Growing up WEIRD Podcast

If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how children’s willingness to take risks during play affects how they take risks when crossing the road. We talk about air pollution and about the recently renamed ‘PCOS’ (now Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome). We talk about how ultraprocessed food reprograms taste preferences, and how certain probiotics affect that. We then discuss our recent article on satiety - helping children to feel full. Finally, we discuss what to do if your toddler doesn’t want to consume anything other than milk.For more information on how to set children up to recognise when they are full, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/how-do-we-help-children-stop-eatingFor more information on picky eating, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/why-arent-all-children-picky-eatersMy veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.Topics covered* How children’s risk willingness affects their ability to cross roads* When air pollution affects children most, and what we can do* Why PCOS has been renamed* How ultraprocessed food affects taste preferences in children, and what probiotics do to this* How children learn to feel full* How to help older babies satisfy their hunger with food rather than milkRecent episodesNotesThe developmental importance of risky play: A cross-national virtual reality study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494426001635 Prenatal and early life exposure to air pollution and lung function development aged 8-24 years: The ALSPAC study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935126006080Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltextEarly Exposure to High-Sucrose Diet Leads to Deteriorated Ovarian Health: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8092397/Bifidobacterium longum and prebiotic interventions restore early-life high-fat/high-sugar diet-induced alterations in feeding behavior in adult mice: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68968-2 Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I are joined by biomedical scientist and international touch rugby player Anna Wilson. We discuss recent papers on early induction of labour, on artificial sweeteners and early puberty, on learning and hearing loss in rats, on dog ownership and teen microbiomes, and on repurposing drugs for previously fatal conditions. We then talk about the effects of early movement on child musculoskeletal development, and how simple tweaks to your home can set up both you and your children to move more. Finally, we answer a listener question on giving sugar to children when they are ill.To see photos of our home, try this article:https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/come-look-around-our-high-movementTopics covered* Does induction of labour at term reduce the number of Caesarean sections in the real world?* Might some artificial sweeteners affect early puberty?* How does deafening rats at different ages affect their learning ability?* Is living with a dog good for teens?* Can we repurpose existing drugs for a fatal skin disease?* How do we create a home that makes us move?* Should we give foods containing sugar to sick children?These other podcast episodes cover related topics:NotesInduction of Labor at 40 Weeks of Gestation after Dissemination of the ARRIVE Trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41106401/Deafening rats at different ages: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-26704-8Early puberty and artificial sweeteners: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40618-025-02677-3Effects of dog ownership on teen microbiomes: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)02209-6Can we repurpose existing drugs for a fatal skin disease?https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08061-0JNK pathway signalling and fructose : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3523093/Hello! My name’s Guen. I’m a veterinarian by background and I’ve worked in health innovation for a decade. I spent eighteen months living in traditional villages across Africa and South America, learning from communities that raise children in very different ways. My passion is helping parents, doctors, and teachers identify small things they can do to set children up for better long-term physical health.If you’re interested in this area, drop your email below and I’ll send you bi-weekly articles and podcast episodes with stories from other cultures and deep scientific dives on different aspects of child development and health. It’s free, easy, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss a recent paper on the effects of recent guidelines about early introduction of food allergy. We discuss how much activity is needed to set children up for longer telomeres and better health. We then talk about sugar - how it affects metabolic health and how we can set children up for healthier lives. Greg talks about his experience with sugar addiction. Finally, we talk about the Pikler approach - what we agree with, and where we think the evidence doesn’t fully support this approach.For more information on sugar’s effects on child health, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/helping-children-avoid-sugarFor more information on why sugar affects every part of health, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/the-biggest-return-on-investmentFor more information on raising children who don’t want sugar, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/raising-children-who-dont-want-sugarTopics covered* How have recent guidelines on food allergen introduction affected rates of food allergy? [01:54]* How much activity sets children up with longer telomeres? [07:10]* How does sugar affect a child’s long-term health? [12:19]* Why do we recommend avoiding sugar in early childhood? [29:40]* What does it feel like to quit sugar as an adult on a high-sugar diet? [33:24]* What does the Pikler approach say about helping children move, and what’s our perspective? [40:24]Hello, I’m so glad you’re here! I need a hand…I’m trying to find a publisher for my book at the moment, and they use ‘number of subscribers’ as a proxy for value of writing. I want to keep my writing on Substack free so it’s available for all parents, but Substack’s algorithm seems to now hide a lot of unpaywalled writing. I’m struggling to get much reach.If you find my writing or podcasts useful, please would you consider forwarding this email or podcast to someone you know who might be interested? Or liking, sharing, or commenting if you read it on the Substack app?My agent is approaching publishers in the next month or two, so your help would be SO appreciated. 😊 Thank you so much!These other podcasts cover related topics:Notes“We detected decreased rates of peanut or any IgE-FA in the period following the publication of early introduction guidelines and addendum guidelines. Our results are supportive of the intended effect of these landmark public health recommendations.” https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/156/5/e2024070516/204636/Guidelines-for-Early-Food-Introduction-andTelomeres and extracurricular physical activity: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-025-04445-8 Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent papers on crooked teeth in the Amazon rainforest and on how plastics affect children’s health in adulthood. We then explore open-mouth posture in children - what it is, why it’s a problem, and what we can do to help them keep their mouth closed. Finally, Greg gives his perspective on how he models assessing and mitigating risk for his children.For more information on helping children keep their mouths closed, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/how-to-help-children-keep-their-mouths For more information on why children start to hold their mouths open, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/breathtakingFor more information on why we don’t sleep with mattresses, try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/sleeping-like-a-logTopics covered* What do the indigenous people of the Amazon have to teach us about the etiology of dental malocclusion?* How are plastics driving a health crisis?* Why shouldn’t children hold their mouths open?* What can we do to help them keep their mouths closed?* How can we better manage the risks of ‘risky play’?These other podcast episodes cover overlapping topicsNotesWhat do the indigenous people of the Amazon have to teach us about the etiology of dental malocclusion? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1073874625000635Lancet article on plastics and child development: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(25)00212-3/abstractThanks for reading Growing up WEIRD! Subscribe for free for a weekly dose of information on raising children for better long-term health. Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how breast milk varies during the day, how breastfeeding affects the milk microbiome, and how the age at which a child gets their first smartphone influences their later mental health. We then discuss disgust - what it is, why it’s good, and when it can be bad. We talk about how we can help children set up healthy levels of disgust. Finally, we talk about how the age at which a child walks affects their long-term hip health.For more information on setting children up for a healthy level of disgust - try this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/should-we-avoid-disgusting-childrenThis episode mentions these articles:It also mentions Greg’s beautiful-bug Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgregdickens/Topics covered* How does breast milk vary over the day?* How does the age at which a child gets a smartphone influence their mental health? * What is disgust and why is it needed?* How can we set children up for healthy levels of disgust?* How does the age at which a child walks affect their hip development?These other podcast episodes cover overlapping topicsNotesDay/night fluctuations of breast milk bioactive factors and microbiome: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1618784/fullFeeding Expressed Breast Milk Alters the Microbial Network of Breast Milk and Increases Breast Milk Microbiome Diversity over Time: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/1/12Protecting the Developing Mind in a Digital Age: A Global Policy Imperative: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19452829.2025.2518313#d1e383Age at Onset of Walking in Infancy Is Associated With Hip Shape in Early Old Age: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6446733/ Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how second-hand smoke affects eye development and on how child health affects later risk of many different diseases. We then talk about why our Western hamstrings (the muscles on the backs of our legs) are typically shorter and stiffer, and how we can set children up for better functioning hamstrings to help their back and knee health in adulthood. Finally, we discuss whether hot and cold water temperatures affect skin barrier function in the same way. Did you know that liking this post or leaving a comment helps it find more readers? If you are reading this as an email, there is a heart button at the top and bottom of this email. Click on it and it will take you to the Substack website where you can also leave a comment. If you are reading it online, again, just click the heart button at the top or bottom of this post. I appreciate your support so much!This episode relates to these two articles (and references are here):Topics covered* How does second-hand smoke exposure affect a child’s eye growth? [01:05]* How do seven key factors in childhood reduce an adult’s risk of disease? [05:58]* What are hamstrings and why should we care? [12:23]* How can we set children up for longer, more flexible hamstrings? [25:02]* Do hot and cold water affect the skin in the same way? [28:36]These other podcast episodes cover overlapping topics:NotesSecond-hand smoke and myopia: https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-025-03890-7Simple 7 effects on health throughout the lifespan: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038566How does water temperature affect skin barrier function? https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/2/298 Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

To doctors, a normal death is a natural one, and a normal birth is not. To veterinary surgeons, a normal birth is a natural one, and a normal death is not.When my father was dying, I was terrified. I’d never seen animals die without assistance, or without a lot of medical intervention trying to avoid it. I couldn’t understand how things could happen differently. My medical friends talked with me, and those conversations reframed my entire view. They helped me understand what was going to happen - what I could control and what I couldn’t. Their kindness and clarity helped me to make sense of an overwhelmingly difficult time.Ten years later, I had the opportunity to repay that favour.I was asked to give the speech at my college’s Medical and Veterinary Society Annual Dinner. I thought back to the conversations I’d had with my medical friends, and how much they’d influenced my views on death.I thought about the trauma that medical students see on obstetric wards throughout their training. I thought about how their time of seeing nothing but worst-case scenarios must influence their own ability to give birth years later. I thought about the fear that cause many of them feel, and how they might perpetuate that fear in their interactions with their patients throughout their career.I recognised that fear. It’s the same fear I’d felt around death. And just as they’d helped me, I thought that I could help them.I decided that the one talk I most wanted to give to the medical and veterinary society, was about exactly where vets and medics cross over, and what vets wish medics knew about birth. Normal mammalian birth.This is that talk.Fancy listening to something else? Want to learn more about birth and the challenges of birth in healthcare systems?Here are a few articles I’ve enjoyed recently:And a couple on breastfeeding Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how parental screen time affects children, on how sugar consumption influences the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and, in celebration of Fathers’ Day, some of the many ways that fathers positively influence their children. We then talk about why so many children in WEIRD cultures have flattened heads, how we can reduce the risk, and what we can do to reduce the risk of consequences if our children have flattened heads. Finally, we discuss Karen Millen’s comments on breastfeeding past the age of six months.This episode relates to this article:Topics covered* Do both active and passive parental screen time affect children in the same way? [01:23]* What’s the worst way to consume sugar? [04:00]* Why are fathers important for children? [08:50]* Why do so many children have flattened heads? [15:16]* What can we do about it? [31:15]* How about if your child already has a slightly flattened head? [35:07]* What’s the recent media hype around breastfeeding? [36:53]These other podcast episodes cover overlapping topics:NotesActive and passive parental screen time and effects on children: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2833506 Sugar consumption and type 2 diabetes risk: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831325000493#fig2Watching fathers sets men up for better romantic relationships: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/famp.12458 Academic performance related to fathers: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1086743Fathers affect the diet you aspire to: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/scschbioart/292/ SIDS risk in different ethnic groups in the UK: https://jech.bmj.com/content/jech/72/10/911.full.pdf Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe