In Conversation

This episode of our podcast takes a deep dive into intermittent fasting and its effects on health. Joining the conversation is Ali Javaheri, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine from the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Washington University. Dr Javaheri explains what intermittent fasting does to the body and discusses the benefits and dangers of this eating plan in light of a recent viral study that found 8-hour time-restricted eating may relate to a higher risk of cardiovascular death.

In this episode of our podcast, we take a deep dive into the topic of semaglutide — or GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs — use for weight loss. How does semaglutide help with weight management, why do some people on Wegovy hit a weight loss plateau, and what are some issues to keep in mind when it comes to using semaglutide for weight loss? Dr. Simon Cork, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom helps us answer these and more questions.

In our wrap-up of 2023’s most pressing and perhaps controversial research in the health and wellness field, Medical News Today’s editors — Andrea Rice, Maria Cohut, and Yasemin Nicola Sakay — delve into three interesting topics: The WHO’s decision to declare sucralose a potential carcinogen, the symptoms of colon cancer and the worrying rise of cases in young people, and the still-elusive male birth control pill.

How do we prolong our longevity? Plenty of recent evidence suggests that exercise — in the correct amount and combination — can help us live longer, healthier lives. This episode of our podcast discusses how and why intentional physical activity prolongs our health span. Joining the conversation is Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz, principal researcher in Applied Health Sciences at the University of Cadiz, who has studied the relationship between longevity and different forms of exercise, and Dr. Edwina Brocklesby — nicknamed “Iron Gran” — who is CEO of Silverfit and Britain’s oldest woman to have completed an Ironman triathlon.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — an umbrella term for conditions including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — affects millions of people worldwide, sometimes severely affecting their quality of life. How is the gut microbiome of a person with IBD different, and can we use diet to change it and help with disease management? To answer these and other questions, we are in conversation with Dr. Marcel de Zoete, associate professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at UMC Utrecht in The Netherlands, who has studied the gut microbiome in IBD. Also joining us is Zosia Krajewska, who lives with IBD after receiving a diagnosis at age 14.

In this episode, Dr. Hilary Guite and Medical News Today editors Maria Cohut and Yasemin Nicola Sakay discuss why it's so hard for humans to change their minds and behaviors. They give us a peek into their daily lives while sharing the three podcast episodes that inspired them to change their habits surrounding nutrition, pain, and helping others. They also offer their own tips and tricks on how to spark purposeful and lasting behavioral change.

In this episode, we discuss why health disparities between different racial and ethnic groups, including those that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot be explained by biological race. We also explore how racism affects the health and well-being of future generations. Joining the conversation are Dr. Monique Rainford, obstetrician and gynecologist at Yale School of Medicine and author of the book "Pregnant While Black," and Angela Saini, science journalist and author whose most recent work includes the book "Superior: The Return of Race Science."

In this episode of our podcast, we discuss why the gut microbiome is important in Parkinson's disease and what researchers are doing to discover more about the link between Parkinson's and gut health. Our guests are Dr. Ayse Demirkan, senior lecturer in AI multiomics for health and well-being at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, and Gary Shaughnessy, chair of trustees at Parkinson's UK, who lives with Parkinson's disease and is a staunch advocate of research into the condition.

In this episode, Medical News Today investigates whether reversing prediabetes via lifestyle changes — such as diet and exercise — is possible. Joining the conversation with Dr. Hilary Guite and Global News editor Yasemin Nicola Sakay are Dr. Thomas Barber, associate clinical professor at Warwick Medical School and consultant endocrinologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, and Angela Chao, Managing Editor at Healthline Media, who shared her experiences about how she reversed her prediabetes diagnosis.

In this episode of our podcast, we delve into the science behind how sounds and silence affect our cognitive health and seek to uncover whether music can be healing for people with dementia. Joining the conversation this month with Dr. Hilary Guite and global news editor Yasemin Nicola Sakay are Dr. Kelly Jakubowski, assistant professor in music psychology at Durham University in the United Kingdom, and Beatie Wolfe, singer, songwriter, and ambassador for the charity Music for Dementia, who witnessed music's direct effect in a care home for people with dementia.

In this episode, we discuss how and why diet could help manage the symptoms of endometriosis and which interventions might be the most effective. We are in conversation with Dr. Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC — and Hannah Alderson, a registered nutritionist with the British Association For Nutrition And Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and founder of The Positive Method – The Path to Happier Hormones. Dr. Kahleova is the co-author of a recent study looking at nutrition as a factor in the risk for and management of endometriosis. Alderson’s precepts for well-being stem from her own long journey seeking a diagnosis and treatment for PCOS and endometriosis.

In this episode of our podcast, we discuss the possible benefits and drawbacks of adopting the ketogenic diet for managing chronic pain and autoimmune conditions. We also address the many controversies surrounding this diet. Joining the conversation with Dr. Hilary Guite and Global News editor Yasemin Nicola Sakay are Dr. Susan A. Masino of Trinity College, CT, who is the Vernon D. Roosa professor of Applied Science and author of "Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Therapies: Expanded Roles in Health and Disease," and Shea, who has trialed the diet with his lupus.

This episode of our podcast discusses the links between diet, the gut, and depression symptoms, asking one crucial question: Can changing our diet help improve symptoms of depression? Our guests are Dr. Najaf Amin, senior research associate in the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and Rachel Kelly, a U.K.-based mental health campaigner who has been outspoken about how diet helped treat her own depression.

For our final “In Conversation” episode of 2022, Feature Editor Maria Cohut, Global News Editor Yasemin Sakay, and Managing Editor James McIntosh reflect on the research highlights of 2022. Topics include the twists and turns of dementia research, why scientists are studying psychedelics for mental health, and how stem cell research is advancing at a steady pace.

In this episode, we discuss the stigma surrounding male psychosexual health and how Viagra—the little blue 'magic' pill once only marketed to older males as an erectile dysfunction drug—is now becoming a new tool for young men. Joining the conversation with Dr. Hilary Guite and Global News editor Yasemin Nicola Sakay are Dr. Edward Ratush, board certified psychiatrist and co-founder of telepsychiatry and psychotherapy practice SOHOMD in the United States, Dr. Peter Saddington, accredited psychotherapist specializing in sexual addiction, counseling, and psychosexual therapy at Relate, and three guests who frankly share their experience with using Viagra. Editor's note: This podcast includes commentaries that mention the use of illegal drugs. Medical News Today does not condone or encourage their use.

In this episode, we discuss breast cancer recurrence, why cancer spreads, and whether it is possible to reduce recurrence risk. Our guests are Dr. Rachael Natrajan, head of the functional genomics team in the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, and Dr. Liz O’Riordan, former consultant breast cancer surgeon and a breast cancer patient and advocate. She is co-author of The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer.

In this episode, we discuss all things chronic pain — from how it feels to live with it to how the body reacts to pain and transitions from an acute state to a chronic reactive state. Joining the conversation with Dr. Hilary Guite and Global News editor Yasemin Nicola Sakay are Dr. Tony L. Yaksh, professor of anesthesiology and pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego, who shares his insights about the latest research, and Joel Nelson, a longtime psoriatic disease and arthritis patient and advocate, who discusses his personal journey with pain.

In this episode, we discuss vaccine hesitancy, what really makes people unsure about accepting vaccines, and whether science communicators can do anything to heal the relationship between the public and health organizations. We are in conversation with Prof. Maya Goldenberg, who is a professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and specializes in the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy, and reporter Aaron Khemchandani, a science communication MSc student at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, who has studied the phenomenon of mistrust in science.

For World Hepatitis Day, Dr. Hilary Guite discusses hepatitis C's journey, from discovery to cure. She talks with Prof. Graham Foster, professor of hepatology at Queen Mary University of London, and Rachel Halford, CEO of the Hepatitis C Trust, who discusses the stigma surrounding the disease and shares her treatment experience. In this conversation, these experts also explore what the future may hold — in both educational efforts and treatments — for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and whether elimination might be possible.

In this podcast, presenter Dr. Hilary Guite and feature editor Dr. Maria Cohut discuss dementia, how it can manifest, and what researchers are doing to better understand this syndrome. Our guests are Dr. Kamar Ameen-Ali, a lecturer in biomedical science at Teesside University in the United Kingdom specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, and Paula Field, a caregiver for her mother, who lives with Alzheimer’s disease.