ZOE Science & Nutrition

You have around 10,000 cancer cells in your body right now, but most never become dangerous. The science suggests cancer risk is not just about genetics, but how your body responds to these cells. So what can you do, day to day, to support your body’s natural defences?

In this episode, Dr William Li, a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and two-time NYT Bestselling author, explains how everyday foods can fuel cancer growth or help your body keep it under control. We explore how cancer starts, why it is part of normal biology, and explain why lifestyle and environment are more important than genetics when managing your cancer risk.

Dr Li shares simple guidance on eating patterns that support your body’s defences, including increasing plant-rich foods and reducing ultra-processed foods. He also highlights everyday habits such as staying active, supporting gut health, and limiting toxin exposure as ways to tip the balance in your favour.

If your body is already managing cancer cells every day, what small changes could help it do that job better?

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

02:26 Almost everyone has microscopic tumours

08:15 We all have cancer right now?

10:45 Why most cancer cells stay harmless

13:40 The hidden trigger that fuels cancer growth

14:35 What makes cancer turn deadly

16:35 Cancer cells behave like seeds

19:05 How sunburn can lead to cancer

20:55 What smoking really does inside your body

22:20 The new way to fight cancer

24:20 Why genes matter less than you think

26:00 Is vaping worse than smoking?

27:05 The drinking habit that raises cancer risk

29:25 The environmental risk we can’t ignore

33:47 The diet pattern linked to cancer risk

35:10 Why processed meat is a class 1 carcinogen

37:25 How processed meat affects your gut

41:50 A simple way to reduce BBQ toxins

43:40 Does sugar really feed cancer?

45:51 The truth about soy and cancer

47:25 The soy study that shocked scientists

49:05 How tomatoes may lower cancer risk

51:00 Why berries are more powerful than you think

54:40 How tea and coffee support your defences

56:05 The gut link to cancer risk

57:40 Dr Li’s simplest rules to reduce risk

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Eat to Beat Disease: The Body’s Five Defence Systems and the Foods that Could Save Your Life by Dr William Li

Eat to Beat Your Diet by Dr William Li

Huge microbiome breakthrough from ZOE, thanks to community science

Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, JAMA (2009)

The Anti-Cancer Activity of Lycopene, Nutrients (2022)

Health Professionals Follow-Up Study

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re talking about some foods that can change your life.

Fatigue, disease, gut problems and weight gain. Many of the issues we discuss on this podcast can be linked back to one thing: chronic inflammation. 

However, you don’t need drugs or detoxes to quell this fire. One of the most powerful tools we have to control inflammation is right in front of us: food.

I’m joined by Dr. Federica Amati and Professor Tim Spector to spotlight three inflammation-fighting foods - and explain why these small changes to your plate can make a big difference to your body.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30+

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Watch “The Gut Health Challenge” on YouTube | LINK

Can you boost energy, improve focus and lift your mood in just a few days, just by changing what you eat? 

In this episode, Professor Tim Spector and ZOE’s Head Nutritionist, Dr Federica Amati, break down the simple nutrition changes that help beat fatigue and shift how you feel. 

They speak to Lucy and Sarah, who put ZOE to the test and changed only their nutrition for six weeks. At the start, they were held back by brain fog, poor sleep, and constant tiredness. Could a six-week nutritional reset really move the needle? 

This episode shows what happened in real life as they explore why many people feel tired or flat, even when tests look “normal”. The episode explains why your gut microbiome matters, how you can feel better within days, and why consistency beats perfection.

You will also hear the simple changes they made. Bigger breakfasts. More plant diversity. Easy food swaps. Small habits that fit into real life.

If you feel tired but your tests say you’re “fine”, what would you change first? And if you felt better in days, would you keep going for six weeks?

Join Prof Tim Spector behind the scenes, just search “ZOE Gut Health Challenge” on YouTube | LINK

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:44 Why you can feel exhausted despite doing everything right

09:59 The test results that didn’t match how you feel

12:36 Why your symptoms may show before your blood tests

15:43 ‘Normal’ results… but still feeling terrible

17:31 The hidden gut problem behind low energy

19:43 Why this experiment wasn’t supposed to work this fast

21:54 Why your cravings may not be under your control

23:46 The first sign your body is changing (in days)

24:09 Feel happier in just 3 days?

24:59 The simple breakfast shift that changes everything

25:57 Why most people miss this one thing in their diet

27:38 The tool that makes healthy eating easier

29:14 How to improve your family’s diet without forcing it

31:06 The meal that proves healthy food can fill you up

32:25 The small food swaps that make the biggest difference

34:31 The eating habit most people overlook

35:57 Why 30 plants a week sounds impossible (but isn’t)

38:22 Why this doesn’t feel like a diet

40:39 What to do when you fall off track

42:22 The 80% rule that makes this sustainable

44:25 Why this finally feels easy to stick to

47:10 The one thing to change first

47:52 Did it work after just 6 weeks?

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

The Gut Health Challenge

 

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

The ZOE app and Gut Health test are for general health and wellness purposes only. They are not intended to prevent, diagnose or treat any medical condition.

Sarah and Lucy received free access to the ZOE app and testing and Daily30 for their participation in the documentary.

Today, we’re diving into some popular drinks.

Coffee has long been the undisputed champion of hot beverages. Its bitter taste is an essential part of most people's morning. However, there’s a new kid on the block. You might have seen its distinctive green hue cropping up in cafés, supermarkets or even TikTok. I am of course talking about matcha.

So how do coffee and matcha compare? Do they work differently in the body? And is one better for your long-term health?

I’m joined by matcha expert Andrew Kojima and Professor Tim Spector to explore the science behind our daily pick-me-ups - and discover whether we should be switching sides.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30+

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Intermittent fasting may help with blood sugar, appetite, fat loss, and energy. But many people do it wrong. 

In this episode, Professor James Betts, one of the world’s leading experts on meal timing and its metabolic effects, explains what fasting actually is, how long you need to fast to see changes, and the key mistakes that can stop the benefits.

Today, we break down what happens in your body when you stop eating and explain why it may support weight loss and blood sugar control, but also why fasting doesn’t work for everyone. You will learn why breakfast may not matter, why the 5:2 diet often fails, and why eating even small amounts can stop a true fast.

By the end of this episode, you will understand what counts as a real fast, how long your eating window may need to be, why longer is not always better if you cannot stick to it, and why planning your first meal matters, because hunger can drive poor choices.

If fasting can work, but is not magic, what actually makes the difference: the timing, the consistency, or simply eating less?

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

02:30 The answers that completely contradict fasting advice

09:10 What fasting really means (it’s not what you think)

12:10 Why most people never actually fast

14:25 Why “eat to fuel your day” may be wrong

16:00 The 3 types of fasting people confuse

17:30 Why 5:2 might not work the way you think

18:15 The tiny mistake that ruins a fast

19:45 Why stricter fasting can feel easier

20:20 Why hunger disappears after a few days

21:20 What happened when he fasted for 5 days

22:35 What you can actually have during a fast

24:25 Do coffee and tea break your fast?

26:20 The truth about breakfast (finally tested)

28:15 The breakfast result no one expected

29:15 The hidden downside of fasting

32:20 What your body switches to when you stop eating

34:25 What really happens on day two of fasting

35:30 Why fasting might improve your health

37:05 Does fasting reduce inflammation?

38:25 What fasting actually helps with

39:20 How much weight people really lose

40:00 The most effective way to fast

41:00 The minimum fasting window that works

42:30 Who benefits most from fasting

44:30 Should you exercise before eating?

47:20 Do your eating times need to be consistent?

50:25 Does olive oil secretly break a fast?

51:45 The one rule for breaking a fast

53:40 The biggest takeaway about fasting

58:15 Should you actually try fasting?

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Effect of the 5:2 Diet on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Disease Risk, The International Journal of Endocrinology (2025)

Intermittent fasting ‘no magic bullet for weight loss’, Science Translational Medicine (2021)

Bath Breakfast Project, Springer (2011)

The role of intermittent fasting and meal timing in weight management and metabolic health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, (2020)

The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in lean adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (2014)

Nutrient timing and metabolic regulation. The Journal of Physiology, (2022)

Calorie counting vs. minute counting; does nutrient timing matter for weight-loss? Current Opinion on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, (2025)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.Episode transcripts are available here.