Evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle science.
9:222.9K views · 10h ago · 9:22
Today I explore how the terms primary and secondary prevention have evolved, and why they can be misleading in clinic. We discuss a more practical way to think about risk, starting with early-life lifestyle foundations, moving to biomarker-driven primary prevention, and then using imaging like CAC scoring and CT angiography to identify subclinical atherosclerosis.
1:04:349.7K views · 1d ago · 1:04:34
Guest: Maria Marco
One of the world's leading food microbiologists just told me that the word probiotic on a jar of sauerkraut is, in her words, "just a marketing thing." The same goes for most kimchi and kombucha on the shelf. Live microbes and probiotics are not the same thing, and the difference matters every time you read a label.
Topics: What Actually Counts as a Probiotic · How Experts Finally Defined Gut Health · What Gut Microbiome Tests Can't Tell You · Do Probiotic Supplements Actually Work · Does Sauerkraut Really Have Probiotics · How to Know If Your Gut Is Healthy
1:06:5312K views · 4d ago · 1:06:53
Guests: Bone Health Masterclass, Dr Lora Giangregorio
Simon’s personal supplement stack Most of us assume that whether we break a bone comes down to one number on a DEXA scan. In this masterclass, six experts explain why it is only part of the story, and what the evidence really says about training, injury, surgery, and ageing well.
Topics: Osteoporosis Fracture Risk and FRAX Score · Bone Density vs Bone Strength · How Lifting Changes Bone Shape · Bone Health Blood Tests Explained · Heavy Lifting for Osteoporosis: LIFTMOR Study · Best Rep Range for Building Bone
5:364.5K views · 5d ago · 5:36
Guest: Nicola Guess
Today I explore what a practical, week to week approach to eating can look like for someone with obesity, pre-diabetes and fatty liver, based on how these tightly controlled trials translate into the real world. We talk through why protein may be doing much of the heavy lifting, what aiming for around 35 grams of protein per meal looks like in practice, and how to build meals with legumes, veg, and a smaller portion of carbs if you want them.
7:003.2K views · 6d ago · 7:00
Guest: Aleksander Krag
Today I explore who actually benefits from liver scanning beyond basic blood biomarkers, including where quick scores like FIB-4 fit in and when it makes sense to move on to confirmatory testing. This clip takes a closer look at the terminology that often gets muddled: standard ultrasound imaging, elastography (including FibroScan), and MRI elastography.
8:027.2K views · 1w ago · 8:02
New heart disease prevention guidelines are changing how doctors assess cardiovascular risk, including evaluating adults as young as 30. In this clip, we break down the PREVENT ASCVD Risk Calculator, 10-year vs. 30-year cardiovascular risk, and the additional risk-enhancing factors that can influence heart disease prevention.
51:1926K views · 1w ago · 51:19
Guest: Nicola Guess
Simon's personal supplement stack A new trial from Washington University put people with prediabetes on one of three diets, matched their weight loss, and found that the arm labelled ketogenic reduced liver fat by 67%. For many people, that was taken as evidence that carbohydrates are the main issue. My guest today sees it differently, and her reading starts with the label itself.
Topics: Fatty Liver Symptoms: 1 in 3 Adults Have It · Why Most Low-Carb Diet Studies Are Wrong · Keto vs Mediterranean Diet for Fatty Liver · Does Fatty Liver Cause Insulin Resistance? · How Protein Reduces Liver Fat Without Weight Loss · Why Low Carb Alone Won't Reverse Fatty Liver
9:0416K views · 1w ago · 9:04
Guest: Christopher Gardner
In this conversation, I discuss a rigorous garlic trial designed to test whether garlic actually lowers LDL cholesterol in people with moderately elevated levels. We get into the biochemistry behind alliin, alliinase and allicin, why stomach acid can matter for supplements, and how an enteric coating was meant to solve a key flaw in earlier research.
6:402.9K views · 1w ago · 6:40
Guest: Aleksander Krag
In this conversation, I discuss why "fatty liver disease" and "NAFLD" were renamed in 2023, and what the new umbrella term steatotic liver disease actually means in clinical practice. We cover the three subtypes, how alcohol and metabolic health each play a part, and why the new names matter for diagnosis.
9:2335K views · 2w ago · 9:23
Today I explore why statins still tend to be the starting point for lipid lowering, and what actually drives the decision in real clinic conversations. We get into the weight of cardiovascular outcome data, why LDL reduction tracks with event reduction, and how potency, tolerability, access and cost all shape what gets prescribed.
1:57:1370K views · 2w ago · 1:57:13
Guest: Christopher Gardner
Simon's personal supplement stack Most of the arguments people have about diet are fought over questions the science will never settle, because the study that would settle them cannot be run. You cannot randomise people to keto or vegan and follow them for 30 years. Christopher Gardner has spent his career working inside that limitation, and in this episode he explains what it means for the choices you make at the supermarket.
Topics: Philosophy and Nutrition Science · Does Garlic Lower Cholesterol? · Why Long Diet Trials Never Happen · Do Calcium Supplements Prevent Fractures? · Fermented Foods and Gut Health · Gut Microbiome Supplements: Hype vs Science
8:276K views · 2w ago · 8:27
Today I explore how dramatically cardiovascular care has changed across the last few decades, and what that looks like on the ground for clinicians who lived through it. We reflect on the era when lipid testing was rudimentary, treatment options were limited, and weekend CCU shifts could mean multiple acute coronary admissions, CPR, and far more young people dying from events that may have been preventable.
10:411.8K views · 2w ago · 10:41
Today I explore what the research actually says about the widely repeated claim that sperm count has fallen by 50% over the past five decades. We talk about why there does seem to be a global signal worth taking seriously, but also why it’s not the same as saying fertility has dropped by 50%, and why the story looks different across specific populations.
6:271.4K views · 3w ago · 6:27
Guest: Fertility Experts
Today I explore how semen analysis results can genuinely shape the next steps in male fertility care, rather than being just numbers on a page. This clip focuses on how different parameters like concentration, motility, morphology and DNA fragmentation can influence which interventions are worth considering, and when a couple may need to think about IUI versus moving into IVF territory.
57:2599K views · 3w ago · 57:25
Three companies analysed the same two scans of my heart. One said my plaque had fallen by 48%. One said it had risen by 20%. One said almost nothing had changed. Same images, same scanner, same days, and a sixfold spread in how much plaque they say is actually in there. This episode is the protocol behind that headline, and the reason I am not putting weight on it.
Topics: Did I Really Reverse Plaque 48 Percent? · Why I Had Plaque On A Plant-Based Diet · Lower ApoB And My Exact Nutrition Protocol · My Exercise Sleep And Stress Protocol · Why I Took Zero Artery Supplements · Why 3 Heart Scans Gave Different Results
9:183.8K views · 3w ago · 9:18
Guest: Dr Howard Luks
Do you really need surgery for joint pain, a meniscus tear or a rotator cuff problem? In this conversation, we explore why different orthopedic surgeons can look at the same scan and recommend very different treatments.
7:022.1K views · 3w ago · 7:02
Today I explore the key differences between gestational diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and why gestational diabetes is often better thought of as an early warning sign of future metabolic risk rather than a one off pregnancy issue. This segment examines what the research suggests about weight loss during pregnancy, including links to insulin requirements and baby size, and why the bigger question may be what happens when weight is reduced before or early in pregnancy.
9:471.7K views · 4w ago · 9:47
Today I explore what a semen analysis can and cannot tell you about male fertility, and why total motile sperm count often matters more than any single number on the report. We also get into just how variable sperm parameters can be over time, which is why repeating a test and, in some cases, looking at more advanced markers like DNA fragmentation may be worth considering.
Showing the 18 most recent episodes. Everything plays right here on Pod Atlas.
Have thoughts about The Proof? Share them with other listeners.
Discuss this podcast