Tim Spector MSC FRCP MD FRSB OBE(@tim.spector) 인스타그램 상세 프로필 분석: 팔로워 712,631, 참여율 0.39%

“Studies have shown that a gut-friendly diet is as good as an anti-depressant for people with depression” 😳🥗 @tim.spector joins us on the podcast to take a deep dive into the secret link between your gut health & depression, which is something that very few are aware of... The episode is available to watch right now on YouTube! Comment “Spector” and we’ll DM you a link! 🔗

Two hours of uninterrupted sitting is enough to make your blood vessels measurably less elastic, and that matters. Even a 1% drop in vascular function is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. But a new study has found something interesting: plant flavanols can help protect your arteries during long periods of sitting. Researchers gave healthy young men either a high-flavanol cocoa drink (around 700 mg) or a low-flavanol version, then asked them to sit still for two hours. The low-flavanol group showed the usual decline in artery elasticity and blood flow. But the high-flavanol group didn’t. Their vessels stayed more responsive, even in those who were already physically fit. So fitness alone isn’t enough to offset the effects of long, sedentary stretches. (PMID: 41158002) This doesn’t mean cocoa replaces movement. Standing up, stretching, and breaking up sitting time is still the most important thing you can do. But it does remind us how powerful plant compounds can be, whether they come from cocoa, berries, apples, tea, or plums. So if you spend hours at a desk, increasing flavanol-rich foods is a simple, everyday habit that may help support cardiovascular health. And who doesn’t like a delicious cup of hot cocoa, especially in the colder months? 🍫 Would you like a list of the best high-flavanol options? Let me know below.

Cold and flu season is here, so here are my evidence-based tips for making a cold shorter and far less miserable. At the very first tickle of a sore throat or blocked nose, I reach for a saline or barrier nasal spray. These don’t “kill” the virus, but they do help wash it away or make it harder for the virus to latch onto the cells lining your nose, and those early hours matter. Focus your vitamin C on food, not supplements. Pills won’t shorten your cold, but foods like kiwis, peppers and broccoli provide vitamin C alongside polyphenols, the plant compounds that support immune cells in the gut. When you’re ill, it’s normal to crave sugar, pastries and white carbs. It’s your brain looking for quick energy and dopamine. But these foods drive inflammation, which makes symptoms worse, so try to keep them to a minimum. Instead, increase fermented foods. Daily ferments like kimchi, kefir, kombucha and miso feed beneficial microbes, helping regulate the immune response. If your sinuses clog up, a simple salt and bicarbonate nasal rinse can help flush out thick mucus and reduce pressure. And don’t forget the basics: rest properly for 48 hours. This is when your body produces the immune molecules that fight viruses, and stay home if you can. Warm fluids won’t cure anything, but the heat thins mucus, soothes sore throats and makes breathing much easier. I often make a fermented lemon and ginger drink from aguamadre with hot water and honey. These are the tools I rely on myself, and over the years they’ve made my colds shorter, gentler, and far less disruptive. Stay well, and if you have your own cold-beating tricks, share them below.👇 (PMID: 36198287, 352807203, 3256323, 22112995)

We’re still buzzing after an unforgettable few days at the @eudemoniasummit — meeting so many of you in real life, sharing big ideas, and cheering on a weekend full of ZOE Wheel prize winners. From long-time members to brand-new friends, the connections were incredible. Rosa even stopped by the ZOE Bodega and wowed us with an astonishing gut microbiome score of 99!🦠 We also recorded some special episodes of the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast with brilliant guests we can’t wait for you to hear. Meanwhile, the ZOE Bodega didn’t stop buzzing. Hundreds of you came through to try the new ZOE app and taste our new Daily30+ recipe. On stage, our scientists brought the energy and the evidence: @tim.spector unlocked the magic of fermentation and the hidden powers of microbes, @dr.fede.amati cut through the protein propaganda and championed fiber first, and @drsarahberry set the record straight on seed oils and shared how the food matrix shapes your metabolism. Thank you to our incredible community and @eudemoniasummit for such a memorable event. Where should we go next? 💛

When you hear the phrase “fermented foods,” you might think of something sharp, pungent, or a jar that’s been sitting in the fridge a little too long. In recent decades, fermentation has seemed unusual or niche, but for most of human history, it was simply how we prepared and preserved food. And now, the science is catching up with tradition. We’re seeing that fermented foods can meaningfully support the gut microbiome, reduce inflammation, and improve metabolic and immune health. These effects aren’t just theoretical, they’re consistent across multiple studies and populations. On the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast this week, I speak with Jonathan about what fermentation actually is, why humans evolved to rely on it, and what we’ve learned from our research over the past six years. We discuss: -How fermenting food transforms it, both in flavour and in biology -The role of fermented foods in feeding and shaping the gut microbiome -Why even heat-inactivated microbes can influence immune function -The difference between fermented foods and commercial probiotic supplements -Practical, simple ways to begin without needing specialist equipment If you’re curious about introducing fermented foods into your daily routine, this conversation offers a straightforward place to start. Click the link in @zoe’s bio to listen now, or search ‘ZOE Science and Nutrition’ wherever you listen to podcasts. Do you have questions about fermented foods? Let me know below.

In case you missed it, I went live with Josh Puddle, co-founder of @momokombucha, to dive into all things kombucha and fermentation, including a step-by-step demo on how to make your own at home. We explored what makes kombucha such a unique fermented drink, powered by a living SCOBY: a community of microbes that transform tea, sugar and time into something complex, tangy, and full of life. Josh shared the story behind MOMO and what sets authentic kombucha apart, while I unpacked the science of fermentation and why these microbes matter for our gut health. We also touched on my new book Ferment, the traditions that inspired it, and how drinks like kombucha play a role in increasing microbial diversity, an important marker of a healthy gut. If there were questions we didn’t get to, feel free to leave them below.

Have you ever noticed how some US supermarket bread is soft and springy? One reason is azodicarbonamide, or ADA, is a flour bleaching agent and dough conditioner used to improve the texture and shelf life of bread. ADA helps dough rise faster and gives bread a uniform texture. But when it’s heated during baking, it breaks down into other compounds, including small amounts of semicarbazide and ethyl carbamate. In animal studies, semicarbazide has been linked to increased tumour formation, and raw ADA powder is a known cause of occupational respiratory inflammation and asthma in workers (PMID: 7336369, 15119006). While the levels in finished bread are much lower than those used in those studies, regulators in Europe and the UK take a precautionary approach and have banned it. In the US, the regulatory stance is different: if risk is low, the additive is permitted. But I think we should ask a simpler question. Is it necessary? Bread doesn’t need shortcuts. Flour, water, salt, and time, are enough. Slow fermentation develops flavour, improves texture, and allows microbes and enzymes to naturally break down gluten and sugars in ways your body recognises (PMID: 24733479). It’s one of the oldest, simplest foods we make. If you have the space for it in your week, learning to bake a loaf at home can be incredibly satisfying. And if not, look for traditionally fermented sourdoughs from small bakeries. Would you like me to do a simple sourdough starter and loaf tutorial here?👇 Let me know.

Why is it so easy to finish a bar of chocolate without even noticing? This isn’t about willpower. It’s about how modern food is engineered. Many of the highly processed foods on supermarket shelves today are deliberately designed to be eaten quickly: to dissolve fast in the mouth, to keep us reaching for more, and to bypass the natural signals that tell us we’ve had enough. Our brains never stood a chance. This week on the @zoe Science + Nutrition podcast, I join flavour expert and co-founder of @cocoarunners, Spencer Hyman, to explore what’s really going on, and how we can take back control. We talk about why our brains are wired to crave sugar, fat, and salt, how food companies exploit that wiring, and why slowing down and actually tasting our food can change the experience entirely. We also discuss why eating speed influences how much we eat, how hyperpalatable foods trick our satiety signals, and how to retrain your palate in as little as a week. If you’ve ever wondered why some foods feel irresistible, or how to enjoy food more while eating less of the stuff that makes you feel rubbish afterward, I think you’ll find this conversation eye-opening. Click the link in ZOE’s bio to listen now, or search ‘ZOE Science and Nutrition’ wherever you listen to podcasts. What foods do you find impossible to put down? Let me know.

Ever wondered what happens to your at-home gut health test once you drop it in the mail? At ZOE, we put your 💩 sample through a rigorous, world-leading scientific process to unlock the secrets of your gut microbiome. This isn’t your average gut test. Most commercial tests use the older, less precise 16S sequencing. This method looks at just one specific gene common to all microbes, which is like trying to understand a vast, complex forest by analyzing only the leaves that have fallen. ZOE scientists use deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, which is the gold standard in microbiome analysis. We extract all the DNA from every single microbe in your sample: bacteria, fungi, viruses, and more. Our scientists then use powerful, custom-built computing software called MetaPhlAn4 to piece together this massive genetic puzzle. This cutting-edge tool was developed by ZOE in collaboration with the University of Trento and published for all scientists to access. This comprehensive and precise analysis gives us a complete, high-resolution picture of your microbial community, allowing us to identify microbes down to the exact strain or species level, including hundreds of new species our scientists have discovered. When you join ZOE and test your gut, we translate that precise data into powerful, actionable insights: - Your unique gut and food scores: Get a clear snapshot of your overall gut health, measured on a scale of 1 to 1000, and personal scores for thousands of foods. - Identify your key microbes: See the specific “good” and “bad” bugs thriving in your gut and learn about your unique gut clusters, novel groupings that link your microbial community to different health outcomes. - Daily guidance: Easy-to-follow steps that help you swap, combine, and add foods to boost your good bugs and improve your long-term health. Your gut is as unique as your fingerprint. Click the link in our bio to learn more. 💛

Did you know your morning coffee leaves a microbial signature in your gut? In @zoe’s study, published in the leading journal Nature Microbiology, we analysed gut microbiome data from more than 22,000 people across 25 countries to understand how coffee affects our microbes (PMID: 39558133). We identified over 100 bacterial species linked to coffee drinking. The most striking was Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, which was around 6 to 8 times more abundant in regular coffee drinkers. Interestingly, this same relationship held true for decaf coffee, suggesting that the effects come not from caffeine, but from coffee’s rich mix of plant compounds, such as polyphenols. These compounds are broken down by gut microbes into metabolites like quinic acid and hippurate, which are linked with metabolic benefits (PMID: 29057986). In other words, the chemistry of coffee may help explain why regular coffee drinkers often have better markers of metabolic and heart health. If you enjoy your morning coffee, caffeinated or not, you can do so knowing it’s supporting your gut and overall health. So, are you team caffeine or decaf? ☕

Tim Spector came to Holy Carrot alongside the launch of his new book Ferment, leading a workshop with Daniel on the art of fermentation. It’s a really exciting time for research into gut health, and Tim is one of the leading scientists in the field. We started with kimchi, delicious, healthy and simple to make. With a little love and care, it’s worth the wait!

Is your breakfast setting you up for the day, or setting you back? New research shows that your first meal does far more than just provide you with energy. It influences your metabolism, appetite, and even your long-term health. The problem is, most breakfasts cause sharp blood sugar spikes followed by mid-morning crashes. That’s what leaves many of us tired, hungry, and reaching for snacks before lunch. The good news is, because breakfast is the meal we repeat most consistently, it’s also one of the most powerful habits we can change. In this week’s @zoe Science + Nutrition podcast, I’m joined by Professor Benjamin Gardner, a psychologist at the University of Surrey and world expert in behaviour change. We explore why traditional breakfasts often don’t set us up for lasting success, how your morning meal shapes metabolism, why breakfast can act as a “keystone habit,” and what it really takes to form lasting change. If you’ve ever struggled to find a breakfast that keeps you energised or to build healthier habits that last, I hope you’ll find this conversation very useful. Click the link in ZOE’s bio to listen now and let me know what you think. What’s your go-to breakfast?