Heart UK

Maintenance Phase

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

We’re nearly halfway through Trump's second term and we still don’t have a Surgeon General. What gives?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!White House withdraws nomination of Janette NesheiwatTrump’s Surgeon General Pick Distorted Key Parts of Her Résumé Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes role at Walter Reed treating Havana SyndromeWhen Did RFK Jr Start Listening to Calley and Casey Means? What Casey Means and MAHA Want You to FearTrump’s Surgeon General Pick Is Tearing the MAHA Movement ApartTrump surgeon general pick said mushrooms helped her find loveThe Dizzying Rise of MAHA Warrior Calley MeansCasey Means Poised to Become Nation’s Top Doctor Casey Means discloses financial ties to supplement industry Laura Loomer Targets Trump’s Pick for Surgeon GeneralThe Bad Science of Good Energy Trump's Surgeon General Pick Tried to Trademark MAHA Can Trump's latest pick for surgeon general make it through confirmation?New surgeon general pick in deleted posts criticized Trump, RFK JrTrump’s pick for SG sells supplement with ingredient banned by Pentagon Trump’s new surgeon general pick deepens MAHA-MAGA riftThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Why Don't We Have a Surgeon General?

In the 1980s, a low-sodium diet was seen as the gold standard for healthy behavior. In 2026, salt has been repackaged as “electrolytes” and is now cast as a core component of wellness. How did we get here?Also, an important correction: One pound of butter to one pound of potatoes is Joel Robuchon’s recipe.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The 25 Saltiest Restaurant Meals in America Facts, Issues, and Controversies in Salt Reduction for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Salt Wars The INTERSALT Study: background, methods, findings, and implicationsSodium reductionSodium Intake Reduction: An Important But Elusive Public Health GoalEffects of Diet and Sodium IntakeSalt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease Racial and Ethnic Differences in Sodium Sources and Sodium Reduction Behaviors Among US AdultsThe Great Salt Debate: So Bad?Salt guidelines draw heavy backlashSodium Reduction in US Households’ Packaged Food and Beverage PurchasesBlood pressure lowering efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for primary hypertensionThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Salt

We're joined by Mike's If Books Could Kill co-host to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The 4-Hour BodyDoes Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called YourselfThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body" (feat. Peter Shamshiri)

What do you do when you've flamed out as a Hollywood actor, a political commentator and a wellness guru? You make a YouTube channel.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to Newsnight“Arthur” lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says star exposed himself to her Russell Brand, SeriouslyHow the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemicRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand’s fellow travellers should defend their claims in courtThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Russell Brand Part 2

Tracing the left-to-right political trajectory of the unfunniest man in British comedy.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to Newsnight“Arthur” lawsuit against BrandBBC says it received five complaints about presenterWoman says star exposed himself to her Russell Brand, SeriouslyHow the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemicRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand’s fellow travellers should defend their claims in courtThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Russell Brand Part 1

The rags-to-riches tale of how an illegal methamphetamine manufacturer became a legal methamphetamine manufacturer.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDAMad About MetabolifeStimulant Propels Diet EmpireThe dangers of the herb ephedra - Harvard Health An Historical Review of Steps and Missteps in the Discovery of Anti-Obesity Drugs Weight Loss the Herbal Way: No All-Natural Silver BulletOver-the-Counter-Strategy - The Washington Post Anxious Pill-Maker Puts ABC Interview on the WebA 'Neutral' Comment, a Company's Tough ReactionMetabolife Intern., Inc. v. Wornick (S.D. Cal. 1999) Ephedra hearings in the US House of Representatives Expert Panel Finds Flaws In Diet Pill Safety StudyLetter Urging a Criminal Investigation of Metabolife - Public Citizen Perspective; Regulation of Dietary Drugs Is Long OverdueNo Limit, for Now, on a Dieting SupplementU.S. Bans Dietary Supplement Linked to Number of DeathsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Diet Crimes of Metabolife

Once widely banned, raw milk consumption is on the rise and states are repealing their bans. No one’s happier about that than the far right. How did we get here?NOTE: In the retelling of Pasteur’s early pasteurization, Aubrey misspoke! The culprit wasn’t lactic yeast, it was lactic acid bacteria. Sorry for the slip up!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Milk!: A 10,000 Year Food FracasU.S. Consumer surveyThe Effects of Pasteurization on VitaminsLingering Heat over Pasteurized MilkHow pasteurization improves safetySwill-Milk and Infant MortalityAlta Dena (Court case 1, Court case 2, Alta Dena's raw milk history)A Raw Milk Magnate Has Spent Years Fighting Public Health AgenciesShould This Milk Be Legal?The Amish farmer who ignited outrage over raw milkWhy Are People Promoting Raw Milk? The Quest for Raw MilkSome Raw Truths About Raw MilkRight Wing Commentators Are Pushing MisinformationHow Raw Milk Went From Hippie to MAGA Here's why raw milk drinkers need to be concerned about bird fluInfluencers promote raw milk Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Raw Milk

One blogger bravely pushes back against Starbucks, Subway and basic scientific facts.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Taking On the Food Industry, One Blog Post at a TimeHow the ‘Food Babe’ Went From Obama Ally to Trump CrusaderActivist or Capitalist? How the 'Food Babe' Makes MoneyLatest Food Scare: What Is The 'Yoga Mat' Chemical - And Why Is It In Your Food? Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Should We Care? Are You Eating This Ingredient Banned All Over the World?The "Food Babe" Blogger is Full of Shit Are Microwaves Safe? Global Food Security Index 2022 Differences between EU and US nutrition labels go far beyond ounces and gramsIs Food Really Better in Europe?Vani Hari: How She Grew Her Food Blog Into An EmpireFood blogger asks Kraft to stop using dye in mac and cheeseMeet the food blogger influencing RFK Jr.Food Babe blogger Vani Hari taking heat over health science Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Food Babe

Why are you, as a man, afraid of sunflowers.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The O6-O3 ratio: A critical appraisalSeed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fatsOmega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular DiseaseDo Seed Oils Make You Sick?Seed oils: Are they healthy or harmful?ToxGuide: HexaneDietary linoleic acid intake and blood inflammatory markersEffect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid on blood inflammatory markersChanges in consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acidsThe Skinny on FatsDietary oleic acid drives obesogenic adipogenesisHow Seed Oils May Be Affecting Your Body Fat and HealthStanford nutrition expert breaks down effects of seed oilsThe Newest Bitcoin Diet Trend Is Hating ‘Seed Oils’Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Coronary Artery DiseaseThe Great Con-olaThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Seed Oils

We’re talking about our first diet MLM and IT’S A REAL DOOZY!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Herbalife: Weighty Profits and Government Probes Herbalife Exec's Death Prompts Bizarre FalloutAutopsy on Herbalife founder finds death caused by accidental overdose The Uncertain Start of a Remarkable LifeNobel Prize Winner Didn't Disclose Herbalife Contract Latinos crucial to Herbalife's financial healthLatino Group Demands Herbalife ProbeThe Big Short War The Siege of HerbalifeAfter Big Bet, Hedge Fund Pulls the Levers of PowerHerbalife Will Restructure and Pay $200 Million to Settle FTC Charges An inside look at the $200 million FTC settlement U.S. says Herbalife to pay $123.1 million to resolve China bribery case Herbalife announces new CEO to lead the L.A. nutrition companyClips!Mark Hughes' origin storySenate committee hearing Celebrity endorsementFormer Herbalife Distributors Speak OutThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Herbalife

Everyone agrees that processed foods are bad for you. When it comes to defining what they actually are, however, there is considerably less agreement. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processingUltra-Processed Foods: Definitions and Policy IssuesExamining the Nova Food Classification System and the Healthfulness of Ultra-Processed FoodsA new classification of foods based on the extent and purpose of their processingUltra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gainWhy Is the American Diet So Deadly?Ultra-processed foods and mortalityAssociation of ultra-processed food intake with risk of inflammatory bowel disease: prospective cohort studyAcademic and doctor Chris van Tulleken: ‘Ultra-processed products are food that lies to us’Food addiction: a valid concept?The study of food addiction using animal models of binge eatingObesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease: analysis of three large US prospective cohortsSugar addiction: the state of the scienceThe Plastic Chemicals Hiding in Your FoodPremature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 CountriesUltra-processed food intake and animal-based food intake Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Ultra-Processed Foods

From our Patreon feed, we're catching up with RFK Jr. and his cadre of "Make America Healthy Again" influencers.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

BONUS: MAHA's First 90 Days

Meet the tech bro on a noble quest to double his lifespan, improve his productivity and irritate his waitress.  Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Mycotoxins Myth: The Truth About Mold in Coffee Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Poisonous or Deleterious Substances in Human Food and Animal Feed  You, Only BetterFTC letter to Dave AspreyAlternative medicine fans see RFK Jr. as a hero. The field’s skeptics worry. The Bulletproof Diet is everything wrong with eating in America Bulletproof Coffee: Debunking the Hot Buttered Hype Buttered Coffee Could Make You Invincible. And This Man Very RichThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Bulletproof Diet

The places where humans live the longest are explained by traditional lifestyles, widespread incest or systematic fraud, there is no fourth option.Thanks to Catherine MacDonald for helping us research and fact-check this episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The global pattern of centenarians highlights deep problems in demographyLate-life mortality is underestimated because of data errorsSupercentenarian and remarkable age records exhibit patterns indicative of clerical errors and pension fraudDo People in ‘Blue Zones’ Actually Live Longer?They really are that old: a validation study of centenarian prevalence in OkinawaThe Real Facts Supporting Jeanne Calment as the Oldest Ever Human A Population Where Men Live As Long As Women: Villagrande Strisaili, SardiniaTypologies of Extreme Longevity Myths Sardinian dietary analysis for longevity: a review of the literatureIdentification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia islandSpecific features of the oldest old from the Longevity Blue Zones in Ikaria and SardiniaMaking the Blue Zones: Neoliberalism and nudges in public health promotionHuman longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle?Familial transmission of human longevityThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Blue Zones

Because we live in hell, here is last month's bonus episode about RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign with a new intro about what he could do at HHS. See you next year! Support the show

BONUS: What's New With RFK Jr.?

The internet gets weird investigating the "disappearance" of America's gay best friend. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Richard Simmons ShowRichard Simmons, the Original Queer EyeThe Grand Duke of Diet and the Clown Prince of Fitness The Sultan of Svelte The Deregulation Of Commercial TelevisionSimmons Says Slapping Mesa Man Was Meant as Playful Richard Simmons’ Life Was a ‘Never-Ending Work in Progress’  Richard Simmons ordered to pay $130,000 after transgender lawsuit Richard Simmons' family asks Pauly Shore to please stopPauly Shore's Richard Simmons biopic might actually be deadRichard Simmons' Death Was an 'Accident'Richard Simmons' Housekeeper of 35 Years Breaks Her SilenceHow eating disorders can damage the heart Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Richard Simmons Isn't Missing

Before building his fitness empire, America’s most bedazzled fitness guru was a guy named Milton from New Orleans. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Still Hungry...After All These Years by Richard Simmons "Hair-Do" Anatomy Asylum CommercialRichard Simmons: New Orleans's hometown heroA Speedy History of America’s Addiction to Amphetamine Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Growing Up Richard Simmons

How a mother, a daughter and a crackpot Swiss psychologist gave us the world's most popular Buzzfeed quiz.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!The Personality Brokers by Merve EmreMyers Briggs Type PreferencesWhat Personality Tests Really DeliverThe $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work Cautionary Comments Regarding the MBTIThe Barnum Effect in Personality AssessmentThe Mysterious Popularity Of The Meaningless Myers-BriggsWhy the Myers-Briggs personality test is totally meaningless Can you truly know yourself in a quiz?What You Don't Know about This Personality Test Can Hurt YouMBTI, If You Want Me Back, You Need to Change TooPersonality Tests Aren't All the Same The Utility of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Myers-Briggs Personality Test

We went a little easy on the Cass Report in our last main feed episode, so we're back to [Mortal Kombat voice] FINISH HIM!!!This was supposed to be a Patreon bonus episode but we'd rather you support the lovely trans people who helped us with the research and fact-checking of this episode! Julia Serano: https://www.patreon.com/juliaseranoParker Molloy: https://www.readtpa.com/Katelyn Burns: https://www.patreon.com/katelynburnsEvan Urquhart: https://www.assignedmedia.org/supportErin Reed: https://www.erininthemorning.com/Or organizations that work with trans youth in the UK: Gendered Intelligence: https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/Mermaids: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/Stonewall: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

BONUS: Breaking Down The Latest Anti-Trans Victory Lap

Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart, Parker Molloy and Katelyn Burns for fact-checking!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"The "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" Controversy at AACAP's Annual MeetingMethodological Critique Of The Cass ReviewMethodological Critique of Littman (2018) Parent reports of adolescents and young adults perceived to show signs of a rapid onset of gender dysphoriaA critical commentary on ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’.Foundations Of The Contemporary Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience NetworkRapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1,655 Possible CasesOpinion: England's Anti-Trans Cass Review Is Politics Disguised As ScienceTavistock v BellActually Nothing: The Non-Starter Non-Story of the WPATH FilesAs anti-trans legislation proliferates in 2024, community fears erasure from public viewStates Passed a Record Number of Transgender Laws. Here’s What They Say.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 2: Panic! At The Endocrinologist.

Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart and Parker Molloy for fact-checking!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being?Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming CareFresh trans myths of 2017: “rapid onset gender dysphoria”Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Young Adults: a Descriptive StudyThe Detransitioners: They Were Transgender, Until They Weren'tHow the idea of a “transgender contagion” went viral—and caused untold harmMental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care'Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria' Is Biased Junk ScienceA careful step into a field of landminesDetransition, Desistance, and Disinformation: A Guide for Understanding Transgender Children Debates Recognizing and responding to misleading trans health researchThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 1: The Cooties Theory of Transgender Identity

In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver made a big splash with his work reforming kids’ meals in the UK and US. Was his work wicked slammin’, or just proper rustic?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!BBC Profile - Jamie OliverJamie Oliver Puts America's Diet on a DietAll The Times Jamie Oliver Made Everyone AngryUnpacking School Lunch: Understanding the Hidden Politics of School FoodA brief history of school meals in the UKTurkey Twizzlers: A Complete HistoryMarcus Rashford Is Fighting the Government on Free School Meals. He’s Also Fighting Jamie Oliver’s LegacyHas Jamie Bitten off More Than He Can Chew?Jamie Oliver, you haven’t tasted real povertyJamie Oliver’s campaign against childhood obesity has classist undertonesJamie’s jerk rice is a recipe for disasterThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Jamie Oliver

What was missing from America's pandemic response? According to the internet, a sunshine vitamin, a malaria treatment and a whole lot of horse paste.Thanks to Health Nerd (Substack) for helping us fact-check this episode! And thanks to Abby Mahler (Twitter,  Tiktok) for help with the research on hydroxychloroquine! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks:How Musk Sold MAGA on HCQ Prominent Anti-Vaxxer’s Snake Oil Store Has a Propaganda OutletNine COVID-19 Myths That Just Won’t Go Away Disinformation and coronavirus     COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Discussion on Twitter   Pain in the Nation Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection? Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. Vaccines vs. vitamins: COVID misinformation roils the worlds of wellness and nutrition  A Decisive Verdict on Vitamin D Supplementation  Why were Twitter Users Obsessed with Vitamin D during the first year of the pandemic?  Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It The Truth about Vitamin D and COVID-19 The Strange and Twisted Tale of Hydroxychloroquine Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research?   Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

COVID Conspiracies

Ozempic is being hailed as “the end of the Obesity Epidemic.” This week, Mike and Aubrey dig through the sensational claims. But will they make it past the caveats?Links: How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide Ozempic and Wegovy maker courts prominent Black leaders to get Medicare's favor Insurers clamping down on doctors who prescribe Ozempic for weight lossOzempic prescriptions can be easy to get online. Its popularity for weight loss is hurting those who need it most    Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes: real-world evidence from a Mediterranean areaSemaglutide in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and ObesityReal-world weight change, adherence, and discontinuation among patients with type 2 diabetes initiating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in the UKSafety of SemaglutideSemaglutide for the treatment of overweight and obesity: A reviewOnce-Weekly Semaglutide in Adolescents with ObesitySemaglutide 2.4 mg for the Treatment of Obesity: Key Elements of the STEP Trials 1 to 5Association of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Use With Risk of Gallbladder and Biliary DiseasesReal-World Adherence and Discontinuation of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in the United StatesMedications and conditions associated with weight loss in patients prescribed semaglutide based on real-world dataThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Ozempic

How a plant-based pejorative went from an alt-right burn to a core concern of mainstream Republicans.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Joe Explains the Term "Soy Boy" to Donnell RawlingsAlex Jones Gay Bomb RantSoyboys and Sensitivity: Mocking Meat Avoidance from Punch to TwitterHow the alt-right uses milk to promote white supremacyMen's Health 2009 pieceNeither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormonesA Brief History of Conservatives Using Tofu-Eating as an InsultThe Soy Conspiracy Alex Jones’ Protegé, Paul Joseph Watson, Is About to Steal His Crackpot CrownWhy Men Think Plant-Based Meat Will Turn Them Into WomenStangle: Impossible burgers are made of what?Plant-based meat and the knock-down, drag-out fight for the American dietWhy Republicans Can’t Stop Talking About MasculinityReal American men and the liberal war on meat“The Great Replacement:” An ExplainerThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

"Soy Boys"

Join us for a 75 minute answer to a 5 word question: Is there mercury in vaccines? Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Seth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Transcript of the Simpsonwood meetingA Kennedy’s Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and FriendsImmunizations and Autism: A Review of the LiteratureCDC Studies on Thimerosal in VaccinesRFK Jr’s 2005 article on mercury and vaccinesRFK Jr.’s Inside JobVast Majority of Americans Say Benefits of Childhood Vaccines Outweigh RisksCorrecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.When Vaccine Injury Claims Go to CourtVaccine Compensation Hearing DecisionThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

RFK Jr. and The Mainstreaming Of The Anti-Vaxx Movement

A political candidate has some questions and we have some extremely obvious answers.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Eric Garcia’s “We’re Not Broken”Mike and Sarah’s episode on autism and the anti-vaxx movementSeth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Brian Deer’s “The Doctor Who Fooled the World”Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Behind The Bastards episode on smallpox anti-vaxxers RFK Jr.’s Inside JobThe Conspiracy CandidateDavid Pitts's "Jack and Lem”RFK Jr.’s autobiographyImmunizations and Autism: A Review of the LiteratureWakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulentCorrecting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine ‘facts’Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

RFK Jr. and The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement

Somehow an episode about an old-timey fitness influencer ended up being one of our most wholesome ever. We're as surprised as you are.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Pilates and the “powerhouse"Sick Architecture - Ibiayi Briggs - Body Culture and Contrology World War One: Internment centre 'will unlock' family talesThe Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates in a Prisoner of War CampThe exercise phenomenon born in a prisoner-of-war campHistory of PilatesAn Introduction to Clinical PilatesThe Fight for the Soul of Pilates Did you know Pilates was born in prison and inspired by cats? Inside The Shocking (Black) History Of Pilates Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Pilates

How a fitness influencer went from small-time scammer to one of the Internet’s leading villains. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!THIS IS DISTURBINGgoodbye for now… How Dallas-area influencer Brittany Dawn found herself at the mercy of social media's double-edged swordConversations with the Inspiring Brittany DawnInfluencer Asks Customers to Sign NDA Before RefundBrittany Dawn's archived apology videoInfluencer Called 'Scammer' for Not Providing Coaching‘You can’t cancel me’: embattled TikTok star reinvents herself as a warrior for JesusHere’s what to know about the lawsuit against Texas influencer Brittany DawnFollowers Of Christian Influencer Brittany Dawn Said They Are Angry That She Pivoted To Religion To Avoid ScrutinyFitness gurus and 'muscular Christianity': how Victorian Britain anticipated today's keep fit crazeThe Fitness-Driven Church | Christianity TodayChristian influencer Brittany Dawn defends her foster parent journey amid criticism of her past, monetized baby postsPolice Brutality Against Black Kansas City Man Caught on VideoBrittany Dawn Fitness LLC Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Brittany Dawn

We're taking a much-needed break this week so to tide you over here is one of our bonus episodes! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

BONUS: The Conservative Diet Books of Yore

The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu.  Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!"How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime Schwartz“Deadly Feasts” by Richard Rhodes "Mad Cow USA"UK Parliamentary inquiryHow The West Was Won OverTexas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsAppealOriginal LawsuitFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowHarvard Risk Assessment of Bovine Spongiform EncephalopathyMad Cow congressional hearingGAO reportThe Harvard Risk AssessmentThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Oprah v. Beef Part 2: Apocalypse Cow

On April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey did a show about mad cow disease. Six weeks later, a couple of Texas cattlemen had a cow (sorry). Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Original LawsuitAppealHow Oprah Got Sued for Dissing a BurgerTwo Degrees of Speech Protection Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions To "Veggie Libel" Laws and the Oprah TrialsHoward Lyman talkThe Unconstitutionality Of Iowa's Proposed Agricultural Food Products Act And Similar Veggie Libel LawsHow the Cows Turned MadFood Safety Vs. Promotion Of Industry: Can The USDA Protect Americans From Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Apocalypse CowGAO reportA is for Apple, Alar, and ... Alarmist?Alar Five Years LaterAuvil v. CBS 60 MinutesAlar and Apples: Newspaper Coverage of a Major Risk Issue.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Oprah v. Beef Part 1: The Rise of "Veggie Libel"

This week we're digging into the weird  history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!10,000 Steps: A Brief HistoryDo We Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day for Our Health?A Japanese first-mover in the fitness wearables raceCounting Every Step You TakeWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?McDonald's Enlists Trainer To Help Sell Its New MealGet happy with McDonald's Go Active Happy Meal for adultsMcDonald's StepometerMcDonald's pushing salads and pedometersThe fight for healthier McDonald's Happy MealsStep-It Canadian TV ad McDonald's serves up Happy Meals for grow-upsMcDonald's removes fitness tracker from Happy MealsA Very Serious Review of McDonald’s Flesh-Burning Fitness TrackerMcDonald’s quietly ended controversial program that was making parents and teachers uncomfortableWatch your step: why the 10,000 daily goal is built on bad scienceWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm than good?Why Counting Your Steps Could Make You UnhappierHow many steps are enough? Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The 10,000 Steps Myth

This week we're tackling three big ideas about sugar: It causes hyperactivity in kids, it's as addictive as cocaine and it raises blood sugar in universal, predictably spiky ways.  Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this week’s episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole SmithSugar Rush: Science, Politics and the Demonisation of Fatness by Karen ThrosbyIs sugar really as addictive as cocaine? Scientists row over effect on body and brainSugar Is Not the EnemyDr. Benjamin F. Feingold, Controversial PediatricianIs There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’?Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of ChildrenSugar and the Hyperactive ChildSome popular diets are based on this carb-rating scale. Here’s why it could be misleading.Glycemic Index: History and Clinical ApplicationGlycemic Index and Glycemic Load Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesityWhat is the glycaemic indexDon't Play a Numbers Game, Experts Say, Just Eat Your VegetablesSugar addiction: the state of the scienceThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Trouble with Sugar

A viral documentary says a "whole foods plant-based diet" will prevent heart disease and cure cancer. But once we look into the MEAT of the matter will we find factual CREAM of the crop or will we  cry FOWL? (we're so sorry)Thanks to Katherine Flegal for helping Mike with this episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof studyUnprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) ConsortiumPresent status of the aflatoxin situation in the PhilippinesThe role of natural consequences in the changing death patternsDietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A ReviewQuality of Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Total, Ischemic, and Hemorrhagic StrokeParachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trialDo We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?Observational evidence does not necessarily imply causationThe Problem with Observational Studies (Epidemiology)Vegetarian Diet Patterns and Chronic Disease Risk: What We Know and What We Don’tThe rise, the fall and the renaissance of vitamin EThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

"Forks Over Knives": Is a Vegetarian Diet Better For You?

Aubrey tells Mike about the diet that took over New York City (and its bathrooms).Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!F-Factor drama timelineWhat Is the F-Factor Diet, and Is it Safe?Tanya Zuckerbrot Sets a Weight-Loss ExampleWhat Is the F-Factor Diet? Here’s What You Need to KnowF-Factor Under Fire After TONS Of Women Come ForwardTanya Zuckerbrot and an Instagram Crusade Against the F-Factor DietDietary fiber and health outcomes: an umbrella reviewClosing America’s Fiber Intake GapF-Factor has sent legal threats and deleted Instagram commentsF-Factor Diet Allegations: What Dietitians Want You To KnowCorrecting the RecordUnpacking the F-Factor Diet DramaInsider rundown of symptoms Tanya Zuckerbrot addresses health concernsInsider rundown of workplace issues Tanya Zuckerbrot Files Lawsuit Over F-Factor Diet Criticism on InstagramTanya Zuckerbrot sues Emily Gellis in new defamation suitIn a Lawsuit, Eight Women Claim the F-Factor Diet Made Them SickSubmit concerns to F-FactorThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Instagram Fiber Feud

Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new set of guidelines for "childhood obesity." We have some comments. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks!The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines The 2007 guidelines Pros and cons of bariatric surgery in adolescents Serious Issues With the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines For Higher-Weight Children and Adolescents Semaglutide treatment for obesity in teenagers: a plain language summary of the STEP TEENS research study Patients’ views of long-term results of bariatric surgery for super-obesity: sustained effects, but continuing struggles Long-Term Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents who underwent bariatric surgery Support the show

Doctors Have a New Plan for Fat Kids

History should make you feel weird and so, apparently, should diet books. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks!Elizabeth Takes OffElizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth Taylor: Diet Tips on How to Become a Size 6Just Look at Her NowElizabeth Taylor: Born to the PurpleElizabeth Taylor: The Lost Interview Elizabeth Taylor’s Glorious ExcessElizabeth Taylor’s Astonishing Health HistoryElizabeth Taylor’s Cook Not To BlameSupport the show

Elizabeth Taylor's "Elizabeth Takes Off"

This week, we're talking about Aubrey's new book, "'You Just Need To Lose Weight' and 19 Other Myths About Fat People." And we're yelling about Piers Morgan as a little treat.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastPreorder Aubrey's book at your favorite bookstore or here:Bookshop.orgPowell's BooksBlackstone BooksBlack Pearl BooksAmazonBarnes & NobleBook DepositoryAudible (audiobook)Libro.fm (audiobook)Support the show

“Glorifying Obesity” And Other Myths About Fat People

Charging disabled people more for health care is illegal. But what about ... charging non-disabled people less?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks! A Review of the U.S. Workplace Wellness Market"Wellness" Based Healthcare is a Scam2013 Rand ReportWorkplace Wellness Produces No Savings\Workplace Wellbeing Is a ScamEmployers should disband employee weight control programsUsing Incentives in Workplace Wellness ProgramsCoerced into HealthCurrent Trends in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the USThe effectiveness of worksite nutrition and physical activity interventions for controlling employee overweightManaging Manifest Diseases, But Not Health Risks, Saved PepsiCo Money Over Seven YearsThe Dubious Empirical and Legal Foundations of Workplace Wellness ProgramsToward A Critical Theory of Corporate WellnessThe development and growth of employer-provided health insuranceThe Ideological Construction Of RiskWellness Incentives In The WorkplaceA Fatter Butt Equals a Skinnier WalletThe Outcomes, Economics, and Ethics of the Workplace Wellness IndustryWhat’s Bad about Wellness? Support the show

Workplace Wellness

In the 1990s, the Food Pyramid was one of the most recognizable symbols in nutrition education. But where did it come from? Why was it created by the agriculture department? And why did it tell us to eat a whole loaf of bread every day?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks!Anna-Britt AgnsäterRounding Out the Food PyramidFood Lobbies, The Food Pyramid, and US Nutrition PolicyThe Fattening: Reassessing The Food PyramidCatering to Cows and ConsumersUS Drops New Food ChartAre Cattlemen Now Guarding the Hen House?Testing of the Food Pyramid Comes Full CircleTopping the Food PyramidFood Pyramid Replaced By 'MyPlate'Is The Food Pyramid Obsolete?Coca-Cola Funds Scientists to Shift BlameExperts Say Lobbying Skewed the US Dietary GuidelinesFood PoliticsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Food Pyramid

Mike and Aubrey introduce Mike's new show, If Books Could Kill! Find it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google and wherever else you get your podcasts. Also, don't forget to pre-order Aubrey's new book! Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreSupport the show

Bonus: Mike's New Podcast!

“Herpes is basically living the dream” — Aubrey Gordon.Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more Check out Mike's other podcast, If Books Could KillPre-order Aubrey's book!Links!Marion Nestle's "Safe Food"The vomiting, diarrhea, and gallbladder surgeries were bad enough. Daily Harvest’s alleged food poisoning victims say the startup’s response made things worseFor Now, Skip Eating Products That Contain Tara Flour, CR's Food Experts SayBill Marler’s Daily Harvest postsThe original Reddit postThe History, Politics & Perils Of The Current Food Safety ControversyFood poisoning and unsafe temperatures: Many meal kit companies aren’t FDA regulatedPublic Health and Food Safety: a Historical AssociationInvestigating Food Safety Implications Of Meal-Kit Delivery Subscription Services In TorontoVitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storageTen years post-GAO assessment, FDA remains uninformed of potentially harmful GRAS substances in foodsDaily Harvest updatesRachel Drori interviewAntioxidants in Fresh and Frozen Fruit and Vegetables: Impact Study of Varying Storage ConditionsGenerally recognized as safe (GRAS): history and descriptionThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Daily Harvest Food Poisoning Scandal

Pennsylvania listeners check your registration here!Mike and Aubrey break down the policies and promises of Dr. Oz's Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. Plus! A re-run of our complete Dr. Oz episode from last year. Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks:Transcript of the infamous Congressional hearingThe Making of Dr. OzColumbia and the Problem of Dr. OzThe FTC lawsuit against green coffee bean extract sellersThe Oz craze: The effect of pop culture media on health careThe BMJ content analysis of the Dr. Oz showAgeing, fitness and neurocognitive functionReal-world doctors fact-check Dr. Oz, and the results aren't pretty Dr. Oz may be America's most influential — and controversial — physician Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Mini-Sode: The Dr. Oz Campaign

Health claims about apple cider vinegar are everywhere. But are they true? This week, we hop into the wayback machine for the story of America's first health influencer. (That's not true, but neither is anything else in this episode.) Thanks to David Johnston for providing sources for this week’s episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks:A Longstanding Legacy of Promoting Healthy LivingAbout Paul (Internet Archive) 100 Years of Health with Patricia BraggPatricia Bragg: Born to do her father's workIn the Name of the ‘Father’ (part 2, part 3)FDA report on enforcement & complianceFTC decisions, 1941  How Americans Became Obsessed With Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Debunking the health benefits of apple cider vinegarOrlando Bloom Bonded with Katy Perry over Apple Cider Vinegar Investor group acquires Bragg Live Food ProductsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Paul Bragg & The Rise of Apple Cider Vinegar

How an early-'90s newsmagazine show convinced a generation of Americans to start drinking red wine. For the antioxidants! Special thanks to Susanne Stolpe and Alexander H. Sandtorv for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Diet and alcohol in heart disease risk: the French ParadoxAbsorption of three wine-related polyphenols in three different matrices by healthy subjectsFrom red wine to polyphenols and back: A journey through the history of the French ParadoxWine as a Biological Fluid: History, Production, and Role in Disease PreventionCardiovascular Risk Factors and Confounders Among Nondrinking and Moderate-Drinking U.S. AdultsAlcohol, Drinking Pattern, and Chronic DiseaseThe French paradox: lessons for other countriesMyocardial Infarction and Coronary Deaths in the World Health Organization MONICA ProjectCoronary heart disease in France and in Europe: Where are the facts?Wine And Juice Management And Marketing Decisions: The Case Of The French ParadoxDecline of coronary heart disease mortality is strongly effected by changing patterns of underlying causes of deathThe Medical Autopsy: Past, Present, and Dubious FutureNew dimensions in cause of death statisticsShould socioeconomic factors be considered as traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, as confounders, or as risk modifiers?Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart diseaseAlcohol, Ischemic Heart Disease, and the French Paradox Death certificates are not reliable: revivification of the autopsy Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The French Paradox

Do we even need to write a description? It's the Goopisode! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 MillionHow Gwyneth Paltrow took Goop from a homebrewed newsletter to a controversial $250 million wellness powerhouseGwyneth Paltrow Feels Good — and So Can YouIs Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP $1.6M In Debt?Goop and Condé Nast Team Up on a Magazine - The New York Times Gwyneth Paltrow didn't want Condé Nast to fact-check Goop articlesA hungry Gwyneth Paltrow fails the food-stamp challenge four days inDear Gwyneth, this is what living on food stamps really looks likeMy $29 Food Stamp Challenge & The RecipesGwyneth Paltrow's Having the Chicest Yard Sale Ever Gwyneth Paltrow says children of celebrities 'almost have to work twice as hard' once they 'unfairly' get their start in Hollywood Gwyneth Paltrow brings aerial yoga, trans talks and cryofacials to Goop health conference We Attended Gwyneth Paltrow's $500-a-Ticket Health SummitAnti-Medication Goop Summit Expert Claims AIDS Treatment Kills and GMOs Cause DepressionInside Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's Growing EmpireThe history of self-careStill Processing: We Care for Ourselves and Others in Trump’s AmericaThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Goop

This week's episode is running late so here's something to tide you over! Last year, we did an episode on Gwyneth-adjacent influencer Amanda Chantal Bacon and her wellness company, Moon Juice. This year we decided to TASTE THE DUST. This episode was originally for our Patreon supporters. Click here if you'd like to sign up!   Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

BONUS: Moon Juice Taste Test

In 1982 a murder captured America's imagination. Forty years later, two podcasts joined forces to talk about it. Hear more from Sarah at You're Wrong About and You Are Good!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Diana Trilling’s “Mrs. Harris”Shana Alexander’s “Very Much a Lady”"The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet"Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Scarsdale Diet Murder feat. Sarah Marshall

A dieting book or a how-to guide for an eating disorder? Pourquoi pas les deux ?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The By The Book episode The NYT interview with Mireille GuilianoGabrielle Deydier: what it’s like to be fat in FranceInhaling Their FoodPublishers sell snobbery by the pageChampagne and Pizza'French Women Don't Get Fat': Like Champagne for ChocolateThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

“French Women Don't Get Fat”

"Celebrity chef Pete Evans has activated his last almond with the Seven Network."Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Pete Evans on COVID-19 restrictions Pete Evans on who gets COVID Introducing the BioCharger Coronavirus treatment spruiked by chef Pete Evans criticised by health associations, to be investigated by TGA - ABC News Pete Evans' company fined for alleged COVID-19 advertising breaches | Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Pete Evans fined $80,000 by health department for alleged unlawful spruiking of devices and medicines Australian celebrity chef Pete Evans under fire for sharing views of UK conspiracy theorist David IckePete Evans' boasts he played 60 Minutes Australia like 'game of chess' Oh, for Pete's sake: The rise and fall (and possible rise) of Pete Evans Dumped by sponsors, what happens to Pete Evans now? Sonnenrad, symbol used in shooter's manifesto, explainedPete Evans Is Now Posting Neo-Nazi Symbols And The Far-Right Love ItCelebrity chef Pete Evans' Instagram account deleted for 'repeatedly sharing' Covid misinformationNeo-Nazi groups allegedly targeted celebrity chef Pete Evans before infamous black sun cartoonThe URL 'Pete Evans For Senate' redirects to unexpected webpageThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Pete Evans Part 2: COVID & Consequences

How a beloved TV chef became one of Australia's most polarizing public figures. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Going Paleo: What Prehistoric Man Actually AteThe Paleo Way (video clip) Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndromePaleo diet still lacks evidenceAtherosclerosis across 4000 years of human historyHow to Really Eat Like a Hunter-Gatherer: Why the Paleo Diet Is Half-BakedAncient leftovers show the real Paleo diet was a veggie feastExpert dismisses Pete Evans' claims that modern diet causes autism Celebrity Chef's Paleo Cookbook for Babies Delayed After Health FearsPete Evans: paleo cookbook for mums and babies under fire again AMA accuses Pete Evans of endangering lives with unscientific health advice Pete Evans provides 'evidence' for his fluoride claims Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Pete Evans Part 1: The Paleo Way

In 1998, a researcher rolled out an innovative approach to education. And in 2015, Methodology Twitter had a big fight about it. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The original 2004 paperThe 2015 re-analysisThe 2015 meta-analysisThe Tanzania dissertationDoing Good BetterWorm Wars: The AnthologyDeworming DebunkedWHO advises blanket anti-worming treatment for children despite lack of benefitDeworming Delusions? Mass Drug Administration In East African SchoolsUnderstanding Heterogeneity in the Impact of National Neglected Tropical Disease Control ProgrammesWhat Has Been Learned from the Deworming Replications: A Nonpartisan ViewMass Deworming Programs in Middle Childhood and AdolescenceIs it worth treating everyone who might get worms?New research debunks merits of global deworming programmesShould the WHO withdraw support for mass deworming?Why Don't People Take Their Medicine? Experimental Evidence from KenyaDear journalists and policymakers: What you need to know about the Worm WarsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Worm Wars

This year, the UK implemented a law requiring chain restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. Where did these policies come from? What impact do they have? And why is a Julia Roberts quote from 1990 the best way to describe them?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Calorie Labelling Regulations - GOV.UKCalorie labelling: implementation guidance - GOV.UKDo Menu Calorie Counts Actually Change How We Eat?Calorie counts on menus: What's the real impact on diners and restaurants?Court Upholds the City's Rule Requiring Some Restaurants to Post Calorie CountsMenu Labeling | Center for Science in the Public InterestMenu Labeling Requirements | FDACalorie Labeling And Food Choices: A First Look At The Effects On Low-Income People In New York CityThe influence of calorie labeling on food orders and consumption: A review of the literature - PMCChanges in Calorie Content of Menu Items at Large Chain Restaurants After Implementation of Calorie LabelsWhy Listing Calorie Counts on Menus Can Do More Harm Than GoodThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Calorie Menu Labeling

Weight loss is as simple as “calories in, calories out,” right? Or — gasp — could the reply guys be wrong!? This week, we dig in on the surprisingly complex science behind a seemingly simple calculation.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!History of the Calorie in NutritionCaloric Equivalents of Gained or Lost WeightThe Foreign Policy of the CalorieWhy the most popular rule of weight loss is completely wrongTime to Correctly Predict the Amount of Weight Loss With DietingMysteries of Weight LossThe energy balance model of obesity: beyond calories in, calories out“Calories in, calories out” and macronutrient intakeOlympians owe gold standard to a 19th-century chemistCalories on food packets are wrong—it’s time to change thatWhy Does the FDA Recommend 2,000 Calories Per Day?Who Actually Needs a 2,000 Calorie a Day Diet?The Nutrition Facts Label: Its History and UpdatesThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Trouble With Calories

This week, Mike and Aubrey take on a manual for creep behavior masquerading as a diet book. Along the way, we cover shopping guides, journalism salaries and the proper preparation of Cornish game hens. We love our curvy husbands.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!How to Take 20 Pounds Off Your Man by Kalter, Suzy: (1984) | The Book Store Suzy Kalter Gershman ObituaryThe book coverThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Diet Book Deep Dive: “How To Take 20 Pounds Off Your Man”

Debunking some of the most widely repeated myths about fat and health. Here's Mike's new video! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Zombie Statistics Spectacular!

How a liberal journalist entrenched a libertarian fantasy. Thanks to Sarah Taber for helping us with the research for this episode!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Julie Guthman's "Weighing In" Rachel Laudan's "Cooking and Empire"Heidi Zimmerman's "Caring for the Middle Class Soul"Joel Salatin’s Unsustainable MythChris Newman’s BlogEverything I Want to Do Is Racist: How America’s favorite farmer lost his way.Clean Food: If You Want to Save the World, Get Over Yourself.The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticidesGoverning food: Media, politics and pleasureMichael Pollan's Misguided Food Nostalgia A Plea for Culinary ModernismThe French Terroir Strategy, and Culinary ModernismThe Dark Side of Local Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

This week's show is still in the oven so we're releasing one of our first Patreon bonus episodes. We asked our listeners for the wildest and wackiest fad diets they've ever tried and ended up doing mini-deep dives into The Rotation Diet, The Shangri-La Diet, The Special K Diet, Bethenny Frankel's "Naturally Thin" plan and the Blood Type Diet. Enjoy, and see you next week!  Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Bonus: Fad Diets

In 2019, Jordan Peterson disappeared from public life. One year later, he re-emerged with a diagnosis, a story and no self-reflection whatsoever.Thanks to Katelyn Burns and Talia Lavin for help fact-checking this episode and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Joe Rogan Experience #1070 - Jordan PetersonWhy the Left Is So Afraid of Jordan PetersonWhen Your Psychologist Goes Viral: How Jordan Peterson’s Fame Affected His Private PracticeJordan Peterson’s Gospel of MasculinityThe Intellectual We DeserveAuditing Radicalization Pathways on YouTubeThe Left’s Contempt for Jordan Peterson Is Perfectly RationalI was Jordan Peterson’s strongest supporter. Now I think he’s dangerous.Jordan Peterson: Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of TorontoJordan Peterson & Fascist MysticismSunday Times: Unedited Interview TranscriptAlgorithmic extremism: Examining YouTube's rabbit hole of radicalizationWhat is the “lite” in “alt-lite?” The discourse of white vulnerability and dominance among YouTube’s reactionariesExposing Jordan Peterson’s Barrage of Revisionist Falsehoods About Hitler, the Holocaust and NazismSupport the show

Jordan Peterson Part 2: The Moscow Diaries

Oops all meat: How a '50s bodybuilder, a Grateful Dead roadie and an unreadable professor accidentally launched one of America's wildest fad diets. Here's Mike's "Cancel Culture" video! Note: In our discussion of Jordan Peterson’s political correctness lecture, I made a sarcastic comment about looking “slim in this dress.” After the episode came out, we started hearing from listeners that my comment reminded them of fatphobic jokes they’d heard in the past and didn’t feel consistent with the message of the show. They were right! It was a bad joke and we've removed it from the episode. We'll be discussing this and our approach to handling feedback and editing past episodes in more detail soon. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know! — MikeSupport us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Joe Rogan Experience #1070 - Jordan PetersonAtlantic article on the all-beef dietJordan Peterson, Custodian of the PatriarchyIs Jordan Peterson the stupid man's smart person?How dangerous is Jordan B. Peterson?The Intellectual We DeserveJordan Peterson & Fascist MysticismThe Pronoun WarriorJordan Peterson’s Gospel of MasculinityThe Bizarre Fad Diet Taking the Far Right by StormInside the World of the 'Bitcoin Carnivores'Human Ancestors Were Nearly All VegetariansMy carnivore diet: what I learned from eating only beef, salt and waterThe Inuit ParadoxWhy Right Wingers Are Going Crazy About MeatOwsley “The Bear” Stanley’s Active Low-Carber Forum PostsThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Jordan Peterson Part 1: The Carnivore Diet

Aubrey thought she could swear less in this week’s episode. She was wrong. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Super Size Me Trailer"Super Size Me" - CBS NewsWhere's the Beef? The Challenges of Obesity SuitsMorgan Spurlock on Sexual Misconduct Confession, 'Super Size Me 2'Former Employees Say Morgan Spurlock's Production Company Was 'Fratty Boys' Club'Food and Drug Law Journal“Cheeseburger Bill” protects food industry - The LancetMeet the science teacher who lost 60 pounds eating nothing but McDonald's three meals a dayImpressed by the demise of Supersize? Take a closer lookSupport the show

"Super Size Me"

In 2015, Belle Gibson was an Australian "eco-preneur" with a vegetarian cookbook, a blockbuster wellness app and a terminal cancer diagnosis. Today, she's one of the most hated figures in the country.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The Woman Who Fooled The WorldWhat we know about Belle GibsonThe mystery of Belle Gibson, who claimed she cured cancer with clean livingFriends and doctors raise doubts over 'Healing Belle' cancer claimsMega-blogger Belle Gibson casts doubt on her own cancer claimsMelbourne mum Belle Gibson on taking the world by storm with her app The Whole Pantry, while fighting terminal brain cancerThe Belle Gibson scandal: The rise of lifestyle gurus as micro-celebrities in low-trust societies Belle Gibson: "My lifelong struggle with the truth"Catalog of Belle’s posts and timelineBad Influencer: The Great Insta ConCosmo: An honest account of our experience with Belle GibsonJulia Watson's "Breakfast, School Run, Chemo" Support the show

"Illness Influencer" Belle Gibson

Who’s that Bond villain stroking a cat and yelling at beloved public figures? It’s Karl Lagerfeld! This week, Mike and Aubrey go in on fashion’s favorite turbo troll and his fancy, joyless diet. This episode serves four.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!:The Karl Lagerfeld DietKaiser Karl: The Life of Karl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld: My childhood was very simpleA Look Back at Designer Karl Lagerfeld’s Iconic Fashion Career in PhotosSeven of Karl Lagerfeld's most iconic momentsKarl Lagerfeld Becomes a Video-Game CharacterKarl Lagerfeld's most controversial quotes on fat womenKarl Lagerfeld's most controversial quotesKarl Lagerfeld on Adele (archived)Karl Lagerfeld’s illustration of Adolf Hitler and Angela Merkel (archived)Paris is Losing it - The New York TimesHere's What Our Nutritionist Thinks of Karl Lagerfeld's DietKarl Lagerfeld: Adele 'fat' remarks taken out of contextKarl Lagerfeld Would Marry His Cat Choupette If It Were LegalSupport the show

Diet Book Deep Dive: The Karl Lagerfeld Diet

How America's oldest fat camp — and the inspiration for Disney’s "Heavyweights" — became the symbol of a health intervention that enjoys worldwide popularity despite no evidence that it improves anyone's health. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The Epic Family Feud Behind an Iconic American Weight-Loss Camp for KidsTwo teenagers placed in foster care after weight loss plan failsCalls to set up fat camps for obese children in ScotlandChildhood obesity: are new treatment centres the solution?Weight-loss Camps and Their Effect on Childhood Obesity Psychosocial outcomes in a weight loss camp for overweight youthInside Britain’s First Ever Residential “Fat Camp” Working at Camp Shane: Employee ReviewsMissing campers, falsified documents and other issues revealed in CT weight-loss camp investigationKids Weight Loss Camp That Closed Has History of ViolationsWeighty Problems by Laura BackstromThe Actually Terrible Things that Happen at Fat CampSupport the show

Fat Camps

Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" was one of the most popular and acclaimed wellness books of 2017. There's just one problem: Much of it isn't true. Thanks to University of Ottawa Postdoctoral Fellow Dylan Smith for helping us with the research!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Walker's TED TalkAlexey's blog post: Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual ErrorsWalker’s ResponseTrouble With TEDDoes daylight savings kill people?Why We Sleep: A Tale Of Institutional FailureIs Matthew Walker’s “Why We Sleep” Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors?Up All Night: The science of sleeplessnessExploring the Necessity and Virtue of SleepWhy Do We Sleep?Siesta in Healthy Adults and Coronary Mortality in the General PopulationA Chronobiological Evaluation of the Acute Effects of Daylight Saving Time on Traffic Accident RiskHas Adult Sleep Duration Declined Over the Last 50+ Years?Americans Are Sleeping More, If Not Necessarily BetterHigh-profile sleep researcher loses paper for duplicationSupport the show

The "Sleep Loss Epidemic"

It's a sexual health episode! This week, Mike and Aubrey dive into the hotly debated medical history of vibrators and ask: who fact-checks the fact-checkers? Note: A previous version of this episode included language that referred to “the female downstairs,” implying both that gender is linked to genitals (it isn’t) and that vibrators were used primarily by cis women (they weren’t). We love our trans listeners and we don’t want to do anything that makes them feel excluded, so we’ve removed the sections where that language appeared. We'll be discussing this and our approach to handling feedback in more detail soon. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know! — MikeSupport us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel MainesBuzz by Hallie LiebermanSignior DildoHysteria! trailerVibrators had a long history as medical quackery before feminists rebranded them as sex toysA Failure of Academic Quality Control: The Technology of OrgasmHow Gosnell Duncan Changed the Sex Toy Game ForeverVictorian Doctors Didn't Treat Women With Orgasms, Say Historians (Almost) Everything You Know About the Invention of the Vibrator Is WrongSupport the show

Vibrators

For nearly four decades, Americans have heard a simple story about health, longevity and obesity. This week, we learn it's a little more complicated. Thanks to Katherine Flegal, Paul Campos, Jeff Hunger and Jason Salemi for helping us research and fact-check this episode! Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Katherine Flegal’s “The obesity wars and the education of a researcher”Walter Willett's " Evidence does not support benefit of being overweight on mortality"Flegal’s 2005 paperFlegal’s 2013 articleWillett’s 2016 meta-analysisThe infamous 2004 CDC paperFat: A Cultural History of ObesityPaul Campos's "The Obesity Myth"Walter Willett’s Food Fight           The obesity research that blew upFlawed methods and inappropriate conclusions for health policy on overweight and obesity: The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analysisDoes Body Mass Index Adequately Convey a Patient’s Mortality Risk?The Weight of Medical Authority: The Making and Unmaking of Knowledge in the Obesity EpidemicObesity: An Overblown Epidemic? Commentary: On ‘public health aspects of weight control’Obesity And Its Relation To Health And DiseaseDoes Being Overweight Really Reduce Mortality?Individual and Aggregate Years-of-life-lost Associated With Overweight and ObesitySupport the show

Is Being Fat Bad For You?

At the height of her "Murder She Wrote" fame, Angela Lansbury released a home workout video full of synth music, peach jumpsuits and ~sensuality~. This week, we’re exploring the anti-Goop-ness of Angela’s fitness book and video, "Positive Moves."!  It gets a little heavy toward the end, but we promise: No one was canceled in the making of this episode. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Positive Moves video on YouTube (cued up to “moving freely”)Positive Moves bookWhat is Gaslighting? The 1944 film Gaslight is the best explainer.Support the show

Diet Book Deep Dive: Angela Lansbury's "Positive Moves"

In the sequel (sorry) to our first installment, we take a deep dive into Rachel's wildly problematic books and deeply weird downfall. Along the way we discuss allyship etiquette, MLMs and Ronald Reagan. We remain convinced that getting matching tattoos was the right decision for us.  Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The infamous Tik TokSavy Writes Books' video essaysThe Rise & Fall of Rachel HollisThe Divine Rise of Multilevel MarketingKaitlyn Luckow's "Girl, It’s Okay To Be Dirty: A Look At Toxic Self-Help"Multilevel-marketing companies like LuLaRoe are forcing people into debt and psychological crisisJesus never called us to chase after power, money, and fame “Girl, Wash Your Face” Is A Massive Best-Seller With A Dark MessageYour Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile InsideInfluencer Rachel Hollis Is Facing Accusations She Is Plagiarizing On Her InstagramSupport the show

Rachel Hollis Part 2: Girl, Start Apologizing

Girl, stop reinforcing the status quo.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreVideos!The infamous Tik TokMomfession: I get up at 5 amThe "bikini mom" talkHow To Start A PodcastSupport the show

Rachel Hollis Part 1: Hashtag Relatable

Last year, spiritual leader Marianne Williamson made headlines when she ran for president.  But 10 years earlier, she wrote a bestselling book that promised to teach readers how to “surrender" their weight forever. This week, Mike and Aubrey take a deep dive into Williamson’s life story and her 2010 book, “A Course in Weight Loss."  Along the way we talk nonprofit drama, Eleanor Roosevelt and gays for Marianne. Plus, Mike’s got a message for the twinks.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreVideos!Marianne Williamson on ForgivenessA Course in Weight LossA Course in Weight Loss, Chapter Two A Course in Weight Loss, Chapter 7A Course in Weight Loss, Chapter 8Links!Who is Marianne Williamson? Her 2020 presidential campaign and policies, explained The Divine Miss WFaith: Marianne Williamson Is Full of ItThe Gospel According to Marianne Williamson “No One Decides to Run for President Impulsively”: Marianne Williamson Explains Her Magical ThinkingMarianne Williamson has almost everything Marianne Williamson is a controversial AIDS-crisis figure for gay men.Into America's Spiritual Void With Marianne WilliamsonWhy Marianne Williamson’s most famous passage keeps getting cited as a Nelson Mandela quote Thanks to  Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Marianne Williamson

How Nestlé executives, global health institutions and a very racist white lady seeded a series of nutritional misconceptions we're still living with today. Special thanks to John Nott for helping us out with this episode! Here's his papers on the history of protein and the British Empire.“No one may starve in the British Empire”: Kwashiorkor, Protein and the Politics of Nutrition Between Britain and Africa“How Little Progress”? A Political Economy of Postcolonial NutritionSupport us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Cicely Williams’ dissertationDariush Mozaffarian's "History of Modern Nutrition Science"The Incidence Of Protein-Calorie Malnutrition Of Early ChildhoodAn Error of Medicine? Kwashiorkor and the “Protein Gap”Childhood Malnutrition In Developing Nations: Looking Back and Looking ForwardThe Politics of ProteinThe Impact of Colonialism on Health and Health Services in TanzaniaBreast-Milk and the World Protein GapThe Influence of Colonialism on Africa’s Welfare: An Anthropometric StudyFood, Colonialism and the Quantum of HappinessRevisited: Is Subclinical Protein Deficiency A Significant Public Health Concern?Listening to the Ga: Cicely Williams’ Discovery of Kwashiorkor on the Gold Coast“Milking the Third World: Humanitarianism, Capitalism and the Moral Economy of the Nestlé Boycott”The Controversy Over Infant FormulaWar on Want’s “The Baby Killer “75 years of Kwashiorkor In AfricaThe Rise and Fall of Protein Malnutrition in Global HealthSupport the show

The Great Protein Fiasco

Over the last 30 years, fatness has been defined as a risk factor for disease, then a disease in itself, then a global epidemic. What caused this rapid shift? Who’s gonna join our group of B-roll vigilantes? And did we just hear Morgan Freeman?Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBooks!Fat Politics Killer Fat The End of the Obesity Epidemic Folk Devils and Moral Panics Moral Panics Links!American Obesity Association PSAAMA Recognizes Obesity as a Disease Regarding Obesity as a Disease: Evolving Policies and Their Implications For Researchers on Obesity: Historical Review of Extra Body Weight Definitions Obesity task force linked to WHO takes “millions” from drug firms Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer Research: How Americans’ Biases Are Changing (or not) Over Time Satcher: Obesity Reaching Crisis Levels Do Photographic Images of Obese Persons Influence Antifat Attitudes?Did the American Medical Association make the correct decision classifying obesity as a disease? What exactly is a disease? The “Childhood Obesity Epidemic”: Health Crisis or Social Construction? Fears of a fat planet overblown, skeptics say An Unjust War: The Case Against the Government’s War on Obesity Expanding Definitions of Obesity May Harm Children Support the show

The Obesity Epidemic

The BMI is EVERYWHERE. But is it scientific or scientif-ish? While many Americans think of the body mass index as an objective measure of health, its history reveals a more complicated story. This week, Mike and Aubrey tackle the first in a two-part series about the BMI and the “Obesity Epidemic.” Along the way they visit 18th century Belgium, learn a gross new acronym and dissect Dracula's facial features. LINKS!:The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI (Elemental) Adolphe Quetelet, Social Physics, and the Average Men of Science, 1796-1874 (University of Pittsburgh Press)Mindful of eugenics’ dark history, researchers are reexamining the genetics of social mobility (Quartz) Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874)—the average man and indices of obesity (Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation)For Researchers on Obesity: Historical Review of Extra Body Weight Definitions (Obesity)Quetelet, Adolphe (Canada’s Eugenics Archives)Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus (NPR)The False Science Linking Body Shape to Personality (The Atlantic)Obesity task force linked to WHO takes “millions” from drug firms (The BMJ)Impact of weight bias and stigma on quality of care and outcomes for patients with obesity (Obesity Reviews) Support the show

The Body Mass Index

This week we're diving into one of the biggest-ever scandals in nutrition research. For nearly two decades, Brian Wansink's Food and Brand Lab told Americans that lower weights, healthier workplaces and better school lunches were just a few small tweaks away. Then, in 2015, he wrote a blog post and it all came crashing down. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers, face masks and moreLinks!A Credibility Crisis in Food ScienceStatistical heartburn: An attempt to digest four pizza publications from the Cornell Food and Brand LabBrian Wansink: Data Masseur, Media Villain, Emblem of a Thornier ProblemThe Wansink Dossier: An OverviewMore Evidence That Nutrition Studies Don’t Always Add UpHere’s How Cornell Scientist Brian Wansink Turned Shoddy Data Into Viral Studies About How We EatFalse-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as SignificantDeath of a Veggie SalesmanThe Strange, Uplifting Tale of “Joy of Cooking” Versus the Food ScientistMoms, “Food Fears” and the Power of the InternetThe science behind Smarter LunchroomsYou Can’t Trust What You Read About NutritionEnergy balance measurement: when something is not better than nothingScientific method: Statistical errorsEffect of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act on the Nutritional Quality of Meals Selected by Students and School Lunch Participation Rates9.67 Degrees of DeceptionSupport the show

School Lunches, P-Hacking and the Original "Pizzagate"

So long, root vegetables! This week, we dive into the strange and surprising history of the 100-year-old ketogenic diet. Along the way, we encounter a Victorian bodybuilder, an infamous podcast bro and the possibility of a bad Meryl Streep performance (!). Get in, loser, we're counting macros!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!What Is the Keto Diet and Does It Work? (NYT)The Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss (Today’s Dietitian)Meet the Wackiest Billionaire Ever to Run for President (Money)Trailer for "First, Do No Harm"Keto Diet History - How the Ketogenic Diet Went Mainstream (Men's Health)7 Dangers of the Keto Diet | Health.com (Health Magazine)15 Keto Diet Side Effects to Know – Possible Keto Diet Dangers (Prevention)Ketogenic Diet May Lead to an Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (The Physiological Society)Support the show

The Keto Diet

Special guest Kimberly Springer joins us to talk about an infamous, dangerous faith healer and his two — two! — appearances on Oprah's talk show. This episode contains, we're sorry to say, detailed descriptions of sexual assault. Buy Kimberly's books:Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American CultureLiving for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Behind the Bastards podcast series on John of God The O Magazine articleJohn of God, the Miracle HealerCelebrity Healer in Brazil Is Accused of Sexually Abusing FollowersOprah’s 2012 articleSupport the show

Oprah Winfrey & "John of God"

Do you have weird feelings about Oprah? So do we, and so does our guest! Kimberly Springer, co-editor of "Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American Culture," joins us to talk about the rise of Oprah Winfrey and her infamous "wagon of fat" weight loss episode.Buy Kimberly's books:Stories of Oprah: The Oprahfication of American CultureLiving for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreClips!Oprah Winfrey Rolls Out A Wagon Of Fat  (Buzzfeed)How Oprah's Weight Affected Her Relationship with Stedman (Oprah)MadTv - Oprah - Fat Cam (Mad TV)Links!The Importance of Being Oprah (New York Times Magazine)Oprah's 'Fattest' Mistake (CBS News)5 awesome objects from the new Oprah exhibit (Washington Post)Oprah's biggest on-air mistake? The wagon of fat (Today)Diet That Made Oprah Winfrey Slim Demands Discipline, Specialists Say (New York Times)Support the show

Oprah Winfrey & The “Wagon of Fat”

Do you have viruses? Cysts? Cancer? Are you tired sometimes? According to Instagram, the  problem might be a lack of liquefied vegetables! This week, Mike and Aubrey take on a troubling taste test, meet a ghost with bad intentions and encounter the longest list of problematic celebrities we've ever seen.Plus, we start the show with an announcement: We're doing Patreon-only bonus episodes! Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/maintenancephaseSupport us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Anthony William on ExtraAnthony William on Keeping Up with the KardashiansCelery Juice Is the Perfect, Probably Pointless Trend for 2019 (Vanity Fair)Food Isn't Medicine. Here's Why It's Dangerous to Believe It Is. (Huffington Post)Is celery juice a viable alternative to nitrites in cured meats? (McGill University)Is Celery Juice a Sham? (The New York Times)Today's Diet Fads (Today's Dietitian)People think celery juice can protect you from COVID-19. Here's why that's categorically false. (Mama Mia)Support the show

Celery Juice

Special guest Mike Rothschild tells us how the road to wellness can be an on-ramp to a conspiracy theory. Along the way we debunk oil pulling, explore Instagram aesthetics and bemoan anti-vaxx argumentation tactics . Mike gets the date of the January 6th insurrection wrong and he is sorry. Mike Rothschild is on Twitter and you can pre-order his book here!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Wellness to QAnon Pipeline

This week is our first  Diet Book Deep Dive, where we dig into some of the worst and wildest weight loss advice we can find.  First up: Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon's pun, alcohol and misogyny-fueled diet plan from the 1970s. Hope you like broiled steak and Sanka!Clips!Ed McMahon & Britney Spears on Star SearchEd McMahon for American Family SweepstakesSupport us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Lynn Barbera for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Diet Book Deep Dive: Ed McMahon’s “Slimming Down”

 In 1996, Proctor & Gamble launched an artificial fat substitute that promised all of the taste but none of the calories. There was just one problem. Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Marion Nestle’s The Selling of OlestraJeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate EverythingThe 1996 Federal RegisterThe Trouble With FriesReduction of the body burden of PCBs and DDE by dietary intervention in a randomized trialReview of the effects of dilution of dietary energy with olestra on energy intakeAuthors’ Financial Relationships With the Food and Beverage Industry and Their Published Positions on the Fat Substitute OlestraPostmarketing Surveillance of New Food Ingredients: Results from the Program with the Fat Replacer OlestraEffects of wheat bran and olestra on objective measures of stool and subjective reports of GI symptomsThe effect of ingesting olestra-based foods on feeding behavior and energy balance in humansEffect on Body Weight of Replacing Dietary Fat with Olestra for Two or Ten Weeks in Healthy Men and Women Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Olestra

Fat people have them too! This week, special guest Erin Harrop tells us about one of America's most under-diagnosed and misunderstood problems. Along the way we talk about elbow bumps, Twitter etiquette and '90s sweatpants. Our content warnings are becoming increasingly threatening.Here's Erin's faculty page and a bunch of her research!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Mitra Kaboli for production support and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Eating Disorders

Get your flex point calculators and food scales! This week, Mike and Aubrey are talking about one of America's most iconic diet programs: Weight Watchers. Along the way, we encounter The Rock, the mating habits of straight people and a new James Bond villain. Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Jean Nidetch, a Founder of Weight Watchers, Dies at 91 Mass Firing on Zoom Is Latest Sign of Weight Watchers Unrest Weight Watcher's Kurbo app slammed for targeting kids. Makers defend it What's gone wrong at Weight Watchers? Weight Watchers Is Offering Teens Free Memberships and People Aren't Happy Americans’ new way of losing weight has left Weight Watchers behind How the Oprah effect helped Weight Watchers regain Americans' trust Deal Master Debbane The Population Cost‐Effectiveness of Weight Watchers with General Practitioner Referral Compared with Standard Care Weight Watchers on prescription: An observational study of weight change among adults referred to Weight Watchers by the NHS The Problem With 'Fat Talk' 'Fat Talk' Compels but Carries a Cost Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Weight Watchers

 Are your moods too stable? Is your face free of cold sores? Get your lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper ready, because this week we're talking about celebrity favorite THE MASTER CLEANSE!Along the way we roast New Atheism, praise Gwyneth Paltrow (!) and endorse garbanzo bean salads. Mike wishes to clarify that he adores Kate Bush and quips with the utmost affection.Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!:The Master Cleanser by Stanley BurroughsI Heard It Through the Diet Grapevine (New York Times)Improving Ourselves to Death (The New Yorker)Cleansing's Dirty Secret (Marie Claire)Mr. Clean: Jeffrey Steingarten Puts the Master Cleanse to the Test (Vogue)The Dubious Practice of Detox (Harvard Health)Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Master Cleanse

This week we're dissecting "America's Doctor." How did a smart, hardworking surgeon become one of TV's leading purveyors of junk science?  Along the way we debunk green coffee bean extract, raspberry ketones, conversion therapy (!) and a salad dressing skincare regimen.Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks:Transcript of the infamous Congressional hearingThe Making of Dr. OzColumbia and the Problem of Dr. OzThe FTC lawsuit against green coffee bean extract sellersThe Oz craze: The effect of pop culture media on health careThe BMJ content analysis of the Dr. Oz showAgeing, fitness and neurocognitive functionReal-world doctors fact-check Dr. Oz, and the results aren't pretty Dr. Oz may be America's most influential — and controversial — physician Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Dr. Oz

The world of dieting and wellness is full of so-called snake oil salesmen—but what IS snake oil? This week, we take a wild ride through the history of health scams and discover a startling twist about an everyday idiom. Along the way, Aubrey delivers fun facts about sanitation from memory and Mike roasts the state where most of his family lives. Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks:Snake Oil, Hustlers & Hambones by Mary AndersonA History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen' : Code Switch (NPR)How Snake Oil Got a Bad Rap (Hint: It Wasn’t The Snakes’ Fault) (Collectors Weekly)Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Snake Oil

This week we dissect the content and impact of one of America's most harmful TV experiments.   Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Aubrey’s article on The Biggest Loser That's not reality for me': Australian audiences respond to the Biggest Loser "Cheapening the struggle:" obese people's attitudes towards the Biggest Loser The Effects of Reality Television on Weight Bias: An Examination of The Biggest Loser'It's a miracle no one has died yet': The Biggest Loser returns, despite critics' warningsThe Retrograde Shame of The Biggest LoserAnalysis of all contestantsNeoliberalism And The Realities Of Reality TelevisionThe “Reality” of Health: Reality Television and the Public HealthLife after NBC's "The Biggest Loser": The Experiences and Perspectives of Former Reality TV Contestants Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

The Biggest Loser

WE’RE BACK! A new diet ice cream is taking your grocery store by storm. But what even is it? This week, Mike and Aubrey talk biohacking, dieting for straight dudes and the extremely ill-advised "Halo Top diet."Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!What is biohacking? The new “science” of optimizing your brain and body. (Vox) Halo Top Is Now the Most Popular Pint of Ice Cream in America (Food and Wine) What It's Like to Eat Nothing but This Magical, Healthy Ice Cream for 10 Days (GQ) Is Halo Top Good For You? The Truth About Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Ice Creams (HuffPost)Seven in 10 young people would eat whole tub of low-cal ice cream (The Grocer UK)Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Halo Top Ice Cream

To celebrate the release of her new book, Aubrey takes Mike on a tour through the statistics and debates surrounding weight bias. Anyone interested in body positivity, airline seats, 'skinny shaming' or the sugar content of melons is legally obligated to join us.Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreGet Aubrey's book in the U.S.:Powell's BooksBookshop.orgBeacon PressBuy from your local bookstore on IndieboundGet Aubrey's book outside the U.S.Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Anti-Fat Bias

The Twinkie Defense has become a shorthand for disingenuous legal defense strategies. But was it disingenuous? (Yes, but not in the way you think!)Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Mike's "Victim's Rights" episode on his other show!The Trial of Dan White: The Diminished Capacity ("Twinkie") DefenseHarvey Milk: His Lives and DeathThe Myth of the Twinkie Defense: The Verdict in the Dan White Case Wasn’t Based on His Ingestion of Junk FoodPsychiatric Testimony and the Insanity DefenseCalifornia’s Proposition 8 (1982)Support the show

The Twinkie Defense

What's that Gwyneth Paltrow's drinking? It's MOON JUICE! This week, we're talking adaptogens, brain dust, hot sex milk and the wellness company that's taken L.A. by storm. Be sure to take your quinton shots before you listen to this one.Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks!:How Hollywood's Favorite Juice Bar Owner Eats Every Day (Elle)How Amanda Chantal Bacon Perfected the Celebrity Wellness Business (NYT)What Are Adaptogens? (NYT)Wellness Brand Moon Juice Has Plenty of Haters - And Its Founder is Cool With That (Entrepreneur)The Moon Juice Gospel of Self (The New Yorker)How Wellness Got Whitewashed (Glamour)Support the show

Moon Juice

They hit the market in 1992. Three years later, they were the best-selling cookie in America. This week, Mike and Aubrey dive into the low-fat craze of the 1990s and sample the snack that became the symbol of its rise and fall.  Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America “Eat More, They’re Healthy”Anthology of “Cookie Man” ads“What if It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie?”“Ending the War on Fat”  Support the show

Snackwell's Cookies

Fen-Phen & Redux were "the next miracle drugs" in the '90s, claiming to help people lose dramatic amounts of weight in just three months.  But within a few short years, they'd been pulled from the market.  They were just too effective! (Just kidding, they killed some people.)Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Dispensing with the Truth by Alicia MundyThe New Miracle Drug (Time Magazine)How Fen-Phen, A Diet 'Miracle,' Rose and Fell (the New York Times)Blowing the Whistle on Fen-Phen (Journal of Business Communication)Purdue OxyContin settlement would rank among largest in pharma history (Reuters)National Trends in Antiobesity Medication Use (JAMA Network)The Fen-Phen Finale: A Study of Weight Loss and Valvular Heart Disease (Obesity Research)Thanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support the show

Fen Phen & Redux

The shuttle run! The flexed arm hang! The v-sit reach! These terms are seared into the memories of an entire generation of American schoolchildren. But did the President's Physical Fitness Test actually make us fitter?  (Spoiler: lol no)Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The Report That Shocked The PresidentJFK’s Sports Illustrated article, “The Soft American”1958–2008: 50 Years of Youth Fitness Tests in the United StatesThe President's Council on Physical Fitness and the Systematisation of Children's Play in AmericaWhy is there so little critical physical education scholarship in the United States? The case of FitnessgramThe Modern Era: Blossoming of the Olympic Movement and the Conquest of Acute DiseaseThe President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: The First 50 YearsDo Fitness Test Performances Predict Students’ Attitudes And Emotions Toward Physical Education?Support the show

The President's Physical Fitness Test

Welcome to Maintenance Phase! In our first episode, we tell our origin stories and talk about some of the basic ideas behind the show. Here's where to find us:Aubrey: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/Mike: https://rottenindenmark.org/Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!Support us: Subscribe on PatreonDonate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and moreSupport the show