The Wellness Scoop - Is Coffee Good for You? The AI Monk & Gut–Brain Health

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into the headlines shaping how we think about brain health, everyday habits and modern wellness. First up, we look at a major long-term study exploring tea and coffee consumption and dementia risk, and what it adds to the conversation around coffee and brain health. Then, we unpack the growing evidence linking gut health, inflammation and cognitive decline, and why what’s happening in the gut may matter more for the brain than we once thought. And finally, we turn to what’s trending in wellness, from the viral AI monk offering algorithmic calm to the resurfacing of AG1 supplement data, and what both stories reveal about trust, influence and the commodification of wellbeing online. Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. But they don't dream, read a room, rally a team, and they certainly don't have shower thoughts, pivotal hallway chats, or big ideas. People do. And people, when given the best AI platform, they're freed up to do the fulfilling work they want to do. To see how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people, visit ServiceNow.com. Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your twice weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration.

And as always, we are both here as your host. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rihanna Lambert. And after a decade in the wellness industry, we know it's overwhelming and confusing. So that's why we're here to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple, fun and personal. As always, guys, thank you for being here. It is raining again. Rie, it's rained every day. officially in the UK of 2026, we're beating every record. And I have to say, I am fed up. I'm over it. Yeah, but you've got dogs and I feel like you have to go out in the rain,

whereas, you know, I just get lazy and unhealthy. But I've just like, it's got to stop. Anyways, I imagine it's getting to you guys as well, although we have had some funny emails from our listeners in places like Australia who were like, oh, interesting, you're complaining about the cold. It's been a heat wave here. It's so hot. I'm ready for cold. So it's a good reminder of the fact we too often want what we can't have.

Well, also, that's why we're here. You can have a listen to us no matter the weather. I love it, Ray. Okay. What have we got coming up for you guys on today's show? Okay, today we have, is coffee actually good for your brain and how much is too much? What a major long-term study tells us about tea, coffee and dementia risk? Why gut health is increasingly linked to brain health. and cognitive decline, how inflammation connects the gut and the brain, and the viral AI monk that everyone's talking about and what it says about modern wellness. And finally, why older supplement data is resurfacing online and how to interpret it. So Ella, it has been an interesting week,

as we've said, but I think you've had loads of nice fun things plan for half term. Yes, I have, although I have to say I'm now like, we're recording this just before half term, so we're We're recording a little bit earlier than normal. And I am like texting my husband, nonstop weather forecasts of other places, like sunny Spain. So let's see, I'm really hoping for a last minute. Oh, last minute deal. Get away. I really am.

So let's see. I'll let you guys know if I persuade it. Fingers crossed. I know that it's probably what you all need. I mean, I would much rather go to sunny Spain right now. Anyway, everyone listening. Ella's list here looks pretty epic if you don't go. Yes, I'm planning like pottery painting, going to see old friends.

I've also decided, Rie, I'm going on a fitness journey. Yeah, Ella. I know, I'm very inspired. Rie is so consistent with her once a week to the gym. It's just once a week, guys, nothing extra. I know, but you're so good with it. And we've also talked so much on the show over the last year about how, A, a mix of exercise is so important for our health, our strength, our longevity.

We know how important, obviously, exercise is for our mental health. health and we know as well as women, particularly as we get older, that strength training is really, really important as a protective mechanism, particularly for our bones. And I'm quite lazy when it comes to exercise. I love moving my body. Like I love walking. I love yoga. Really enjoy Pilates, but I've never really done anything strength related, weights, etc. And I'm just feeling inspired and ready and I just want to feel really strong. I'm very excited, but I'm going to commit. I'm going to really commit to it over the next few months and I'm going to feel strong. Yeah, be sensible of how much you commit to and then it's more achievable. Like I'd said before, if I said twice,

I probably wouldn't have stuck with it, whereas once for me was like, I've got no excuse. So I'll let you guys know, but I'm going to, I'm going to meet some weights. I'm very excited about it. And you, Re, you've been got Fiber Festival going on. Yeah. You've got all sorts of things. I know, Fiber Festival tonight. I'll be talking out. So I'll give you all the debrief when I have I'm lecturing again at university, so I'm heading down to give a lecture for the students tomorrow at Rahampton University. What are you talking about? Take a guess.

Fiber. But also, just general, let's keep up with the end of us, what Sacken's currently saying in our world, you know, there's a lot of data that comes out that to everybody else you think, why are we discussing something that was launched like five years ago? But for us, that's the best we have. So in terms of nutritional science, you need a lot of. time of proof before you can present anything. But I booked to see Matilda the musical this half term. So that's, I'm very excited about that. I love that. And Rie, I have got a recommendation

from you fresh in as of like 10 seconds ago. And I know I shab my phone off. So really sorry about that. My mum, Camilla, we know she's our number one listener, has just said, message for Riannon on her bird song because she knows how much she's been enjoying listening to it. So her dog's called Alfie. She said, as I take Alfie out this morning, there's a really, really great free app called Merlin ID, which listens to bird songs and tells you what bird it is. I love that. Camilla, if you're listening, thank you. And also, well, I know you are listening. I saw an Instagram reel this morning of parakeets that were eating the cement mixture between this one particular house, like hundreds of them that had flocked over. And there's an interesting

thing I'm going off about birds, but they're not getting enough minerals from their diet at the moment. So they're seeking it out like they would in a jungle from mud or soil from the cement between the walls. I find birds fascinating. So before I go off on that, thank you, Camilla. That app sounds great. Merlin ID. That was, I'm going to get it as well. Okay, Ree.

What have we got in our headlines today? We've got a quick pickup, actually, didn't we? I promised you that I would bring some more information on that court case with TikTok. And what it is is basically, there's going to be a preliminary ruling by the, the European Commission on the basis that TikTok did not adequately assess how its features might harm users. And basically, the European Commission's indicated that the addictive design breaches rules protecting children and vulnerable adults, which obviously would put pressure on British regulators to act as well. So very, very interesting. But they're basically arguing that they've

broken the EU's digital services act by failing to protect users. They have failed to protect users. another clip. I mean, this is just how crazy my algorithm is, from birds eating off the cement in the wall, to a very sombering clip from somebody that was speaking about the fact children age 12 are being exposed and below to Botox online alongside not just pornography, but, you know, facial fillers and all sorts of things. So the regulation here is, it's just not acceptable. Yeah, it's interesting. And they basically highlighted the features like the Infinite Stroll, Autoplay, Push Notifications, Highly Personalised. recommender system. These are the really addictive features that haven't been adequately assessed. And wait for it. This is crazy. They've got to defend themselves now to the commission.

But they could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual turnover, which is just shy of $40 billion. That's 6%. Yeah. But look, we're going to talk interestingly later about a new report that's just come out of Harvard and a few other places, basically looking at the mechanisms of the UPF industry and likening it to the tobacco industry and basically saying, like, there are deliberate mimics of the kind of trying to hit those dopamine receptors. Essentially, it's trying to be harmful. Now, of course, that doesn't relate to all UPFs. But it is really interesting.

And I think that's exactly what we're seeing with this social media conversation of actually, are we going to see, and it's going to take a long time, but are we going to start to see legislation about things like, because, you know, when I read, didn't adequately assess them. No, they did. They did it really deliberately, not to make it harmful, but they made it really deliberately addictive. Yeah, of course it is. It triggers your brain. Yeah. So it's going to be super interesting anyway. I promised you I'd bring you that pickup. So that's what it is. We'll keep you updated. Let's hope that with that pickup that actually follows through,

my biggest fear. I also think there should be age 16, just in my opinion, it should vary across what type of app it is and what it offers. But anyway, we can go into that another time. Our headline today, our first, Ella, is three cups of tea or coffee, lowers risk of dementia by almost a fifth. And this was a large study from Harvard Union. It suggested that caffeine, which I think we have discussed before, but it has a protective effect on the brain. But it was suggested that it was about three cups being the optimum amount. I mean, I'm a coffee drinker, really is not. But I think us coffee drinkers always, like, drill to see this.

It's a bit of bias going on, I think. He did say tea as well, and I am, but I don't think it's specified with green tea, but I'm a green tea match. No, they mean black tea. Black tea, exactly. Caffeine. So here they've got 131,000 adults in America. So obviously huge sample size. And they tracked their tea and coffee consumption alongside cognitive health outcomes over an average follow-up period of 43 years.

So huge, huge period of time. And these findings were published in Jama. And essentially what they've shown is two to three cups. of coffee a day were associated with an 18% lower risk of dementia, which is obviously huge. But one to two cups of tea per day were also linked to a 16% lower risk. Good to note, drinking more than this didn't offer an additional benefit. Yeah, just a big caveat there. Eight cups won't solve it. No, I see people overdoing it in the clinic over the retreation clinic years. It's never that they're having the perfect amount. And interestingly, unfortunately,

for Sam, decaffeinated coffee showed no association. So I think the interesting thing here, so as we said on herbal teas, for example, what the benefits seems to be coming from is actually the caffeine in particular. Well, also, but then that's very interesting because you could also drink coffee according to new research for gut microbes and that still counts if it's decaf or caffeinated. So if you're drinking coffee for brain benefits, it has to have the caffeine, but if you're drinking it for the gut health benefits, then don't worry if it's decalph. for caffeinated. I think that's what we've gathered so far from speaking to different experts. That's right. Exactly. And then basically they, in the follow-up period, what they saw was that people who,

as we said, regularly consumed caffeinated coffee and tea also as well as had a reduced risk of dementia performed slightly better on memory and thinking tests than those who drank little or no caffeine. Those differences were more modest, but it's still interesting to see. Rhee, will you talk us through kind of how caffeine works? here, like what are those neuroprotective effects that scientists think might be at play? 100%. And I think sometimes as well, we have to remember that the caffeine itself may be helping with other areas of your life and that aspect of your brain too. So there's lots of things we could pull from this data. The first one is reducing inflammation in the brain.

And I think that's really interesting. And we have to remember that coffee and black tea or caffeinated tea contains polyphenols, you know, those amazing antioxidant components. So that might, of course, slow the degeneration of the brain. And when we talk about neurodegeneration, it's just over time as we age, we become less efficient how we use it. But also you can get neurodegenerative diseases, which is what we're discussing here with the links to the umbrella of dementia. You know, you can get lots of different types of conditions under that as well.

But it prevents the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain, apparently. And they're the components that are linked to dementia. we often talk about amyloid plaques and things when we're discussing things that go on in the brain. And what's really interesting is that the reduction of inflammation essentially is also good for heart health because, you know, we're increasing blood flow to the brain. And that's really, really important. I do wonder as well with this that coffee just relaxes people and maybe it's part of a habitual thing that's just really lovely when you take it. And the context and limitations, you have to remember that when data is observable, So this is observational.

And really, just to pause on there, just to clarify what that means is basically these people have been kept up with over the 40 years or so of this study. And they will be consistently filling out forms saying, what are you eating? What are you drinking? And they'll be writing it down and sharing it. Which isn't accurate all the time. Because as we know, I mean, memory recall. What did I eat yesterday? I actually do genuinely have to take a step back, Ella, and think, what did I eat yesterday?

Exactly. So it's imperfect, but it's still particularly with this. number of people over this period of time. Really interesting. Yeah, really interesting because it's a large data pool. But it's hard to prove the cause and the effect. And that is like the chicken and the egg, what came first type of thing when we're discussing these types of research studies. But what I do like to think of is that, you know, the people who drink tea or coffee, you know, they differ in their lifestyle factors. We have to remember that their overall diets, of course, potentially I'd say, are more impactful than those three cups of coffee when it

comes to supporting your brain house. Yeah, exactly. So I guess a final note on this topic. And we have actually covered this before because again, this dementia is such a prevalent challenge in our society. And therefore, it's something that's being studied in huge detail, of course, at the moment. But what we do know is that, of course, you can't guarantee to prevent dementia. But actually, lots of cases could be prevented. And where the evidence sits on that is all your classics, guys, regular physical exercise, a healthy balanced diet, maintaining healthy weight, not smoking, limiting alcohol. getting adequate sleep and obviously managing kind of blood pressure and those sorts of things. So it kind of comes back to the same pillars of health and then your three cups of coffee on top of that.

Well, nutrition is hat on now. I'm thinking, you know, sleep quality is one of the largest indicators of good health long term. And when you can't get it, Azela and I know it's very frustrating. But if you have the opportunity and you're finding you're not getting good quality sleep, that could be because the timing of your coffee too. It has a very long shelf life. And most experts say stop drinking coffee before 1, 2 o'clock. I actually go for midday in the Retrition Clinic.

But then three cups before midday, I think that is quite a lot. So you've really got to gauge it on what fits with your lifestyle and just know that having a cup of coffee can have really nice benefits for you. But try and have it in the first half of your day. Memory, one on the spot question for you. This comes up, I think, all the time, is people get nervous about coffee on an empty stomach. should you wait until you're having breakfast or after breakfast for your coffee? So we've got individual variations on the impact. Now, studies do suggest that for most people it's better to,

there's that phrase hydrate before you caffeinate, but actually coffee does technically offer hydration, but most people use it as kind of a tool to go to the toilet. You know, it helps kickstart bowel movements. I don't think there's any harm in it if it works for you, but for lots of people it induces anxiety. it kind of acts as an appetite suppressant, which isn't always healthy either, and it means you might not consume the adequate breakfast that you probably might need to do for that day.

But there's individual variations. I mean, you go to some parts of the world. That is their culture. They will wake up, have their shot of coffee and then proceed with their day. So do what works for you. Really monitor yourself. There's no right or wrong. Love that.

Fantastic. Right. Headline number two, totally different topic. And this was just an interesting angle on. an ongoing debate, which is a new study said ultra-processed foods should be treated more like cigarettes than food. UPFs are made to encourage addiction and consumption and should be regulated like tobacco. So the research is a new paper published in addiction, very apt name of the feature there, argues that ultra-processed food share key engineering strategies that were originally

developed by the tobacco industry and that we should really fundamentally see, had that UPS are classified and regulated and how we actually look at what we're doing here, the similarities between the two. And the paper was authored by researchers from Harvard, Ella, and Michigan, Duke University. But it reframes these types of foods as not being ordinary foods, but as industrial products. And that is because they are designed for us to eat loads of them. That's why, on repetition, we just want more and more. And there's a quote. Do you want to read that out? The authors wrote this. Yeah, definitely. I just, I read the paper earlier this week and I found it really interesting because obviously we've heard this before, you know, should the food industry be regulated in this way? You know, should we be treating it exactly like smoking? And is there a good example to follow? Then other people say that's way too extreme. But I think the really interesting thing here that we'll get into, and I promise I'll come to the quo, is basically this argument that actually if you start looking at, at the pattern and this argument that they've deliberately made it addictive, which I think is a great thing.

It shifts the responsibility from the individual fundamentally to the corporations and to the industry. And it creates a kind of easier foundation for legal accountability essentially. Because it's a little bit like that TikTok case that we were just talking about. It's the argument that you've actually deliberately engineered this to be harmful. Now, of course, just to be super clear before we get any further into this, UPFs exist on a continuum. a tin of tomatoes that has citric acid and is officially a UPF because it has that preservative.

It is not bad for you, just to be so, so, so clear. We're talking about Pringles here. No one wants to be binge eating or fills an addiction to baked beans or I doubt it. Yeah, we're talking about like once you pop, you can't stop kind of thing with Pringles. So just to be super, super, super clear on that

because I think that's incredibly important. It's more confectionery and fast ready meals and items. And I think that, but this is what makes it. so hard, Ella, is that because no one is universally agreeing on categorizing these foods, it makes passing any judgment on it or scientific consensus on it really difficult. A hundred percent because no one's arguing that we're trying to get, you know, people addicted to, yeah, different times. Like, you know, we talked about jarred tomato sauce the other day

in summer, have a slightly kind of... The pasta sauces. More natural ingredient deck than others. Like, you know, no one's arguing exactly. We're trying to create addiction to tomato sauce. But what the research is. said is based on this analysis, we argue that many UPS share more characteristics with cigarettes than with minimally processed fruits or vegetables and therefore warrant regulation in line with significant public health risks that they pose. As I said, I know we've talked about UPS a lot, but I just think when you've got people

at Harvard, MIT at Duke University is saying, wait a second, when we get into this, and we get into the kind of structural composition and the deliberate engineering of these foods, we think that this is much more in line with an industry like the tobacco industry that I think we can draw a broad consensus on as a pretty toxic industry than they do with actual food. It's pretty interesting. We call it hedonic hunger at university and we call it foods that are engineered with a head response rather than a stomach response. And by that in really basic terms, I mean you're not eating it because you're full or you want that satisfied feeling or you're hungry. You're eating it because you're craving it because of that reward center in your brain.

the dopamine center that's triggered when you have loads of, you know, refined, like I always use the cake as the example when we're talking about UPFs. You know, what a perfect combination or ice cream of fats and sugar combined together with carbohydrate. It's just so moorish. But I would say this, though, as well, this is what makes it so hard, is that UPFs are such broad categories and category four. So as we talk about this, think about, as I said, things like Pringles in your mind. But interestingly, what the authors are writing.

is that, you know, some of the kind of simple carbohydrates, like sucrose that are used in these, very deliberately, is with their argument, triggers dopamine responses comparable to those produced by nicotine, particularly when delivered quickly and repeatedly. It's fast food. It's like your favourite Mackey, you know, Wattsets and the king of the burgers. Exactly. And basically when they, so they talk a lot about exactly dose optimization and hedonic manipulation and essentially that these are the tools using. in this engineering, which is so mimicking the tobacco industry. And hedonic manipulation describes this deliberate engineering of taste, smell, texture, mouthfeel

to maximize pleasure while overriding natural satiety signals. And I think it's so important to highlight that. Like it is deliberately designed to this whole like once you pop, you can't stop. But it's called food science. And I think what's really interesting here is science is an amazing thing, but it's an amazing thing for things like, wow, that ice cream taste. It's amazing. It's totally fine.

You shouldn't feel any guilt or shame in wanting to consume a UPF item like ice cream. But the issue is when you've got on-the-go sandwiches for lunch that are pumped full of these extra chemicals because they want you to just consume more and more of them and they're not benefiting you. They're giving you no fibre, no nutrition. Like Ella said, it's probably pumped with extra sucrose and the ingredient deck is really long. And I think that's where the issue is, is that the confectionary items are one thing, but it's also

those in disguise as being healthy meat. meals. And I think that's where it's really deceptive for the public. There's so much nuance, isn't there? Exactly. And then the paper, it's very, very long, but it then went on to highlight how both again, the UPF food industry and the tobacco industry relied on very similar commercial strategies to increase consumption and protect profits. And in this case, it's adding sensory additives, accelerating reward delivery, expanding access across everyday environments, targeting children, adolescents, and deploying health washing claims, like when Coco Pop says, supporting your family's health, that minimise the perceived risk. And they basically argue that when you

put this all together, the practices hijack human biology, undermine individual agency and contribute substantially to chronic disease and rising health care costs, which, you know, and basically what they're saying is when you actually look at it, and as you said, which is so important, of course, we're not talking about everything that contains a single additive, like our tin tomatoes with citric acid in. But when you're looking at the kind of the confectionery-ish end of the spectrum, basically their argument is there actually UPFs are addictive. They should be considered addictive.

When you really look at the science behind it, that is what's going on. People deserve better, Ella. I think the ultimate thing is that if you are, first of all, with the word addictive, there's also a difference between, I mean, food addiction is also debated because it's not the same as having an alcohol addiction for some people or one, two, smoking, so that the pathways in the brain are slightly different, but that's also heavily debated in the world of research, the word and the use of the word addictive. That was one thing. What I was going to actually say is that the people that really need this information more than

anyone else, those living on the breadline that are consuming probably the whole of their diets on UPF, the last thing they're able to think about is changing the food because they're so worried about childcare or they're worried about everything else in life. And what I hate is that this, this food industry isn't helping those people. Like you've just said, if this comes through, they have a responsibility. I can't bear it because it just upsets me that it's... But I just think it's a really helpful argument from a kind of governmental level, actually, which is basically like, again, if you can recognize this as a framework designed to create

compulsive consumption and you look at it within a framework of addiction, it shifts the focus from individual blame towards corporate accountability. and, you know, they're very clear to stress that, you know, the public health harms associated with UPS are clear, whether we're talking about addictive or not addictive, but the addictive element makes it slightly easier, essentially, to kind of regulate and go after these corporations and these companies and these products. And essentially by placing UPS within this historical context of the tobacco industry and the control that came to it, you know, they're very clear again, like reducing cigarette use still is.

recognized globally as one of the most significant public health achievements of the 20th century, but it required decades of scientific evidence, advocacy, policy reform, litigation against an incredibly powerful industry that bought back all the way. And they're saying basically it's similar patterns unfolding now with the UPFs and the food industry. The evidence of harm is accumulating. The exposure is widespread. But the regulation is just, it hasn't caught up in any shape or form. So if we can draw on what worked for tobacco, they're suggesting essentially like tools around restriction on child targeted marketing, clearer labeling, taxation, limits on availability in schools, hospitals, those sorts of settings and legal accountability.

Essentially, we should look at the same framework, which is so interesting. Anyway, it's well worth the read. I think it's definitely worth the read, everyone. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it because, like I said, I think everybody deserves access to better nutrition. so let's hope that we can try and push it. Yeah, and when people are like, oh, but you know, we shouldn't tell people what to do we shouldn't have a nanny state. It's like, yeah, but we shouldn't have large corporations that are deliberately hijacking our brains, our body, our biology in order to make us eat more of things that are fundamentally in excess.

And I really am trying to highlight in excess and in place of proper food, fundamentally very bad for our health. And it's not a choice for so many people because what I'm not. I would classify as industrialized food is the only option they have and that is the reality. So it does have to be regulated and I just think, yeah, it's not okay. But also, I hadn't seen this argument in such a way before where essentially looking at actually if you rephrase it to go away from, they're not very good for you to actually they're scientifically designed to be addictive and that that's a breach of rules essentially in the exact same argument to some extent that we've just seen with TikTok, which is why it's such an interesting parallel,

that actually becomes easier to legislate. And also to this point of this kind of huge continuum that exists of UPS, it also I would see making it easier to legislate in terms of like titric acid and tin tomatoes and baby formula on one end to, I keep saying Pringles, they're not the only offender. It's just that they have the slogan, once you pop, you can't stop, which I think is really indicative of this whole conundrum. 100%. If we just summarise the last two features, the same with TikTok,

once you pop you can't stop, they're all very much aligned. I'll tell you something where you know how I've been bricking my phone. And I'm like, it's amazing. I'm not going on social media. I forgot to do it the other night. Had my phone upstairs. What did I do? Scrolled for an hour.

Your favorite hobby. It was such a guy. The UK's favorite hobby. We love her. Except we hate it. Anyway, it was just really interesting because it just shows. It's like, I've been on such a role. I know how much better I feel.

But it's just there in front of you. And it's just too easy to do. I know. Do you know, it's very interesting. I'm back on the food subject. My friends are food lawyer, and we always talk about how difficult things are to pass through and all the loopholes. There's just so many loopholes that companies jump through and you can. And it's really interesting watching the space change. At Medcan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led full-body check-check. that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan, live well for life. Visit medcan.com

slash moments to get started. You all know me. I'm about adding more in, not cutting things out, no fads, no diets, just evidence and transparency. And right now in the UK, everyone, 96% of us, that's 96% are not getting enough fibre. 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 pre-order. I have answered every question from gut health and energy,

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a great deal of those that are beneficial may accelerate cognitive decline and fuel Alzheimer's as growing evidence links gut health to brain health fellow. I think this is so interesting. You know we spoke last week about fibre and how 80% of people thought fiber was basically just about your poo, about your digestion, and actually didn't have all the context that actually fibre is so much beyond that has this massive protective benefit.

Cancer, heart health, brain health, all of it. And toad it. And that the way it feeds the microbiome then essentially touches on literally every facet of your being. And, you know, we know therefore most people aren't clued up on that, which is no one's fault. It's just an interesting, you know, the science has come out quite fast, and education, you know, falls sorely behind that. So we know that. But I think even beyond that, actually linking your microbiome and what you make for supper with cognitive health and... How well you're going to age when you're older and thinking of every mill as protecting your brain

rather than just your aesthetic. I don't think we're talking about that. We're not that. about that huge. No, I don't think this is, so this is why this was such an interesting headline. It was a really great interview. It was an interview with a gastroenterologist, Dr. Parthinandhi, and I think he has a new book out, but he spoke really, really well about this was in the Times, this headline then came from, how inflammation doesn't cause every brain disease, and very clear on that, but it does feel many of them. Like it's really, really chronic inflammation, which is linked to this poor microbiome, really can accelerate cognitive decline. And that is just so interesting. What we know is that the indigestable carbs, so the fibre feeds the gut bugs. And in return, they give off these amazing short chain fatty acids.

It helps with the junctions in our gut, the gaps you want to keep a really good gut lining. We don't want things, toxins leaking out into our bloodstream that are going to spike inflammation. And very sadly, the Western diets in particular, as we know 60% of adults, up to 70% of children, and the highest rates in Europe consume ultra-processed foods. And when we have these diets that are low in fiber and high in UPSs, because a lot of ultra-processed foods are low in fiber because of the processing, you know, like we discussed in the previous headline, Ella, they're the ones that are high in sucrose and this magical combination of addictive kind

of properties. It just gradually harms the lining of our gut over time. And we get more leaking into our bloodstream. And I think we've totally underestimated over a period of, of time, the long term, like you said, aging effects. And I love this. I was actually speaking to the telegraph, I'll share when it's out last week, longevity, fiber and aging. And that exact link, because I feel like we know about diversity, or most of the public don't yet. But we do on this podcast, Wellness Scoopers. We know you want 30 plants a week because we know that also links to better

mental health because of certain short-chain fatty acid productions as well. And the gut and brain are constant two-way communication. This gut brain axi is so important. So I think we've gathered that as the public and lots of us hopefully listening, you'll know if you get nervous, you get butterflies in your gut. I feel like we know there's a link. But now we've got this link between looking after our gut lining and how we absorb foods and we see it a lot in the clinic. We see cases where there's reactions to foods and different things because your gut lining has been impacted either by stress or diet over a long period of time. So this is huge, Ella. and I'm writing something behind the scenes on children and mental health.

And this is just huge, so big. Yeah, it really is. And it's interesting because what they've started to see is that people with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's often have quite distinct gut microbiome profiles. And they're typically marked by lower short chain fatty acid production and higher inflammatory markers. Now, this isn't to say these are all lifestyle related and caused diseases, just to be super clear on that. But there is an interesting link that's being discovered at the moment. And research from Kings in London and European Neurology conferences are also, again, looking at this.

They're suggesting they got microbiome may influence stroke risk, neurological recovery. There's so many institutions all over the world. There's so many papers being written. There's so much research being done. But essentially, exactly, like, what you eat for supper and what you're feeding those bugs goes so far beyond your digestion or anything that's going on. We talk a lot, I think, and that's, I guess, becoming increasingly understanding. that, you know, 70% or so of our immune systems in our gut, so I've got to help is key for our immune system, but it's also key for our brain because any inflammation, etc., doesn't

stay confined to that gut area. And I think that's important to understand. It's really important to understand. One of the big things the researchers said here, Ella, which I also just want to add, is that Nandi, who's the researcher, also cautions against protein-heavy, low-fiber eating patterns. Even diets that look healthy on the surface can start. because what you're doing is starving beneficial microbes on a keto diet or high protein, you know, and stripping back carbs and not getting enough veg a day. And those sorts of things also impact hormonal changes, stress, you know, poor sleep, further strain on the microbiome.

And it's just so frustrating when we have a wellness industry that is so fixated on protein. And like I said, it has detracted. Oh, it gets me really passionate about it because I just felt it's detracted from our health overall. Oh my God, it drives me apps. Absolutely not. It's not that we're not saying protein is not important, everyone. Because, you know, when Ella and I speak about this, I know that people can get on the defensive.

We know it is. We know we need more as we age. But we're all getting it. And it's achievable to get it. It's not difficult. The problem is the rest of the plate. 100%. Have your protein, whatever form you want that to take.

But put some broccoli, some sweet potato, some lentils, some cauliflower, some shallots, etc. Whatever it is with it. And I think I just want to say one final thought on that, which actually will segue us accidentally quite nicely into what's trending is when I stayed up late scrolling the other night, I ended up on this influences page and she's beautiful. She's really beautiful. Aesthetically speaking, she's in fantastic shape. I mean, she looks amazing, right? Super amazing. I think by kind of traditional beauty standards.

Was she like 21? No, no, no. She was more like 40 or so. Oh, okay. And she went through her morning routine. It was like a solid two hours long. It was such a good watch. The morning shed. But it was such a good watch, I'm telling you. It was very engaging and entertaining. Anyways. But you look at what they eat across the day and it's very kind of carnivore and animal diet, I think as people are also calling it at the moment, which is basically like a lot of collagen, a lot of bone broths, a lot of red meat, some like blueberries here and there, a little bit of avocado, for example, maybe some raspberries, but we are super light on general kind of plants and yeah, the bulk of the fibre and anything that's in there is, yeah, like some rockets,

some avocados and blueberries done. And I just felt when I watched the end of it, like I'm always so honest and I open about this. It just is so easy to want to replicate or mimic facets of that because this person looks fantastic. And we live in a superficial society. And it's very normal to then see people like that and think, oh, well, if that's how they eat, if I eat like that, I'll probably look like that too. And it's completely normal.

And the reality is, as most people mimics that diet, they would lose a lot of weight. They would look really neat. But you are missing so many important things from your diet. And I just think it's, I'm not saying it to shame anyone. I just think it's really important to acknowledge that, like aesthetics are one thing and health is another. And yes, there is an intersection in the middle that we know like our diets can affect our skin health, etc.

Like, of course there's an intersection in the middle to some extent, same like an anti-inflammatory diet. It's great for your skin. But the intersection in the middle is quite small. And it's just so conflated, I think, when you look at kind of mass media and it's frustrating. Thank you for sharing that. I think that's really important. It's such an important reminder for all of us that. you cannot compare body aesthetics or ideals or image to health because long-term health,

how that certain individuals gut health might be in 10, 20 years. You can't measure that right now. And you don't see also the filters or the lighting or, you know, the plastic surgery or all. You know, you just don't know. Things are so deceptive these days. And there will be people that naturally will have those annoying genetics where they just look. You know, I've got it with my hair. Let's take it for that way. I've just always had really. Rapunzel hair. Rapunzel hair. Yeah, I do. I'm really lucky. It's just, it's genetic. I've never followed any specific diet and everybody has something that's unique to them. And I think it's comparison as a fief of joy, but also dangerous now for our health on social media. Yeah, exactly. So just kind of be gentle with yourself. And also I would, no one come at me for this, but I'd put a lot of money on the statement that they're not a single what I eat in a day video is true. would also do that. I would like to bet quite a bit. And I actually question the health of a lot of

the people I see doing it. And I think it's pretty obvious. You just have to turn your detective hat on. It's too curated. Loads of inspiration of recipes and ideas and all the rest of it, but don't feel you need to emulate someone else and make sure you don't get sucked into thinking, aesthetically speaking, you'll win by removing fibre from your diet because your gut will not thank you. And then your long-term health span will not thank you for that. And your cancerist. and your budget because to eat a lot of these what I eat in a days. Wow, imagine how much that costs every day of the week. So it does move us on to another level of deception, which is our trend today. What's trending in wellness. Okay, guys, if you've got your phone and you haven't

seen him, go to your Instagram and look up Yang Munus. So Y-A-N-G-G-Y-N-U-S-Munus. Right. So it's the madness of AI wellness. Now, this is the AI monk who, I'm I have to say, I'd been seeing a lot before I realized he was AI. And I thought, oh, how wise, how lovely, how inspirational to receive these quotes, you know, softly smiling Buddhist monk and saffron robes. And I see him everywhere. And he's got around two and a half million followers on Instagram. 400 million organic views, Ella, across platforms.

But he's not real. It's absolutely wild. So basically, he is, as you said, is huge. And he presents himself with this amazing authority. So there's one video. He says, I am Master Yangman, a humble Chinese healer with more than 40 years of experience. And he offers like very sage reassuring advice or say things like if you can overthink the worst, why can't you overthink the best? That is sage advice.

I love that. I mean, we love the AI monks advice. He also says like, be excited every morning because every day can be the best day of your life. I also love that. He talks about stress, he talks about emotional balance, protecting your energy, regulating cortisol, finding it in a stillness. Like it's calm, it's comforting. It's like super shareable. But it's good. I mean, I fell for him. I saw him in other places as well. I was like, oh my God, I love this. I know. And he looks. So if you look at his character, not what you call it, his features, his features. He's warm, inviting, very just unintimidating and has been designed, I think, really, really cleverly. Yeah, it's just unbelievable. But he's not real. So he's an AI generated fictional digital wellness educator. And he was created by this Israeli developer called Shalav Hany. And the scripts were written by AI. His face and background also AI generated. His voice is synthesized. The videos are all produced exactly in this AI world. And he exists across all sorts of different platforms. I've seen him on Substac. He's on TV. He's on TV. He's on TV. TikTok. He has a substack. I'm not sure if he has his own substack. Someone else might know, but I've seen his videos on there. But so this is the crazy thing, right, is that, look, there's an interesting

tale here about kind of what's real on the internet and what's not. But, you know, as we said, like his videos are kind of largely positive and... And not harmful. Well, until that content is turned into a business and our fake monk, who is not real, who's giving you AI, like chat GPT, responses sells a $99 ebook 30 day healing journey. So he's turning this like AI reassurance spiritual language into like a fully monetized product. And the creator has been. The businessman.

Yeah. Yeah. The creator has been open about this and like speaking about building his AI monk into a viral empire and using these widely available tools to kind of highly optimized emotional story and create this very viral, shareable premise that makes him huge amount of money. It sits really uncomfortably with me, the profit angle of it, because it's, it is deceptive because he's not declaring it under every single post he shares that it's an AI monk. You know, it's not obvious to people. And there will be people that will be duped, I think,

on this 100%. You know, they might be in small print. There's so much of it and people are like sharing really kind of meaningful responses about how like they're finally feeling seen or finally feeling loved. I can imagine my parents' generation that just don't understand social media sometimes in the same way. And I think it can be very, very easy to con people. This almost opens the door for conmen online. Also, while what he's doing isn't inherently bad. Exactly. It's like the videos themselves and the.

Instagram page. Like it's weird, but it's not it going viral and telling you to have a great day. It's like in and of itself really not a bad thing. I think it's just the kind of two fault, like capitalizing of people's vulnerability through an entirely fake premise and then selling them an entirely fake premise for $99 is obviously morally, wildly questionable. But I think much more than this, because I don't think anything even then to some extent you're being sold is going to be bad for you, quote and quote. It's more the kind of kind of concerned that, you know, people always say, like, don't trust things you read on the internet. And it's like, oh my gosh, how on earth could any of us ever know what to trust?

Because if we've got this AI monk, who's a master following of several million people in no time at all. You know, I feel you could create all sorts of AI characters who are selling you all sorts of nonsense. And you've got the deep fakes, you know, that I've experienced and they're still out there. You know, they're everywhere now. It's almost uncontrollable. Yeah. So I would just say in that it's, quite funny to some extent and it's quite extraordinary and in some examples it's quite impressive what

this guy's created this developer but i think it's an important note in terms of these social platforms and being super super wary of what you're engaging in because we all have your own securities we all have our hangups and to have those exploited by completely computer generated models just feels concerning and I think it's just important to like take advice from people who you know you really know they're a real person. How weird what a world do we live in where I'm like guys my advice for today on a rainy Monday morning is take advice from a real life humor. But this instills again what we discussed at the beginning with TikTok regulation and addictive content and things is that how are children that are online that you know if this

band doesn't come in meant to know what's real and what's not. Madness. Anyways. Okay, there's one more madness for today. Oh yeah, but I'm delighted about this one because I feel like I'm finally something backs what I've been saying for years. Yeah, so on our inboxes and comments questions, one of the key questions we've had really consistently over the last year since we started is tell me about greens powders, do greens powders work, shall I spend my money on them? And interestingly, this is actually, and I looked so hard, I really think this is true. This is not new data. It's actually from 2024, but there's a lot on socials right now about a kind of agey one formerly known as Athletic Greens not working. And these posts have gone

really viral. But the data they're pulling on is actually kind of 18 months old, not that hugely relevant, but just it's not a new study. It's a kind of. Yeah, it's new in terms of scientific world new. But I don't think it really hit the social algorithm in 24. And it's for some reason it's hitting it now. But basically, lots of you might have seen this circulating on socials, but essentially what it shows is that new research shows no clinical benefit of MAG1. That's a kind quote and quote from some of them. It's being shared very widely. And essentially what it's showing is there's this study, which was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, which really loves to hear. It's just gold, gold, it's just really good quality. Smaller, some size, just 30 healthy

adults, but it is a high quality way of looking at something. And these people took AG1 daily for four weeks. It showed it was safe to consume, so there's nothing to worry about there, some very small increases in certain beneficial gut bacteria. Those changes, however, were very modest and did not translate into statistically significant improvements in broader health outcomes. Essentially, there are no meaningful differences between AG1 and the placebo group in blood biomarkers, metabolic panels, lipid markers, or digestive quality of life scores. Yeah. Essentially, in research, something has to be significantly different for it to have an outcome that we can say, yes, this is a cause and an effect of any type of data pool.

And the fact that we now know that there were no biological markers in your body responding to AG1s, like compared to people that the placebo group that were effectively taking it, thinking they were taking it and the ones that did. It just goes to show what I think we've been saying is that they are so expensive, promising the earth, but there's too much packed into a green powder for it to probably have any impact in your body. The quality is questionable, obviously fiber, everything, matrix-wise, of food. And I really hope that the algorithm does kind of push it further, Ella.

Often, I wonder, it depends what's going on in the press at that time when something like this comes out when it gets picked up on. But it's having a moment. and I'm really pleased. I think the biggest disappointing thing, though, about these particular green powders is that they had such a huge marketing spend that I saw them everywhere,

even on some people that you would probably consider credible platforms that took the money for the spend. Once again, I think it goes to show integrity and trust in how confusing it can be for the public. It absolutely does. So what a place to end this episode. I know. So it was a bit heavy,

but essentially you're better off eating your apple or your pear and having your beans than taking your expensive green powder and you will see markable differences in your health and your biology if you did measure that in the same way so yeah guys thank you for listening we so appreciate it and we will see you back here on Thursday we've got lots of things coming up easy food swaps snacking smarter questions on anti-inflammatory supplements micronutrients all sorts of bits and pieces. We do. So we'll see you then. Everybody. Have a lovely week and thanks for listening. Bye.