social Media Consultation (2026)
GOV.UK National Consultation — Growing Up in the Online World
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation
8. UK Government — Screen Use by Children Under Five (March 2026)
Independent Expert Report — Early Years Screen Time Advisory Group
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c53daf4a06660f085442a7/EYSTAG_report.pdf

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, tracing its journey from ancient sacred ceremony to some of the most rigorous clinical research in psychiatry today.
The episode begins where the science begins. With language. When neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins first documented what psilocybin did to the human brain, they had to invent entirely new words to describe it. Ego dissolution. Oceanic boundlessness. Mystical type experience score. This episode explores why those words matter clinically, and what the Default Mode Network has to do with depression, addiction, and the way the brain finds its way back to itself.
From Richard Nixon’s 1970 decision to classify psilocybin as a Schedule 1 drug, freezing decades of promising research, to landmark clinical trials, this episode covers the full story honestly. The science on terminal cancer anxiety, treatment resistant depression, addiction, and microdosing is examined carefully - where the evidence is strong, where it is thin, and what regulatory bodies worldwide are now saying.
With clinical insight, personal perspective, and a thread that begins with Roald Dahl, this is a conversation about what happens when science refuses to stay buried.

References
1.The 2006 Johns Hopkins Paper — The One That Changed Everything
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16826400/
2.Psilocybin in Terminal Cancer Patients — 2016 Landmark Study
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5367557/
3.Psilocybin vs Escitalopram — NEJM 2021
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994
4.Psilocybin and Smoking Cessation — The 80% Study
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4286320/
5.Default Mode Network and Depression — Key Neuroscience Paper
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24567117/
6.Psilocybin and the Default Mode Network — Brain Imaging
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1119598109
7.Microdosing — James Fadiman Book Reference
https://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Explorers-Guide-Therapeutic-Journeys/dp/1594774021
8.Microdosing Blinded Trials — Placebo Effects
https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878
9.Psilocybin Safety Profile — The Lancet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/fulltext
10.Nixon, Ehrlichman and the War on Drugs
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html
11.Australia Approves Psilocybin — TGA 2023
https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/tga-approves-mdma-and-psilocybin-use-ptsd-and-depression-australia-first
12.FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Psilocybin
https://compasspathways.com/compass-pathways-receives-fda-breakthrough-therapy-designation-for-psilocybin-therapy-for-treatment-resistant-depression/
13.UK Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway — ILAP
https://ir.compasspathways.com/News–Events-/news/news-details/2025/Compass-Pathways-Successfully-Achieves-Primary-Endpoint-in-First-Phase-3-Trial-Evaluating-COMP360-Psilocybin-for-Treatment-Resistant-Depression/default.aspx
14.Yale Program for Psychedelic Science
https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/research/clinics-and-programs/psychedelic/
15.Johns Hopkins Centre for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/research/psychedelics-research
16.Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre
17.R. Gordon Wasson — Seeking the Magic Mushroom, Life Magazine 1957
https://www.imaginaria.org/wasson/life.htm
18.Psilocybin Drug Interactions — Lithium and SSRIs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18593734/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores berberine, one of the most talked about metabolic supplements right now, bringing clarity to a conversation often shaped more by social media than by science.
Berberine is a naturally occurring alkaloid with thousands of years of history in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. This episode traces how it moved from gut medicine to metabolic science, unpacking the mechanisms behind its effects on blood sugar, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, and the PCSK9 pathway, the same cholesterol target that billion dollar injectable medications were developed to address.
The episode examines the clinical evidence honestly, including the landmark head to head comparison with metformin, the 2025 meta-analysis data, and the real limitations of the current evidence base. It covers who berberine is actually used in, what the safety and interaction profile looks like, and why formulation and dose matter more than most supplement labels suggest.
With clinical insight and a GP’s perspective, this episode gives berberine the conversation it deserves.

REFERENCES
1. Berberine and Metabolic Syndrome — 2025 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1572197/full
2. Berberine Health Outcomes — Overview of 54 Systematic Reviews
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-025-04872-4
3. Berberine vs Metformin — Head to Head Trial. Zhang Y et al. 
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/93/7/2559/2598177
4. Berberine as a Novel Cholesterol Lowering Drug — PCSK9 and LDL Receptor Mechanism
Kong W et al.
Nature Medicine, 2004
https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1135
5. Berberine PCSK9 Inhibition — Review
Berberine: Ins and outs of a nature-made PCSK9 inhibitor
https://www.excli.de/excli/article/view/5234
6. Berberine Bioavailability and Gut Microbiome
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/2/193
7. Berberine and NAFLD — 2024 Meta-Analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. Dihydroberberine vs Standard Berberine HCl — 2021 RCT
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35010998/
9. Berberine and PCOS — 2024 Meta-Analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10. Semaglutide Cardiovascular Outcomes — NEJM
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1607141
11. Semaglutide Weight Loss — STEP Trial
Wilding JPH et al.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2021
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
12. AMPK as Metabolic Master Switch — Review
Hardie DG. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.12268
13. Berberine Drug Interactions — CYP450
Guo Y et al.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21987089/
14. Berberine Contraindication in Pregnancy
Liu W et al.
Available via PubMed safety data:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores continuous glucose monitoring through the lens of metabolic health, bringing clarity to one of the most talked about and most misunderstood tools in modern wellness.
The CGM is everywhere. On social media arms, in wellness programmes, in dinner party conversations. But what does it actually measure? What is the science genuinely telling us? And who actually needs one?
This episode covers how CGMs work, what glucose patterns really mean, the science of glycaemic index and glycaemic load, why two people can eat the same meal and have completely different responses, and what advanced glycation end products tell us about long term health.
It explores how to read your own data, what HbA1c misses, and who should and should not consider wearing one, with honest clinical guidance and no agenda.
Grounded in science, personal experience, and a mild voluntary obsession with data, this is a warm, honest and genuinely useful conversation about glucose, metabolic health, and what your body has been trying to show you all along.

References:
1. Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load — Food Reference
University of Sydney International GI Database. Search GI and GL values for thousands of foods:
https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/
2. Individual Variation in Glucose Response — The PREDICT Study
Berry SE et al. Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition. Nature Medicine. 2020;26:964–973.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0934-0
PubMed:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32528151/
3. The 42 Factors — Further Reading
The PREDICT study machine learning model used 42 individual factors to predict glucose response. For a detailed accessible breakdown of factors influencing blood glucose, see also:
https://diatribe.org/diabetes-management/42-factors-affect-blood-glucose-surprising-update
4. Post-Meal Walking — 10 Minutes Immediately After Eating
Hashimoto K et al. Positive impact of a 10-min walk immediately after glucose intake on postprandial glucose levels. Scientific Reports. 2025.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-07312-y
Supporting systematic review:
Engeroff T et al. After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile? Sports Medicine. 2023;53(4):849–869.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36715875/
5. Soleus Pushup Pilot Study
Elek D et al. The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study. Sports (Basel). 2025;13(3):81.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11946342/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.