The Wellness Scoop - Foods That Boost Your Mood, Optimal Sleep & WTF is Looksmaxxing

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

Can what you eat really shape how you feel day to day? What’s the ideal amount of sleep for long-term health? And how much of our disease risk is influenced by everyday habits? This week, we break down new research linking flavonoid-rich foods to better mood and long-term wellbeing, the optimal sleep window for supporting blood sugar control and reducing diabetes risk, and a major global study showing how lifestyle factors are shaping breast cancer rates. We also unpack the rise of looksmaxxing — the viral trend redefining self-improvement, appearance and pressure for the next generation. Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to ⁠[e-mail]⁠. Order your copy of Ella's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order your copy of Rhi's book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fibre Formula⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When WestJet first took flight in 1996, the vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion, inline skates were everywhere, and two out of three women rocked, the Rachel. While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to WestJetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at westjet.com slash 30 years. This episode is brought to you by FedEx.

These days, the power move isn't having a big moment. metallic credit card to drop on the check at a corporate launch. The real power move is leveling up your business with FedEx intelligence and accessing one of the biggest data networks powered by one of the biggest delivery networks. Level up your business with FedEx, the new power move. Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your weekly days of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're both here as your host. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Riannan Lambert and our After a decade in the wellness industry, we know how overwhelming and confusing health advice can be. And that's why we're both here for this podcast to cut through the noise and make healthier living, simple, fun and very personal.

Exactly that. And thank you guys so much for all your lovely feedback on our milestone moment of 100 episodes. You're just so nice. And it's so lovely to be part of such a supportive community. It's so flippant to say you're so nice. But there is, you know, the world today could be very... dogmatic and critical and it's just very nice to be something part of something that feels so supportive. It truly is. I feel very honoured to be a part of the Wilders Scoop community and it kind of

transcends into all our lives in different areas. You know, I'll give a talk, Ella, at a corporate office and everyone will say, oh, I listen to the Wellness Scoop and, you know, it pops up at places you least expect sometimes too, doesn't it? So Ella, what do we have coming up for everyone in today's show? We're going to be talking about Omega 3 and some positive impacts in that department. We're going to be talking some very good news about some foods that are linked to better mood, delicious foods as well and long-term happiness. We're going to be talking about the sleep sweet spot and why consistency with your bedtime matters may be more than you think and how sleep also impacts our blood, sugar control, our appetite

and our type 2 diabetes risk. The lifestyle factors that are linked now to one in four breast cancer deaths and why rates are increasing for breast cancer and young women. And then finally we promised you a deep dive on looks maxing. It gets all a little bit philosophical, if I'm honest, but we're going to look at looks maxing and the obsession with aesthetics and what that means in society today. First of all, do you have any updates for us?

How has your week been? Do you have your kitchen? No. No. Sorry to ask. No, I week has been so great. We had such, it really felt like spring this weekend. It was so warm.

It was so sunny. We moved to the. countryside at the beginning of autumn. So I feel we've loved it, but we've kind of haven't had the full advantage of living out here. And we had friends over and had lunch outside. We had lunch outside yesterday. We saw their girls' cousins. The whole thing was just like very idyllic and lovely and played tennis. It was just so nice. It was unbelievable. You played tennis. I'm so impressed. I know, it's a new hobby. Love that. Do you know, I've always liked tennis. It doesn't matter. I just figure as long as you could hit it over the net, that counts.

Exactly, and it's so fun. I do it with Matt, and it's a really fun shared hobby. So yeah, kitchen's upside down, but we're nearly there, which is the main thing. Got the girls' ballet show later today. I mean, it's a good moment, so we don't mind the kitchen's upside down. Oh, I'm so pleased for you. Do you know what? It is about appreciating those sorts of things and finding a new hobby, that's so good. I'm very impressed. I've never been a hobby girl. I love tennis. I think it's hugely underrated as a sport, but then it's just not everywhere, is it like they don't do it in schools really anymore and I think it's one of those things that should be embraced a lot more but I spent my weekend also enjoying the sunshine but making

Easter bonnets and once again like last year getting super glue stuck to my fingers I mean I should have just ordered a glue gun I saw them on Instagram this morning excellent work though thank you very much thank you I had to do my youngest one as well even though he doesn't have an Easter bonnet parade today because you know you can't give one to one and not the other as other parents will know But I do have a quick note, Ella, a very important one to share with everybody today. It's on the situation in the Antarctic because I follow Sea Shepherd very closely. And if anybody saw that documentary on Netflix a few years ago called Sea Spiracy, then you'll remember the amazing work that Sea Shepherd does.

They put their lives at risk literally every single day to fight for better equality in the ocean in terms of preventing illegal fishing, overfishing and certain areas. areas that are protected. They track down pirate vessels and this does happen. It sounds like a film. It sounds like something that's, you know, not real. Imagining Johnny Depp, sweeping it, virus the Caribbean vibes. Orlando Blum, Giro Knightley. Honestly, if you watch their Instagram, it's really emotive and very terrifying what they actually do. So I saw that they shared an update, which I'm very pleased about. They shared that Europe's largest drugstore retailer is dropping krill oil and products finally. So this drugstore is in Germany and it's called

DM droguery. Animals in the Arctic basically, things like whales, penguins, seals, they all need krill to survive. And the problem is we've been overfishing and overfaming and illegally taking krill from parts of the ocean. It's devastating the habitat. It's devastating the ecosystem around there and the balance of life already, the Antarctic's in trouble because of global warming. And essentially, we hope to see UK retailers following suit. And so, we hope to see UK retailers following suit. stopping using krill oil as a source of omega-3. And hopefully we can start all focusing more on plant-based algae and being a bit more sustainable, Ella.

I just thought it was really positive that in one of the largest drugstores in Europe, they finally banned krill oil products. It's so nice to have positive updates. And also, just worth saying, you know, the reason that fish are rich in omega-3 is they eat the algae, which is rich in omega-3. So you're kind of bypassing part of the structure if you're going straight to the algae if you're omega-3.

And it's not criticizing anyone for eating fish, but I just think sometimes that's a bit of a misnomer. It's more that we're then taking part of the food chain from the other animals. And it's more sustainable to be able to grow more algae for production of Amiga 3 than it is to take an actual species out of the food chain for other animals, especially things that are struggling already like whales and seals and places that belong there. So yeah, for sustainability reasons, like Ella said, let's try and go for our algae supplements

and let's move on to the health headlines that matter. Okay, we actually have two pickups today before we go into our headlines. So the first one, which is really lovely actually, is you remember a couple of weeks ago we were talking about the risk for cardiovascular disease and women in how actually there's a little bit of a misconception or quite a large misconception that's been going on

for a long time now that cardiovascular disease affects men more than women. And you see it even in like shows and medical dramas, there's always men having heart attacks. And I think it's obviously so important to highlight the risk for women as well. And obviously also the lifestyle changes that we can make. But interestingly, after that episode, we got contacted by the British Heart Foundation, who reached out to talk more about that risk and the link of cardiovascular disease and women. And we've got a lovely voice note from their CEO, Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, who wanted to share more about raising. that awareness around the research that the British Heart Foundation are currently doing to support

much better understanding of the way in which the disease affects women. Because interestingly, it's actually oftentimes very different to men. And as a result, the symptoms aren't always put together as being cardiovascular disease. Well, we lose estrogen through menopause or rates plummet, and that predisposes us at more risk. So let's hear what she has to say. Hello, and thank you for having me. As you discussed last week, cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of women globally, with more than 300 million people worldwide living with a heart or circulatory problem right now. And yet, in many cases, women are still not getting the diagnosis treatment or care that they need soon enough. For example, research suggests a woman

is 50% more likely than a man to receive the wrong initial diagnosis for a heart attack. And it's not just about lack of awareness, but visibility. There is still so much we don't know about cardiovascular disease in women, what science and medicine are still missing. One example is stable chest pain, otherwise known as angina. The most common cause of angina worldwide is coronary heart disease due to a blockage or narrowing in a major coronary artery. Medicine has spent decades learning to find and fix these obstructions, but each year it is estimated that two out of three women with stable angina who go to a routine heart imaging

tests called an angiogram don't have an obvious blockage in their main coronary arteries. They may be told that their arteries look normal, that their hearts look healthy, or that it might be anxiety. What they don't get is a diagnosis. What current tests are missing is that many of these women have a little known condition called a knocker, an acronym that stands for angina with no obstructive coronary arteries. For most of these women, the real problem lies in the tiniest of blood vessels in the heart, the coronary microvascularcher. And right now, those tiny blood vessels remain largely invisible on most diagnostic tests. And that means that too many women are told that their heart is fine when it's not. And research is needed to help change this

dangerous status quo for women. And that's why the British Heart Foundation is proudly supporting a $55 million global research program called Visible, led by Welcome Leap and jointly funded. by Pivotal. Its ambition is bold to increase the proportion of women with stable angina, receiving effective diagnosis and treatment for coronary microvascular disease from less than just 1% to more than 80% of women. And only by funding pioneering research like this can we dare to dream of giving the next generation of mothers, grandmothers, sisters and daughters the chance to lead longer, healthier lives. To do this, we must unlock scientific breakthroughs that build best diagnostic tools, better therapies and ultimately deliver better care for women.

Developing an understanding of cardiovascular disease in half the population is not just science. For the sake of it, it is a moral imperative. Women deserve better than being unheard and undiagnosed because women's heart health should never be an afterthought. It should be a global priority. So yeah, it's just very exciting to see the amazing research going on right now. this sense more of equality within medical research between men and women because that has been lacking, that's a fact, in the past. And we just need to do better by women in medical research. That's exciting. 100%. And then you've got another pickup here, which is quite sombering, I think,

but it does follow on from our discussion around World Obesity Day last week. That's right. And we obviously did a big section on World Obesity Day. So we, you know, we didn't want to rehash any of that. But there were some headlines around that same topic that we didn't pick up. There also a few of you sent into us and one of the headlines, this was in The Guardian, read more than 220 million children will be obese by 2040 without drastic action report warns. And this was new figures from the World Obesity Federation. And it was those figures that were suggesting that by 2040, around 227 million children between 5 and 19 worldwide will be living with obesity with more than half a billion classified as overweight. Breaks my heart,

teller. It's just, you know, children are so innocent and they don't have any say in it. Exactly. And that's exactly what the organisation's chief executive was saying and that the scale of this increase reflects a failure to take the issue seriously. It's Johanna Ralston. And she said it is not right to condemn a generation to obesity and the chronic and potentially fatal, non-communicable diseases that often go with it. And I think it's exactly what you're saying that, you know, this is an individual choice. You're looking at children here. This is the wider system, the environment, the food environment, the access to healthy food. And it just really, I think the scale of that potential challenge from a medical perspective

highlights the urgency that we all feel on this show, obviously. They've been let down. I mean, this is the problem. But it's everything, it's the nuance. It's everything we discuss on the wellness scoop. But there's largely obviously political elements to it. But, you know, we have to start looking after one another as well. I know we try to spread information.

But when you're stuck in it, it's a dark, dark place. It's so hard. And actually, one of the things that really stood out to me as well, reading up more in this is actually, unfortunately, in the UK, we're one of the worst performing countries in Europe, around 3.8 million children now have a high BMI. I know we talked last week about BMI, not always being the most useful measure. But I think when we're looking at children, it is a little bit different because you don't have the kind of rugby player challenge of extreme muscle mass very often when you're seven.

So it's a more relevant tool, I think, when we're looking at children. Yeah, 3.8 million children have a high BMI, and it's roughly double the rate in the UK of countries like France and Italy. And again, this isn't about individual blame or responsibility, but I think it just is really important that we all are collectively aware of the scale of the issue. And so when we're here kind of banging the drama of saying we've got to change the food environment, we've got to change the food system. Like we've got to change food in schools and nurseries and the way that we think and talk about food and regulation, this is why. and it's really easy to say, oh, it's a nanny state. You know, don't tell people what to do. And then you look at this.

And the same report shows that by 2040, again, just in the UK, 370,000 children could show signs of cardiovascular disease, 271,000 showing signs of hypertension. Like, to our responsibility to change the world in which these children grow up, not solely ours, but like as a collective. And I think that really stood out to me. It's very stark. And I think it also just, it's a reminder that if you're born overweight or obese, you're more likely to continue that into adulthood. And the problem is it's predisposing. If you look at it, if I take my emotions and obviously the sad angle out of it, if you look at it factually, the strain on healthcare systems from a generation of overweight or obese children as well, struggling when we've already

got declining numbers of health professionals in a system in the first place, it's going to be tough. And I think it's something we really, really need to consider because, yeah, when they're young adults, when they're aging, it's going to impact fertility. It's going to impact their health. It's going to impact everything, Ella, as they age. So not just the discomfort that they'll be in, let alone that. It's a good pick up. It's a good reminder, everybody, that we've got a fight on our hands. And it's my reminder, Ella, that children's nutrition definitely is going to be my summer focus. Let's do it. I love Marie. She's just always got like 1,0001 projects on, and it's unbelievable. Okay, headline one though today, guys, is bringing up the mood.

This is the good vibes that we all need before Easter, which is happy foods, what to eat to boost your mood. The reservings a day, the fruit habit that could boost your mood. Re, before we get into this new study, which is, as I said, very empowering and good news to listen to, can you just give us an overview, though, aside from this, on the key reasons that diet has such an impact on our mental health and our mood? 100%. And it was solidified with research that you'll find health professionals quoting all the time with the Smiles trials research that we have, that a Mediterranean diet was found to be more impactful for people with depression rather than conventional therapies. And that's research that came out, I think, in 2019. But essentially, everything we each is linked to feeding our gut bugs.

And our gut bugs in return create these wonderful components, these short chain fatty acids and play a role in our stomachs. serotonin production, which is our happy hormone. And of course, equally, the food we eat can have a devastating impact on our reward cycle because of dopamine release. We know that ultra-processed foods, for instance, can trigger havoc with our reward centres in our brain. And I think those two areas can be confused. So I just want to separate, first of all, that when we're talking about food and mood, I'm not talking about that dopamine crash and reward system, which can impact our behavior you're around food. I'm talking about our general day-to-day well-being, so how not just happy, you know, happiness isn't a permanent state, but just how level you can feel from food.

And that definitely comes from the amount of plants and fibres and polyphenols and antioxidants that we consume from food. But when we know that from discussing last year, obviously, 60% of our diet is 70 for children, perhaps that number's rising at ultra-processed foods. We're not feeding those gut bugs. We know that 4% of us are eating enough fiber in the UK. We're not feeding the gut bugs because fiber is the food that feeds the bacteria within our gut. So the food we eat has a direct impact. And then there's also a brain link. So there's a link between the foods that we eat in the omega-3s and all the different components of fatty acids, which influence the neurons and the signals in our brain.

Our brain is 60% fat. So it's really important that we look after the cell membranes, the things that surround the cell, keep everything in tight. There's so many areas that nutrition impacts mood. and I'm glad it's being taken seriously, Ella, because finally we've got some interesting studies here. We have. So we've got more to add exactly that to the data around the foods that we put into our gut and how our microbiome is and how important that is to our mood. And you guys have probably heard us talk about before the Harvard Nurses Study.

It's one of the longest running studies and it's huge. And so it's often looked at for all sorts of different bits of research. And what's happened here is that Queen's University in Belfar's, they've collaborated with the Harvard School of Public Health, looking at data from this nurse's health study, which, as I said, a very long-running U.S. cohort study began in 1976 and followed 121,000 female registered nurses between 30 and 55. So it's absolutely unbelievable. And what they were looking at here is a group of plant compounds that Rees talked to us a lot before called flavonoids. And those are foods that found in things like berries, apples, citrus fruits, tea, dark chocolate. Dark chocolate, the lovely dark chocolate.

The lovely dark chocolate. And they basically looked across 10 to 18 years of follow-up time. And what they found is that people who had higher flavonoid content in their diets, obviously reflecting a more diverse intake of plants and these flavonoid rich foods and drinks, was associated with a greater likelihood of maintaining high levels of happiness and optimism over time. There is a clear dose response relationship here when they're observed. So basically the more flavonoid-rich foods consumed, the stronger the association with mood. And the researchers did list out here that, you know, associations are driven day by day by different foods.

So look, I don't like picking on individual foods a lot of the time because things can be so variable. But I do quite like this one, Ella. They've said strawberries in particular, so berries that we love in the UK in summer. We get loads of those that grow in good value when they're in. in season. You're 16% higher to have a likelihood of sustained optimism, Ella, an 8% higher likelihood of sustained happiness of strawberries, and then the one that's slightly lower down at the bottom, so it lists all the lovely berries and oranges and apples, and then grapefruit is to just 10% higher likelihood of sustained optimism. So let's just look at it as an abundance of fresh

fruit and vegetables. Help us stay happy and we're not getting our five a day and it does makes sense. Well, that's it exactly. Higher flavonoid intake in this study was associated with three to six percent greater likelihood of sustained happiness. Overall flavonoid intake was linked to a 2 to 18 percent greater likelihood of sustained psychological well-being. Yeah, blueberries were giving a 14 percent high likelihood of sustained optimism. I mean, who doesn't want some blueberry pancakes now? 15 percent high likelihood of sustained optimism for apples. And this really said, like obviously this isn't about going to eat like 87. apples a day and like only eating apples and strawberries. But it was just this sense again that what

we eat has a big impact on how we feel. And of course, look, if you're going through, I'm not trying to be like stupidly reductive. You're going through a difficult time, you know, a couple of strawberries and a fruit salad. Like, I know it's not going to fix it. Not going to solve all your problem. Of course it's not. But equally, I think it's so easy to think these things aren't that consequential. And actually when you add all of this up and all of the research that we have about how food affects our mood and then you see here just, you know, flavonoid-rich diet again, just further boost that relationship. You know, it's amazing. But it's also what makes me sad when you look at the obesity stats we gave at the beginning with children having access to fruits and vegetables.

It is an issue in this country and it, you know, it's not happening and so many households don't even have a freezer. I was actually going to say, remember frozen berries. And that does apply to lots of people listening. but we have to remember the level of privilege or food. But how sad I think food should be. It's a human right. It's a basic human right for everybody. And, you know, flavonels are linked to so many other areas in research, Ella.

They've been linked to physical health, you know, reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline. They are so fantastic at protecting us. You know, these antioxidants. You can put antioxidants and flavonels in the same camp. They're protective. Very anti-inflammatory. anti-inflammatory as in keeping your immune system in check, helping support blood flow. I honestly just think we just need to embrace more plant foods in this country and it's very

difficult when you're banging against carnival trends online and you're seeing such dichotomies. It really is. And do you know what? One more interesting thing actually, maybe the most interesting thing to come out of this study for me was it was completely bi-directional relationship. So women who started with moderate or higher levels of happiness and optimism at the beginning of the study were more likely to sustain higher flavonoid intake over time compared to those with lower baseline well-being. And I think that's such an important point that people who were feeling good were more likely to eat well. And that's the kind of huge challenge here is it's such a cyclical relationship. And again, we're always banging on about how diet doesn't sit in isolation.

You've got to look after your stress, your relationship. your time outside, being in nature, moving your body, sleeping, managing your stress, all the rest of it. And it's because it all really matters. We talked about this recently, didn't we? Like, for so many of us, eating well is a real uphill battle. Like, it's a slog if we don't, if we don't feel good in ourselves. And when you are depressed, for instance, you're clinically depressed. It's very unlikely you're going to engage in those types of behaviours. So it really is tough. Like, how do you suddenly motivate yourself to start including these foods into the diet more. But ultimately what I think we should all definitely take from it is just we just need

to keep adding in. It's about what you add in. It's not what you take out. Let's get an abundance of polyphenols in and berries and all the yummy foods that we can. Grapes count as well. In fact, fun fact about grapes. Some of the red grapes as well have kind of the same anti-oxygen count as blueberries. But grapes weren't able to make the health claims blueberries made many years before since the guidance changed on what you can and can't say about. about food. So I see a lot of people demonising grapes. I actually made a great recipe on the gram recently. I like, because I'm fed up with people saying grapes are just... I think people say they're too high in sugar. Yeah, I mean, guys, embrace those flavanols and

your red grapes. A hundred percent. I mean, don't only eat grapes, but we kind of say same stands for everything. So yeah, just a reminder, flavonoids, they're going to boost your mood. They help make you happy in amongst many, many other things. And your top sauces, you've got all your berries, apples, pears, citrus fruits. So your oranges, lemons, grape fruits, grapes, as we said, dark chocolate, yay, but 70% plus. And tea, especially green tea, black tea, and some leafy greens and cruciferous veggies like kale and broccoli. So what a good reason to, like, make some Wimbledon-inspired strawberry dishes as we go into the summer months. Perfect. Get that frozen fruit out your freezer, everyone. And it moves us on to headline two along the sugar front. The perfect length of sleep to

avoid diabetes according to experts. So we have to remember that not getting enough sleep is also linked to insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. It's a big discussion. Yeah. And again, this is such an interesting one accidentally building on from what we were just saying, which is that it's such a nice example again of like the interconnectivity of our health and the various different habits that go into it. And you can obsessively measure your blood glucose and, you know, all the rest of it. But if you don't sleep, then it's not going to be anywhere near as effective. So it's a kind of very overlapping relationship or health. But yes, scientists say they have discovered now we're going to say quote unquote perfect because that's what all

the headlines were saying, but go with it for now. Perfect length of time to sleep to reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. This is according to a study published in the journal BMJ, Open Diabetes Research and Care. And we know, don't we read, that sleep is deeply linked to our overall health. Yes. And I just want to reiterate before we go on to discuss, because this is the particular headline that obviously type 2 diabetes is linked to so many variables and risk factors. But we're just isolating sleep here out of interest because actually a lack of sleep, not to scare other people out there, especially on shift work or like parents like Ella and I, but it does increase inflammation because we're not allowing our gut and our immune

system, the rest to repair and recover. It can increase blood pressure and stress hormones, all of which contributes to these types of chronic conditions. But there's also strong evidence that regularly sleeping less than seven hours a night is associated with a higher risk. But I want to caveat that, that you can probably offset that with other lifestyle factors. And I think they're on about chronic sleep deprivation. So that first year when you've got a newborn, it hasn't slept, that's probably had a little impact, but then we can offset it with lifestyle factors. Very reassuring me. Thank you for that. Well, I'm telling myself that I'm sure it's true. But also, you know, the other thing is that poor sleep often leads to poor appetite control.

And so you're more kind of predisposed to want to eat more and to create more kind of sugary type foods when you are under slept. That's really, really normal. Oh, 100%. Our ghrelin hormone spikes through the roof. When we haven't slept, we're not craving that healthy diet. Which is our hunger hormone. Yeah, it's a hunger hormone. And like we discussed with the flavonols before, you see how difficult it is now when you compare someone that's sleep deprived to someone who's slept well with the healthy habits they then make in their diet the next day. Yeah, exactly. So this new research is just sort of, I guess, adding to that conversation around the impact that sleep has on our health. And this is from Nantong University in China. And they were looking at

data from 23,000 adults in the US who recorded their nightly sleep and had their blood sugar levels measured as well, including a marker of insulin resistance, which is known as estimated glucose disposal rate. And what they found is a U-shaped relationship basically with sleep duration and metabolic health, meaning that both too little sleep and too much sleep, that's the interesting bit as well, were linked to worse blood sugar control and the best outcomes were somewhere in the middle of our U. So in that case here, it was around seven hours, 18 minutes per night. That was the sweet spot, as they were calling it. Interesting. I mean, that is a relief because we can't always, eight hours seems to be the magic number, but that is a recommendation from the World Health

Organization, I believe. But we are all unique as well, and there must be individual different patterns here that span into the research as well. But participants reported an average of seven and a half hours of sleep during the week and around half of them said they used catch up sleep at the weekends. Now, this is controversial, Ella, because I've also read from other sleep experts that you can't catch up with your nap or sleep at the weekend. So it's really interesting because it highlighted the impact of these irregular sleep patterns, which we must all experience from time to dime. So people who extended their sleep by a couple of hours at the weekend, the catch up, they did show worse blood sugar control, particularly if they were already getting a high.

sleep during the week. So they're definitely having too much. And the research has concluded that this catch-up sleep is only beneficial in moderation, and specifically for those that do have a massive sleep debt. So if you're like a newborn parent and you get some catch-up sleep at the weekend, it's good. But if you're not, that sleep deprived, it's not good. Yeah, it's so interesting. And I think we've seen this so many times before, haven't we, that there is so much to be said in keeping that circadian rhythm, that sleep weight cycle consistent, and how effective that is for our health. But I just, again, it's this, I think, quite intangible link between the different pillars of our health. And this kind of research is interesting at bringing that to the forefront.

I don't think you would necessarily immediately imagine that your sleep would potentially predispose an element of poor blood sugar control and therefore put you, I mean, many other things must take place as well to get type 2 diabetes, of course. But it's just a really interesting and very tangible example about the different pillars of our health and how they all interlinked. And there's no point getting so hit up about one and ignoring the other, which I think is our predisposition in the world of health and wellness. Especially of wearable tech and different programs and apps emerging everywhere. It's so easy to get really fixated on one area. Yeah, we're going to talk about that next week, actually, because there's some new research that just came out around the stress that some wearable

tech is causing, which is really interesting. Anyway, I'm going to write that out for next week. Next week or the week after, I can remember. It's coming. Let's make sure that we get that one in there because remember our gut bacteria also thrive on a circadian rhythm and that's why when we cross two different time zones or we're jet lagged, we experience digestive discomfort and bowel movement changes as well. So really, I think our bodies, we do like routine, even though we pretend we don't and we

want to change that routine and we fight against it. perhaps our health is really dependent on more frequent regular wake-ups and a set regime. It makes sense when I think of my children, Ella. You know, they're much better if they've had certain wake windows and then certain sleep windows. Exactly. And, you know, all of your endocrine system, you're, you know, which is controlling all your hormones. You know, all of that is coordinated in your circadian rhythm. So like that internal clock in your brain, don't get obsessive about it again because that's not helping anyone.

but you are very, very likely to feel much, much better if most days of the year you go to bed and wake up around the same time. At Desjardin, our business is helping yours. We are here to support your business through every stage of growth, from your first pitch to your first acquisition. Whether it's improving cash flow or exploring investment banking solutions, with Desjardin business, it's all under one roof. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us

and contact Desjardin today. We'd love to talk. Business. You don't need AI agents, which may sound weird coming from service now, the leader in AI agents. The truth is, AI agents need you. Sure, they'll process, predict, even get work done autonomously.

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just evidence and transparency. And right now in the UK, everyone, 96% of us, that's 96% are not getting enough fiber. It's one of the lowest figures in the world. and I couldn't ignore it. So we've spent years obsessing over protein and other trends and I'm delighted to share that after a year in the making, my new book, the fiber formula is available to purchase. I have answered every question from gut health and energy, cancers and heart disease to aging skin longevity and even microplastics. Built on over a decade of clinical research,

it gives you my fiber formula, 30 grams of fiber a day, 30 different plants a week, 30 chews and 30 minute meals plus 60 delicious minimally processed recipes to make it doable. I've done the hard work so the protein fiber and plant points are all laid out for you. So the fiber formula is out now everyone. If you head to the link in the show notes, you can purchase it from any bookstore or on Amazon and I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know how you get on. And it moves us on to our third headline today, which sadly, is huge and I'm sure has affected, everybody knows somebody affected, but one and four breast cancer deaths are linked to lifestyle factors such as diet. Again, important to raise, Ella,

because I don't think most people are aware your diet can impact breast cancer. And the subheader was essentially the biggest risks are, as we've discussed before, red and processed meats and smoking, researchers say as the global rates are rising. Yeah, you know what? Whenever we're putting in research and topics like this into the briefs. I always, and I think we both have this moment of like, oh gosh, you know. Hesitation. Yeah, hesitation because I don't want anyone ever to listen to anything we say and feel a sense of guilt or upset or responsibility or anything in that sense that's inherently incredibly negative. And yet, you know, I do feel on the flip side a sense of responsibility to share the information because I think, as you said, really a second ago,

like so few of us are aware of the link between so many of these different facets of health and our day-to-day decision-making. And equally, I don't want you to go around absolutely terrified of everything you eat. But equally, I do think it's important that we are aware of this and that we have a collective education around the impact of our lifestyle and our health because it's not right. And I think I feel that quite strongly that it's wrong that we have had such a shift over the last few decades, particularly over the last 20 or 30 years, in our lifestyles, in our diets, in our chronic sleep deprivation, our stress, all the rest of it.

And yet we're not necessarily aware of the impact that that has. I think you're right. So we're going to bring this article with compassion and kindness as always. And just also remember last year we discussed alcohol as an increasing risk for breast cancer. So essentially, again, living a healthy lifestyle, reducing alcohol, reducing red and processed meats. And this new global analysis was published in the Lancet Oncology. It was led by researchers at the University of Washington. It examined breast cancer cases and deaths between 1990, 2020, 23.

So we've got really recent research here. And it used data from more than 200 different countries. So we've got cultural diversity included there. And the same data set was also used to model. or projections. So they're going to predict what they think is going to happen in 2050. And it did find that 28% of all healthy years lost to breast cancer are associated with these six lifestyle factors.

So we've got red and processed meat consumption, smoking, high blood sugar, obesity, alcohol and physical inactivity. And of those, the red meat consumption had the largest impact of all of those factors, actually, which was linked to nearly 11%. of all life loss compared next to tobacco at 8%. So I think it really does reinforce Ella the need for us all to focus more on plants and fiber again and a healthy, balanced flavonol-rich diet. Everything's linking in very nicely here.

And then again, with factors like high blood sugar and obesity, I think when you look at this bit together, again, that's just reinforcing this growing understanding and re-talks about it a lot, but that metabolic health and maybe in a sec, actually, we should have a definition of what that is. I think that's something you hear about all the time. It plays a really big role, not just in breast cancer risk, but in cancer risk overall. So essentially, the metabolic health is your pathway inside your body.

And it's defined as the body's ability to efficiently convert food into energy, which maintains healthy blood sugar and blood pressure and cholesterol and waist circumference. So your foundation is to be overall well. It influences our immunity, our chronic disease risk. So how we process nutrients in our body is the indicator of our metabolic health. And that's impacted by our sleep, our diet, our activity, our stress, all the things we discuss on here. Exactly that. And so I think what they, as I understood it from reading up on this, what the authors of this research really were trying to get across as well is that this is a rising issue and the scale is growing.

it's significant. And in 2023, they're an estimated 2.3 million new breast cancer cases worldwide, and very sadly, 764,000 deaths. And this is projected, according to this data, to increase to 3.5 million cases. So that's a 1.2 million rise and 1.4 million deaths by 2050. So I think the key here is it is highlighting a really substantial future risk. if current trends continue. And breast cancer is already the leading cause of cancer death for women globally. And there are big shifts that are happening again, as we've seen and we've talked about in things like bowel cancer in younger age groups. And so while breast cancer remains more common in women over 55, the rate of breast cancer

in those age between 20 and 54 have risen by 29% since 1990. And on the flip side, rates in old women haven't changed substantially. So the huge increase in cases is actually coming from younger generations and what the suggestion here is. And it's so important to say, of course, not all cases are lifestyle related, not in any shape or form. But the concern is that the growth in this is the reason we're seeing the growth is because of changing lifestyle and environmental factors across generations. And it links to the fact that our childhood obesity rates are also rising, like we said. that those children are going to grow up more predisposed to different cancers. So that's why it's impacting younger generations because our lifestyles just are not helping.

And in the UK already, about one in seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. So it is common. And it might be one of the most research cancers, which we're grateful for. But it takes us to keep discussing this to make sure that we remember that we can do some things within our control. And that is to help spread the message that patterns over time. really do help. So essentially it highlights the significant proportion of the burden that's preventable. And that means watching your overall dietary pattern. So thinking about what we discuss on the wellness group or the fibre or the flavonels, the different plant points, can we swap that red meat for a fillet of

fish or some tofu or some beans and pulses? Then our body weight and metabolic health, this is a very emotive issue, I feel, whenever we discuss body weight. And it's not simple. We're going to discuss it later again when we move on to our trend of look maxing. But you've got to have a body that works well for you at whatever shape or size that is. Looking at your blood sugar regulation is directly correlated with your body weight as well and your dietary pattern. So just have a think. And, Marie, can I just add in there? What we're not talking about is a completely flat line. Because I think this is one of the big issues I certainly find in the blood sugar conversation is that it's really important that we, and as this illustrates, we talk about blood sugar.

sugar control. But now we've talked about it in a way where we're scared of bananas. And we've got to see where we need to actually look at it. And just to kind of explain that is that what you don't want to be having is that constant roller coaster cycle, you know, you've just had nothing to eat for a long time. And then you have, I'm just being flippant, two mars bars. And your blood sugar is going to really spike because it's a lot of sugar. You don't have much fiber or healthy fats, you know, to slow that down proteins and then it's going to crash. Yeah, I don't want you to fear fruit. So, you know, eating items like fruit that contain fructose and fibre when you eat it. Which is the gentle rise in blood sugar, right? Like a bowl of porridge with whole milk or some Greek yoga, some

almonds, some berries. It will rise a bit. That's really normal. And then it will fall slowly. What you're trying to do is like a gentle, lovely rolling waves. It doesn't need to be a flat line, but you want gentle waves, not tsunamis. Yes, gentle waves, no tsunamis. And the thing is that blood sugar is not just impacted by our diet, it's impacted by our stress levels, our cortisol response, it's impacted by our sleep, you'll have elevated levels. So it's natural that it peaks and troughs with our diet and our lifestyle factors.

But like Ella said, the tsunamis really come from poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles more so and a lot of stress than someone that's pretty regulated most of the time. Physical activity. I mean, I've been so poor at it the last few weeks. Very poor, not really walking, not really moving. And, you know, I do feel it. We all need to do a bit more there. And smoking and alcohol exposure. So again, just living your best healthy life in whatever way you possibly can. Get that little walk in. Do your fart walk after lunch or whatever it is. Your hot girl walk. Let's call it that instead. That will help. Reduce risk factors on a lighthearted note. Completely. And the co-senior author, Dr. Mary, gave a quote that is exactly that. She said, with more than a quarter of the global breast cancer burden linked to six modifiable lifestyle changes, there are tremendous opportunities to alter the trajectory of breast cancer risk for the next generation. Targeting the known risk factors through public health policies and making healthier choices more accessible

while working with individuals to take action to reduce obesity and high blood sugar is crucial to halting the rise in breast cancers worldwide. So ultimately some takeaways, I think, from the piece is that there is no single cause of cancer, especially breast cancer. Just remember that we are in control of the risk factor. So the risk factor is your lifestyle. And you can lower the risk. You can't completely say, oh, there will be people that have lived a very healthy lifestyle and will also get breast cancer. And I think it's really important to say that there are always anomalies, but you can lower your overall risk. And, you know, this has impacted me personally.

I'm sure it has lots of people. We all know someone we've sadly lost to this cancer or has it. And what we need to do is a balanced, plant forward diet, support our metabolic health and those not tsunamis, as Ella said, you want those little peaks and troughs, that little wave, get moving. And if you're smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol, I think everyone knows that's not the best decision. And now we promised you looks maxing. So we are going to dive into that for our trend.

I ended up in a hole on this a few days ago. There's a guy we're going to talk about him in a sec called clavicular. He is the biggest looks maxer influencer on the internet. I would say look him up if you can right now before we start talking about this because he kind of emulates everything about this. But he's had this huge piece in GQ in the New York Times. And clavicular is named after the clavicle. So like the sticky outy bone exactly below your shoulder.

I've always had a rather protruding clavis. It's just my genetic makeup, but I find this so bizarre. Honestly, I find the whole thing so disturbingly. Why are the New York Times profiling him? It kind of frustrates me. I don't even know where to start with this. We should talk about this now or in a minute, but just on that, this was one of my, and I'm so curious for our listeners thing when we get to the end of the segment, this is one of my big bug bears with this, okay, which is that I feel if this was a woman, then, and we are seeing this in the press a lot at the moment, there's a lot of very, very, very, very famous female celebrities who the theory goes are taking various different weight loss

of drugs and they are currently so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so thick. There is a lot of discourse online about that being a bad example, about these people, you being sharing dangerous and body ideals. This is awful. We can't return back to that. Of course, is true. There is truth elements in that as well, regardless of body's size or shape. There's so much truth in there.

But why are the women? I know. Being criticised, and they should be criticised in that sense. It is a bad example. It is a bad example. But we seem to have the men setting bad examples. They're not being praised, but they're not being... Called out.

Dismantled in that they're more kind of a curious conversation. And I find that really problematic. Men's body image has never been subjected to the same degree of scrutiny as females have done. And equally, I don't think anybody is discussing manosphere as a disorder eating pattern, whereas to me it screams it. I think this is exactly it's with women, we're looking at them saying they're terrible examples. They have eating disorders. We should not be showing this for a generation of younger women or anybody else. With men, we're like, this is quite funny what they're doing.

That's how I read the conversation going on online and in the media at the moment when we're talking about kind of females taking weight loss drugs versus men smashing parts of their face. as part looks maxing that we will come on to. It also stems into the Brian Johnson conversation. We have quite a few times on the podcast with the drive to appear. Who's the anti-aging? To be forever you full and fit. But that's very different. He's not as focused on the aesthetic goals.

He's focused on aging, whereas looks maxing. It's very focused on a stereotypical traditional image of a lean muscle maxed-out male figure. Like, oh, what do they call them? The leaders are the alphas, the alpha male. Alpha male. Exactly. So if you haven't come across it, basically looks maxing. It's this very, very fast-growing trend.

It's mainly online as these things are these days. And it's centered around as where you said, this idea that you are maximizing to a very extreme degree your physical appearance. And it's often looking at things like your jawline, eyes, skin, physique, of course, and scoring them. So you've got scores for all these different bits. and then you're maxing them. So you're trying to systematically improve these various different component parts of yourself.

How toxic. Can we just stop there? The fact you're scoring at your, but I could not even imagine. It's wild. Picking yourself apart like that must be soul destroying. It came from this manisphere conversation, which is how we got onto and we were talking about that documentary. But it's been repackaged on platforms like TikTok.

It's going to very young audiences, teenage boys. And it's weird because you have this just like, it's like so much of the. kind of wellness health industry you have what's fine you know i'm going to teach you how to go a shy your face it's a nice moment of self-care and it's it's adjacent to like obsessive compulsive disorder habits which are inherently bad for you and it's that difficult kind of for me it's that really difficult sliding scale but essentially the more i read about this you have soft maxing and hard maxing as part of looks maxing so it's a two-pronged approach so your soft maxes

is things like your skin care, grooming, posture, it's more obvious things. It's dieting, fitness, calorie control, facial tools, and, you know, like gooshar or massage or whatever. So that's more kind of normal-ish, although obviously tipping points of when it's disorder, but it's more normal self-care, maximising appearance, I would say. Then you've got hard maxing.

And this is like cosmetic procedures, so hair transplants, jaw surgery, chin implants. There's people saying they've smashed bits of their face, like to remodel, re-sculpt, oh my gosh, it's a lot. Steroids, performance enhancers, peptides. They're all about loads of peptides. We talked about this the other day, obviously, totally unregulated. Then extreme dieting and supplements, again, peptides probably come in there.

And then kind of quite experimental or unregulated different interventions. So it kind of sits similar, but not the same as that. really disordered bodybuilding camp. You know the competitions where you have to, you basically starve yourself and you work on your muscle mass to look a very lean aesthetic just for stage. And then you, some people say they can do that

without having disordered relationships. There probably are people that's quite rare. But for the majority that's very disordered. But this is like everyday life. It's not even just for a competition. This is living and breathing. This is just where you're saying, aesthetics matter above and beyond anything.

Consistently. Yeah. More than anything. And so this is the extreme end, but the extreme end, and this is also important to say, or I think it's important to say is that as we know, the way that algorithms work today, really to get pickup like Mr. Clavicular, where he's now had huge pick up. I just can't get over the name. Yeah, there was a really good episode. I think it was called like WTF is Clavicular on the rest of Entertainment, which is how I feel. first came across this a month ago or so.

And it's like if you are extreme, you do get this extraordinary pick up these days. And so the extreme that they're doing here is bone smashing. So that's deliberately hitting facial bones in attempt to change the structure of your face. And then I was looking at some of this up and I was like putting in what people were saying. Medical consensus is clear that this leads to fractures, tissue damage and scarring, not aesthetic improvements, just for a disclaimer. Invasive cosmetic procedures, as we said, like jaw surgery, facial implants,

limb lengthening surgery, some of them have done. And these are not people who need limb lengthening surgery. Because if you're an amputee, like a double amputee, a single amputee, whatever, you embark upon

different things to help that. This is not what we're talking about. This is not what we're talking about. We are talking about. This is purely to look a certain way. Yeah, this is you're a six out of ten and you need to be a ten out of ten. I mean, it's so concerning.

And what even is a ten out of ten to the person's eye? All of this as well, underneath it all, who's it for the likes and clicks online and then that doesn't actually mean anything in real life but then it's to make loads of money because then you're selling it to teenage boys like be like me look like me follow this plan to do that my boys never ever see anything like this online they're so innocent i cannot i cannot even get my head around it and also they do things like excessive chewing to alter their facial structure something called mewing which is tongue positioning to reshate the jaw

the jaw seems to be a really important part of looks maxing like having a really angular job. Google guys who've got to Google clavicular. Have you looked him up, Ray? Yes. Do you know, but in psychology, and this takes me way back to my A-levels because I picked psychology as well on my subjects, I remember looking at attraction. And we were taught this. I don't actually question why we were taught this. And apparently, women are more drawn to men with a stereotypical jawline. I don't think any of this is true. And men are more drawn to women with a heart-shaped face or around, face and that's that's psychology I can't remember the

the theorist that coined that one it's not Freud or something like that that but I remember in A-level looking at that Ella so basically they're leaning off this ancient type of kind of philosophy that all men need to look like something at a gladiator film and it's so one

dimensional isn't it because that's not one like an actual relationship it's like oh you have a nice jaw grey it's not going to sustain decades of marriage for when you're 90 years old I'm still looking at you for your amazing jawline. Like, it's just not. Oh my gosh. It's wild. So yeah, Mr. Clavicular, his real name is Braden Peters. He's American. And by his own account, he began looks maxing at 14. And he started sourcing testosterone and fat dissolving compounds online at that point. Then he used Photoshop to design a ideal version of his face, which he's now copied with all these

different interventions. He was actually expelled from college for possessing testosterone, apparently. he actually says he thinks he's likely infertile because of his prolonged steroid use and he's also talked about taking things like meth to suppress his appetite so extreme he's publicly endorsed things like bone smashing using a hammer or a fist alter bone structure I think he's had a double jaw surgery I mean it's yeah I'm not kind of here dismissing a singular person it's he's just very has become the kind of emblem of this movement but it's just so concerning this obsession with aesthetics at the cost of fertility. You know, it's sort of your genuine health. It's so worrying. It's this like self-improvement continuum that just starts to

really undermine well-being at a certain point. Look, I do not think he's somebody that deserves to be online at all, but I think he's very brave of him to speak out to say about the other areas, just to give him one little thing there. Thank you for raising that this has had long-lasting damage on your health, because the pursuit to look this way clearly isn't helping the other areas of his life. Will he actually find someone be with them if that's what he wants one day? He might not be interested in children, but that's taken away that for him potentially. But if you look at the men that were on the Louis through Manusphib documentary as well, they very much were, I don't know, they were definitely steroid on steroids.

You could tell they were probably using steroids, but I don't think they were advertising the bone crushing. and all of that's so, so extreme, but they were definitely leaning towards the kind of body muscle maximising and praying on profit and money and look at me, I look this way, therefore I am superior to anybody else because it was all about how hard they could punch this punch bag. And I think it's just obviously it's not a kind of obvious wellness scoop topic in some degree, but I just feel like it's important because ultimately

there's such adjacencies between health, wellness, self-care, aesthetics, image, and we've always seen this extraordinary overlap between what is pursuit of health and wellness for genuine, like physiological, psychological, health, balance, well-being, and what is pursuit of health and wellness for aesthetic goals? And I think for all of us, there's an element of overlap between it, you know, for sure. like I exercise because it makes me feel really good in my mind. I also like it makes me feel good in my body. Like there's, it's definitely twofold.

And I think that's the case for lots of us. But it's the level of overlap feels like it's getting more and more extreme. And I think to me that feels really worrying and such a kind of desperate need to divorce facets of it. I don't know what you think, Ray. It's just shock value here. And the deeper meaning underneath it all is that society is still, still completely image obsessed above all areas. But more than ever, because we see our image the whole time.

I mean, we're recording online today and I just stared at myself for the last 56 minutes. I'd rather know. Can I add a philosophical element that I also think how fulfilled you are as a person dictates your drive for pursuit of aesthetic entities as well. Because at such a young, tender age, you probably, you know, you probably haven't achieved things you're going to go on to achieve yet in life. And I think when there's nothing else to really focus on, but how you look as a currency to survive the modern day world,

that's really difficult. And I think that's why it does prey on younger people, particularly because of that reason, how unfulfilled a lot of those memoir in the Louis through documentary was so interesting because the money clearly wasn't buying them happiness. The only one that slightly had fulfillment was the guy with the family,

said my purposes, my kids, this lifestyle. And that was interesting to navigate. But I still, obviously, we didn't agree with all the misogynist things that he believed and said. But yeah, I think as a young teenage boy, impressionable, absolutely horrendous. Body ideals and role models are becoming fewer and fewer for the younger generations online because the sensible people are not diverse enough to cause extreme in this way to cut through to everybody anymore because the algorithms made it that way. No, of course I totally agree. And I, just as a closing thought, I really, you know, I'm on my, my Zen drive and all about my mindfulness and all the rest of it this year. But I do think in my own personal experience,

I've always struggled with self-esteem. It's something that was incredibly low as a child. In my teenage years, I was then really ill in my early 20s and any shred of self-esteem I had definitely was gone. And I think the, you know, I've tried a big career and a lot of external validation. And it didn't fix. any of it and the only thing that has completely rebuilt it is building a relationship fully with myself and that is through practices like mindfulness and meditation and they're not magic and they're not going to change anything in 24 hours because nothing can but I think it's so easy in the world we live in today and looks maxing's an extreme example of that to always

be looking for external validation and external prompts and cues and and targets and I I agree I just I think ultimately it's all quite flea. eating and ultimately the thing that's going to make you feel really happy and that has a really great impact on your overall well-being is ultimately feeling a sense of kind of purpose and peace with yourself and your life and how difficult is that to attain like ella just said she went through all of that with the business and all sorts of things but only more recently have you been able to take the time to actually look at yourself deeply on that level it's like how for so many people i just think you know we all almost need more guidance even from

a young age at school. They do do it now. Like we said, they do meditation, don't they in the classes? We need to learn how to look after ourselves and be comfortable within ourselves. And I think it's something that an element has to be taught and an element has to be discovered. Maybe. I don't know. I love it. Everyone, thank you so much for tuning in today and we cannot wait for you to join us on Thursday for our extra scoop. Bye guys. Have a lovely day. Bye.