Medical Evidence Matters with Liz Tucker

This is the second of two repeated podcasts that were aired a while ago, which are being re-released. This one with Dr Robert Lustig was particularly popular with listeners. Dr Robert Lustig argues sugar is fuelling an epidemic of chronic and metabolic disease, from diabetes and strokes, to cancer and heart disease costing hundreds of thousands of lives. He says in a view that some have seen as controversial that we need to see sugar not just as empty calories, but as a chronic, addictive toxin. In this podcast, Rob reveals just what sugar does to our bodies. And he claims that while modern medicine has been highly effective in treating acute illness, it has failed in its treatment of chronic conditions, only able to treat the symptoms rather than curing the diseases. In his words: “You can’t fix healthcare until you fix health. You can’t fix health until you fix diet. And, you can’t fix diet until you know what the hell is wrong”. Rob explains what he thinks it is essential to eat to stay healthy and contends that prevention is not just better than cure it is the cure. Dr Robert Lustig is a Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, at the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. He has written a number of best selling books about the dangers of sugar, refined carbohydrates and metabolic illness. And his research and clinical practice have focussed on childhood obesity and diabetes. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter. Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Professor Tony Avery, National Clinical Director for Prescribing for NHS England, discusses safer prescribing of medicines. He highlights the changes he would like to see to enable patients to make genuinely informed decisions, which may also sometimes mean that they decide not to go ahead with a treatment. Tony describes how he believes doctors and patients can work together on initial prescribing decisions, so that patients can be confident that the benefits of the selected approach outweigh the risks. You can find out more about this podcast on its website and if you would like to support it you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter. Medical Evidence Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Dr Kevin J. Tracey reveals the extraordinary impact the vagus nerve, which connects every organ in the body to the brain, has on our health. Kevin has been a pioneer in the use of bioelectronic devices to stimulate this nerve to treat a range of auto-immune illnesses and he is the author of a new book The Great Nerve, The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness its healing reflexes, published by Penguin Life. Patient trials have shown that remarkably, we can electrically stimulate the vagus nerve to ameliorate the symptoms of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. While Kevin is clear the treatment won’t work for everyone, for some patients the results have been truly remarkable enabling them to walk unaided again for first time in decades and get back a quality of life they thought was gone for ever. And for all of us, it now appears that lifestyle interventions such as cold showers, meditation and how we breathe, may offer critically important strategies to effectively regulating our vagus nerve and so maximises its impact on our health. You can find out more about this podcast on its website and if you would like to support it you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter. Medical Evidence Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Dr Guido Frank discusses his research in the use of ketogenic diets to treat anorexia nervosa. Although, his research is at an early stage his results appear do appear promising. Anorexia is a disease which is one of the hardest psychiatric conditions of all to treat with a depressingly high mortality rate, so this work is of huge potential interest. Up to now, there has been no effective treatment for the disease and no medication has ever been approved for it. Guido believes the critical key to treatment may lie in uncovering what happens in the brain chemistry of anorexic patients when they starve themselves. He argues by stopping eating, they actually put themselves into a ketogenic state, which calms their brain and makes them less anxious. But this has the consequence of stopping them wanting to eat again. So Guido and his team wondered what would happen if they put anorexic patients into ketosis not by starvation, but by feeding them a ketogenic diet. In an initial small study five anorexic patients who had regained weight but still had major food anxieties and concerns, were put on a ketogenic diet. Normally, in patients like this the relapse rate is around 50%, but in this case, all four patients who remained on the diet stayed healthy and the researchers also saw a dramatic reduction in their eating concerns and phobias. And Guido is now in the process of recruiting patients for a new study. So could this work offer a potentially successful approach to managing a disease which has proved so intractable to treat? If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter. Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Investigative journalist Charles Piller explains the remarkable story of fraud he has uncovered in Alzheimer’s Disease research, which he discusses in a new book: Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s. Charles argues the result of this is that Alzheimer’s research and treatment has been set by years - if not decades. He goes on to discusse the trial data on which several Alzheimer’s drugs, including Aducanumab, Lecanemab and Donanemab, were approved. Charles says the data is unconvincing and the side effects – including brain swelling and bleeding - concerning. Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s by Charles Piller is published by Icon Books. Charles Piller is an investigative journalist who works for the journal Science. His work has also been published in a number of other publications including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Charles has won a number of journalism awards for his work and is also the author of the books Gene Wars and The Fail-Safe Society. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter. Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Adam Urato, explains why he is concerned about the huge increase in medications now taken by pregnant women. A figure that has surged in the last few decades. Across the world, women are taking more drugs than ever before while pregnant. In the US, around 90% of women expecting a baby will now take some kind of medication during pregnancy Adam argues the notion a drug is safe until proved otherwise goes completely against the precautionary principle and common sense. He was one of the first doctors to highlight the risks of a synthetic hormone called Makena, which was supposed to reduce the risk of preterm birth. It was on the market for two decades, even when the evidence showed it didn’t work, it took a further four years to get it withdrawn. Today Adam is particularly concerned about the number of women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - or SSRIs for short - in pregnancy and doesn’t believe they are usually fully informed about the risk. Yet studies have shown that the medications can increase the likelihood of miscarriage, birth defects, an early birth, a low birth weight and postpartum haemorrhage. In some cases, there also appears to be a potential impact on the baby after birth. Dr Adam Urato is a board certified obstetrician and gynaecologist, who trained at Harvard Medical School and who practices in Massachusetts in the US. He has a particular interest in the risks and benefits of medications during pregnancy and has written a number of peer-reviewed papers on the topic. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Dr Bill Harris discusses the critical impact the Omega 3 fatty acids have - not just on our heart health - but on a myriad of other medical conditions. Bill was one of the earliest researchers in this field. Ever since he gave a fascinating presentation at the Integrative and Personalised Medical Congress in London last year, I’ve been really keen to get him on the podcast. In our conversation, Bill stresses why he believes the UK NHS's advice on limiting our oily fish intake is inaccurate and badly out-of-date. He reveals why getting enough Omega 3 is crucial. And in what will be a surprise to many, Bill explains that he doesn’t believe seed oils are problematic and why it is important we also get enough omega 6, which these oils contain. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

GP Dr Safia Debar discusses how we can leverage emerging knowledge of neuroscience to help us more effectively manage our stress. This is something, she has personal knowledge of after finding herself burnt out as a GP, when she turned to her first degree in neuroscience to see how it could help her rethink her approach. Safia argues it is not so much the stress that we face, but how we think about that stress and the processes that we put in place to manage it. It is now implicated in almost every disease you can think of and intriguing new research suggests that using meditation as a calming technique, doesn't just affect the mind, but can create genuine biological change, switching our genes on and off. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Dr Louise Newson, who runs a menopause clinic, discusses many of the myths about Hormone Replacement Therapy for women - or HRT for short. What are the risks? Who should take it and for how long? It's a subject which has been much misunderstood. Too frequently, women in either the years leading up to the menopause or during the menopause itself, get misdiagnosed when they go to see their GP about symptoms. That can mean they end up on antidepressants, sleeping pills and potentially a cascade of other drugs, some of which may be very difficult to stop once they start, and don’t actually treat the underlying issues caused by the menopause. Shockingly, Louise has even met women who have been given electro-convulsive therapy for their menopausal symptoms. Recently, there has also been controversy about dosage levels of HRT and why doctors like Louise sometimes prescribe higher doses of the hormone estradiol. But she argues this is because these women are poor absorbers of HRT. They need higher levels of the hormone to achieve an effective level of estradiol in their bloodstream. In a recent paper, she and colleagues explored the variation in estradiol levels in women using transdermal patches. Louise Newson's book: The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause is published by Yellow Kite. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Norwegian GP Dr Torkil Færø argues wearable devices that measure our heart rate and other health metrics, if used in the right way can be transformative in keeping us healthy and helping prevent disease in the future. In his book, The Pulse Cure, he explains why he thinks far more attention should be paid to a key metric which turns out to give a surprisingly accurate snapshot of our level of stress and overall health - and that is our heart rate variability or HRV for short. Torkil explains what it is and simple steps we can all take to improve our heart rate variability. Remarkably, it turns out that drops in our HRV may predict future illness and a higher heart rate variability has even been correlated with a better performing immune system. The Pulse Cure - The Revolutionary Way to Balance Stress, Optimise Health and Live Longer by Torkil Færø is published by Quercus. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

The idea of developing dementia is probably one of our greatest health fears. We tend to think of it as an irreversible disease that gradually robs us of our faculties. But podcast guest, psychiatrist Dr Kat Toups is one of a group of doctors and researchers who argues that certainly in its early stages, the disease is actually reversible. The mistake - she says - is to think of dementia as an illness with a sole cause and instead we need to see it as multi-system disease, which requires a coordinated approach to work out what is injuring the brain and then provide effective treatment. Toups calls her approach the three Rs: remove, replace and regenerate. So that means taking away anything causing problems; providing the nutrients and hormones to help the brain function optimally; and then using a number of neuroplasticity techniques to enable the brain to form new connections and regenerate. Patients in her latest study who have undergone her protocol have seen a remarkable improvement. Their brain scans are now showing less signs of aging than those who don’t have dementia. All of her subjects have now raised their cognitive scores into the normal range. In one case a fine artist who had had to stop painting has been able to start painting again and has even opened a new exhibition, and another patient has just started a new business. For the full details of the protocol, please click here. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Professor Sarah Berry discusses her research in personalised nutrition, which is uncovering the hugely varied effects different foods may have on one particular group or individual compared to others. This variability can be due to our genetics, metabolism or a number of other factors. This may well have important implications for what, when and how we should eat. For example, research is revealing that as we age, many of us have a worse tolerance for eating carbohydrates in the evening compared to earlier in the day. And while some blood markers have a strong genetic effect, many others can be heavily influenced and changed by lifestyle. Professor Sarah Berry is a nutrition scientist based at King’s College, London University. She has particular research interests in individualised nutrition, food and fat structure, and the metabolic changes that happen after eating. She is also the chief scientist for the nutrition company Zoe. If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

This week's guest is Dave Feldman, who unusually for this podcast is not a doctor or a medical researcher, but actually a software engineer. For a long time, there has been concern that those on a very low carb or ketogenic diet are pushing their cholesterol to very high levels. This is something that Dave experienced personally, when he noticed the amount of his so called bad cholesterol - the low density lipoprotein, known as LDL - shoot up on a keto diet. And when he found others reporting similar findings, he decided to set up an organisation called the Citizen Science Foundation to fund research to find out exactly what was happening in the particular case of people like him - what he has labelled as lean mass hyper-responders - who are slim, metabolically healthy, but see their cholesterol levels rise substantially once they are on a ketogenic diet. Perhaps surprisingly, the early results from this work, suggest that this group - contrary to what has been thought in the past - may not be endangering their health. At the very least what this research clearly demonstrates is the large gaps in our current understanding of the role of cholesterol in metabolic health. One illustration of this is an experiment carried out by one of Dave's colleagues, Nick Norwitz, who found that eating Oreo cookies while on a keto diet actually lowered his LDL cholesterol more than a statin, which I don’t think I need to add is not a recommended medical intervention! If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal. The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director. You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/