Can a traditional African diet help protect against inflammation? | Quirijn de Mast & Tim Spector
In this groundbreaking episode, Jonathan, Tim, and guest researcher Professor Quirijn de Mast explore a landmark clinical trial conducted in partnership with Tanzanian scientists and community members at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC).
Published in Nature Medicine, the study investigates what happens when people switch between Western-style eating and a traditional diet from the Kilimanjaro region of Northern Tanzania — rich in fermented foods, legumes, ancient grains, and green vegetables.
The results? Rapid, measurable changes to immune function, inflammation, and gut health — with powerful implications for global disease risk.We dive into the science behind millet porridge, fermented banana beer, and the fibre-rich meals that Tanzanian communities have eaten for generations.
Quirijn shares insights from his 20-year collaboration with local researchers.
This episode explores scientific research on traditional East African diets and inflammation, led by Quirijn in close collaboration with Tanzanian scientists and participants. As Western scientists and hosts, we are aware of the need for humility when discussing cultural traditions not our own, and we approach this conversation with respect and curiosity.
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Timecodes
00:00 Can This African Diet Transform Your Health in 2 Weeks?
02:47 What Makes African Diets Healthier Than Mediterranean?
05:17 The Mediterranean Diet: Are We Getting It Wrong?
07:57 Africa’s Forgotten Superfood: Ancient Grain Porridge
10:37 Are These Ancient Grains the Original Superfoods?
13:17 Diet Changes That Predict Disease — Here’s How
15:58 What Pre-Western Diets Reveal About Human Health
18:31 We Built a Pop-Up Restaurant on Mount Kilimanjaro
21:00 This Fermented Banana Beer Might Boost Immunity
23:23 Inflammation Skyrockets After Just 2 Weeks on This Diet
26:07 Can a Fermented Drink Reverse Western Diet Damage?
28:47 How Food Labels Trick You Into Thinking You're Healthy
31:38 Is Your Immune System Running on the Wrong Fuel?
34:12 These Roots Are Healthier Than Potatoes — Here’s Why
36:51 Your Porridge Is Making You Unhealthy (Without You Knowing)
39:35 What People Actually Eat on a Traditional African Diet
42:21 Pasteurised Fermented Foods — The Surprising Downside
45:06 Most People Don’t Eat Enough Fiber. Do You?
47:49 Why One Diet Doesn’t Work for Everyone
50:33 The #1 Diet Swap to Transform Your Health
📚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
Free resources from ZOE
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Mentioned in today's episodeImmune and metabolic effects of African heritage diets versus Western diets in men: a randomized controlled trial, Nature Medicine (2025)
Global Impacts of Western Diet and Its Effects on Metabolism and Health: A Narrative Review, Nutrients (2023)
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
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59:50
Recap: Is the new obesity medication too good to be true? | Dr. Louis J Aronne
Today we’re talking about obesity medication.
Did you know that over 200 illnesses are linked to unhealthy weight gain? It's no surprise that combatting obesity has become a major focus of modern medical research.
In recent years, this research has led to a new generation of weight-loss medications that are delivering dramatic results. But are these drugs truly revolutionary or just too good to be true?
One thing is certain - people have a lot of questions. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Lou Aronne to help us separate the hype from the hard facts.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:
The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here
Listen to the full episode here
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13:11
How to lower blood pressure, improve heart health and reduce dementia risk | Prof. Tim Spector
What if your blood pressure — even just a little too high — is quietly damaging your brain? What if it’s increasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke, without you ever feeling a thing?
In this episode, Professor Tim Spector reveals why blood pressure is one of the most overlooked – and most dangerous – health issues today. He explains why “normal for your age” might not be safe at all, why medication alone isn’t the full answer, and how small, daily changes could dramatically reduce your risk of serious disease.
Can your gut microbes raise your blood pressure? Can a banana be as powerful as a pill? Is beetroot juice really three times more effective than cutting salt?
You’ll also learn why 80% of the salt we eat isn’t from the shaker, how stress and sleep secretly push your pressure up, and what most doctors still miss when treating hypertension.
If you’ve ever been told your blood pressure’s “fine” — or never measured it at all — this episode might change the way you think about your future health.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+
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Timecodes
00:00 Introduction
03:29 What actually is high blood pressure?
05:57 Why everyone should own a blood pressure monitor
07:01 What your blood pressure reading really means
09:59 Stress and high blood pressure
11:28 The $20 gadget that can save your life
13:17 When to see a doctor
14:35 What causes high blood pressure
16:57 Salt and blood pressure
18:28 Why reducing salt didn’t work for Tim
20:09 Blood pressure medications
22:04 Why high blood pressure is so dangerous
24:20 How blood pressure quietly damages your brain
27:18 Is it too late to lower your blood pressure?
31:31 How your gut microbes affect blood pressure
34:14 Why potassium matters more than salt
36:29 How sleep, stress & saunas impact your blood pressure
38:58 The real source of excess salt in your diet
41:37 Should you switch to potassium salt?
49:30 Beetroot juice: better than salt restriction?
📚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
Free resources from ZOE
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Studies referenced in today's episode:
Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Reducing Blood Pressure in Adults With Prehigh blood pressure to Established high blood pressure, Journal of the American Heart Association (2020)
Long-Term Effect of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control on Mild Cognitive Impairment and Probable Dementia in SPRINT, Neurology (2025)
Blood pressure reduction and all-cause dementia in people with uncontrolled high blood pressure: an open-label, blinded-endpoint, cluster-randomized trial, Nature Medicine (2025)
high blood pressure Associated With Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Among Hypertensive Adults at a Tertiary Hospital in South Africa, Frontiers in Neurology (2022)
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
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Recap: The importance of lifting weights in your later years | Dr. Brad Schoenfeld
Today we’re talking about resistance training.
When we think of exercising in our 70s and 80s, we often focus on gentle activities like walking or swimming some lengths in a pool. However, are we overlooking a crucial part of the fitness puzzle? Something that could truly transform our later years: Strength training.
Because as we age, muscle loss isn’t just about losing tone - it’s about losing independence.
Dr. Brad Schoenfeld joins me to share how resistance training can preserve strength, improve mobility, and support a long and active life. Whether you’ve got five minutes or fifty, he’ll show you how to get started - no gym membership required.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+
*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system
📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:
The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Free resources from ZOE:
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here
Listen to the full episode here
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15:43
The daily step count that cuts inflammation in half | Prof. Janet Lord
What if the fatigue, stiffness, and brain fog we blame on aging are actually symptoms of something we can change?
In this episode, immune aging expert Professor Janet Lord unpacks “inflammaging” - a slow, chronic form of inflammation that quietly builds in the body as we get older. It’s now believed to drive many of the diseases we associate with aging, from dementia to heart disease.
Janet reveals how this invisible inflammation takes hold, how it silently damages the brain, gut, and immune system - and what science says we can do to fight back. Her research has shown that even in your 70s, it's not too late to reverse immune aging. One small change tomorrow could make a measurable difference.
Professor Janet Lord is a world leading expert in the biology of aging. She’s published over 200 scientific papers and advised UK health policy. Her groundbreaking work shows how daily habits - especially movement - can reshape the immune system and slow the effects of time.
If you want to stay stronger, sharper, and healthier for longer, this conversation could change the way you think about aging.
🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST
🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+
Follow ZOE on Instagram.
Timecodes:
00:00 What is inflammaging?
02:23 The biggest misconception about inflammaging
03:20 Inflammation can grumble away for decades
04:01 What cytokines in your blood really mean
05:00 Why inflammation is helpful — until it isn’t
06:19 A small rise in inflammation can last for decades
07:45 Inflammation acts like immune system hormones
08:50 Why more immune activity isn't always better
10:00 Did modern life create chronic inflammation?
12:00 Why flu is deadly for older people
13:15 Inflammation breaks down muscle and bone
15:15 Why fat tissue is fueling your immune system
16:51 Why body fat isn’t just a passive energy store
18:10 How inflammation helps cause dementia and heart disease
20:50 In your 40s? You might already be aging faster
22:03 Why menopause triggers a rise in inflammation
24:40 The gut bacteria that leak into your blood
27:15 Your muscles produce anti-inflammatory signals
28:55 Sitting too long cancels out your workout
30:44 Why walking stairs beats living in a bungalow
33:35 Janet’s one-day-a-week fast for 30+ years
34:55 10,000 steps = no inflammation?
35:57 Overweight people see the biggest benefit from exercise
📚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 SpectorFree resources from ZOE
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.
Episode transcripts are available here.
The world’s top scientists explain the latest health, nutrition, and gut health research and translate it into practical advice to improve your health & weight. Join ZOE Science & Nutrition, on a journey of scientific discovery. Hosted by Jonathan Wolf.
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