You are what you eat, but when it comes to your mental health, what you eat can have a profound impact on your mood and how you feel. Welcome to the rapidly moving world of nutritional psychiatry which is uncovering the key links between diet and mental health. And it could just be that it is our gut microbes, by acting as psychobiotics, that are the stars of the show here; so long as they are kept fed well. 

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Fruits and vegetables consumption and life satisfaction https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303260 
• Nutrition intervention in depression: the SMILES study https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y 
• Nutrition intervention in young people with depression https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222768 
• Meta-analysis of diet in depression and anxiety https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30720698/ 
• Meta-analysis of fish oil in depression https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0515-5 
• Meta-analysis of fish oil in anxiety https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2702216 
• Meta-analysis of vitamin D in depression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6515787

Episode transcript
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As the end of 2020 approaches, I thought I’d bring in a Christmas theme, but of course, one with a nutritionally based message. And what better way to do that than by unpacking Charles Dickens’ classic: ‘A Christmas Carol’, as a medical case study in vitamin D deficiency. Listen on to learn more.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Environmental factors and Tiny Tim’s illness https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1107722

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Does sugar really make kids hyperactive? Is fresh fruit and veg better than frozen? And does coffee actually make you dehydrated? The answer to all of the questions I just posed is 'no'. Welcome to the world of nutrition myths and in my latest podcast, I’ll go over some of the more popular myths I’ve come across and explain where the truth really lies.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Meta-analysis of sugar and behaviour in kids https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/391812
• Frozen fruit and vegetable consumption https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900717301958 
• Coffee and hydration http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084154

Episode transcript
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Folate is a vitamin important in growth and development. Everyone needs folate, but it is especially important for women to get enough of it during the early stages of pregnancy to help reduce the risk of foetal brain and spinal cord abnormalities such as spina bifida. In this podcast, I look at the key roles of folate in the body, explain how it helps prevent birth defects and the key dietary and supplement sources of it.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Impact of folic acid fortification on NTD incidence in Australia https://researchimpact.uwa.edu.au/research-impact-stories/folate-fortification-reduces-neural-tube-defects
• Pre- and post-folic acid fortification and colorectal cancer incidence https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173023

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Buying organic is a booming food trend. It is also a trend that comes with a health halo for being more nutritious, healthier and tastier than conventional produce. But how do these claims stack up when you look at the research behind them? And is the price premium you pay for organic worth it? In this podcast, I look at the health merits of organic food and unpick those health and nutrition claims.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Systematic review of organic vs conventional food 2012 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22944875 
• Systematic review of organic vs conventional food 2014 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24968103  
• Serving McDonald’s to food experts prank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qa6QXBxxWw

Episode transcript
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Considered one of the world’s healthiest dietary patterns, the Mediterranean diet is linked to a host of positive health benefits. The theme of the diet is one abundant in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and olive oil and where fish and poultry feature more often than red meat. From less chronic disease right through to a longer life, in this podcast I’ll dig deeper into the health merits of adopting some of the key themes of the Mediterranean diet for your own individual way of eating. 

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Umbrella review of the Mediterranean diet and health https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201758 
• Meta-analysis of the Mediterranean diet and cancer risk https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32770356 
• Mediterranean diet and bone health https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)02953-7/fulltext
• Clinical trial of the Mediterranean diet in pregnancy https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002857

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient integral to the healthy functioning of the brain and nervous system. It is also involved in DNA synthesis and the formation of red blood cells. Because vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria in the large intestines of animals, plant-based foods are not a reliable source of vitamin B12 making people who follow a vegan diet a key at-risk group for deficiency. In this podcast, I’ll look at the roles of vitamin B12 and the main causes and consequences of deficiency.  

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Review on vitamin B12 and vegetarian diets www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/4/vitamin-b12-and-vegetarian-diets

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Low-carbohydrate diets are certainly on trend today. And it is for diabetes that such diets have attracted a lot of attention. Low-carbohydrate diets have without question helped many people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels more stable and even for some people with type 2 diabetes helped to even help to fully resolve their diabetes. In today’s podcast, I look at the history of dietary recommendations for diabetes. I’ll then look at what the scientific evidence says for how effective low-carbohydrate diets are for diabetes compared to other approaches. 

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Meta-analysis of low-carbohydrate diets in T2DM https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32638087 
• Review of different diets for managing T2DM https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)05440-0/fulltext

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Iodine is a trace element that is naturally present in foods and is added to some types of salt. Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormone which plays a key role in digestion, heart and muscle function, brain development and maintenance of bones. Getting enough iodine is important for everyone, especially infants and women who are pregnant. In this podcast, I’ll look at the roles of iodine, where it is found in food and what are the health issues with not getting enough of it. 

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Assessment of the effect of mandatory iodine fortification in Australia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5133088

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Sleep is like good nutrition for your brain. Poor sleep is like putting your brain on a junk food diet – literally. Now a growing pool of research is linking poor sleep habits and disrupted sleep patterns from shift work with adverse health problems that include obesity and metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In this podcast, I’ll look at the sleep-health connection and explain what disrupted sleep could be doing to your food habits, hormones and weight.  

Links referred to in the podcast 

• Meta-analysis of the effect of shift work on the risk of obesity https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12621 
• Effect of sleep restriction on fat metabolism https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31484696 
• Effect of sleep deprivation on food choices https://elifesciences.org/articles/49053

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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