Degrees of Health

How much of what you think you know is actually true?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with Dr Ellen Langer, the first woman to be tenured in psychology at Harvard and the researcher who has spent fifty years studying mindfulness, almost none of it involving meditation.Ellen makes a simple case with enormous consequences. Mindfulness isn’t something you sit cross-legged to achieve. It’s just noticing. And the moment you decide you know something, you stop noticing it entirely. Her definition of the opposite state is one of the best lines in the episode: frequently in error, but rarely in doubt.From there, the conversation moves through five decades of research that keeps arriving at the same conclusion, which is that our beliefs shape our bodies far more directly than most of us are willing to accept.They discuss:Why mindfulness has almost nothing to do with meditation The one plus one question that catches almost everyone outThe horse that ate a hot dog, and why it changed the direction of a career Why knowing something can be the thing that causes the bad outcomeThe counterclockwise study, where elderly men lived as though it were twenty years earlier The chambermaids who lost weight after being told their work already counted as exerciseThe rigged clock experiments, where blood sugar followed perceived time rather than real time Why Ellen thinks mind and body connection doesn’t go far enough; learning things conditionally, and the single word that changes what you can do with an idea Why stress requires you to predict a future you’re demonstrably bad at predicting Why every negative word we use about behaviour has an equally true positive version: attention to symptom variability, and how to run it yourself with a phone alarm What chronic actually means, and why it isn’t what most people assume Why the more different you are from whoever wrote the rule, the less you should follow it One of the biggest takeaways is that uncertainty isn’t the problem. Being certain is. The more fixed your view of something, the fewer options you leave yourself, and Ellen’s argument is that most of our suffering traces back to exactly that.A genuinely fun conversation with someone who has spent a lifetime questioning things the rest of us stopped looking at years ago. She’s 79, by the way, which makes her thoughts on healing and ageing land rather differently.Find out more about Ellen Langer and her work:Book: The Mindful Body by Dr Ellen LangerInstagram, where the paintings, fairy tales and songs appear first ellenlanger.com If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to Degrees of Health and let us know in the comments: What’s one thing you’re completely certain about? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

Dr Nash Jocic: Philosophy, Bodybuilding and the Golden Era | Degrees of Health Every so often, a conversation goes somewhere you didn’t expect. This was one of them. Dr Nash Jocic came to bodybuilding through philosophy, not the other way round. He started with Hermann Hesse, arrived at a view that a person exists as three entities physical, intellectual and spiritual — and realised philosophy was only giving him two of them. Bodybuilding was the only thing he could find that was challenging enough for the third. That was forty years ago. He’s 64 now, trains five times a week, does zero cardio, and has eaten broadly the same way for decades.The interesting part is the wrong turn he took on the way there. In his early twenties, he followed Mike Mentzer’s heavy-duty system religiously for two years, hit 112kg, and couldn’t find the line between his chest and his shoulders. Then he went to his first bodybuilding show, looked at the men on stage, and had the thought that changes everything for anyone who’s had it: if those are bodybuilders, what am I?Ben and Nash get into high volume and what it really means, why copying Serge Nubret won’t make you Nubret, rep ranges and time under tension, rest periods, and his hormonal case against eating six times a day. His most contrarian position is about the word “cardio” itself, and he goes after it hard. Underneath it all: Nietzsche, Spinoza, Sartre, Hobbes and the Buddha, deployed to make one point. Methods are many, principles are few. Stop looking for the recipe. Worth your time whether you lift or not. MILESTONE MOMENTS ⚡ Seventies lifters had two machines and protein powder that made you sick. By every measure, we should be producing better physiques now. We aren’t.⚡ Mentzer won Mr Universe training like everyone else. The system he sold came later, after his shape went. ⚡ From 112kg to 82kg on stage. “I had to lose 30 kilos to see my six pack.” ⚡ The Buddha: “Do not rely on my stick, make your own one.” ⚡ Hobbes: roll thirty severed heads down a hill and every man runs for his own. Ego, encapsulated. ⚡ “Deeds talk.” Why what you’ve done is the only thing that makes you special. ⚡ Nothing magic about twelve reps — what matters is three to four seconds per rep. ⚡ “Each set should step on the tail of the next one.” ⚡ 64 years old, zero cardio, shredded. “I eat like this for decades.” LINKS 💪 Nash Fit Training — nashfittraining.com 📚 14 ebooks on nutrition, training systems and fat loss 🎥 The Bodybuilding Blueprint course ▶️ Dr Nash Jocic on YouTube -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

Can changing what you eat really help control seizures?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with Dr. Eric Kossoff, a leading neurologist at Johns Hopkins who has spent decades researching ketogenic diet therapies for epilepsy.The ketogenic diet has been used to treat epilepsy for over 100 years, but there’s still a lot people don’t know about how it works. And it turns out, it might not just be about ketones.Eric explains why ketogenic diet therapy can be effective for children and adults with epilepsy, how it’s become an established treatment in modern medicine, and why he believes we should be looking at using it earlier in the treatment process.They also get into the five different types of ketogenic diet therapy, the surprising role blood glucose stability could play in controlling seizures, and the possibility that the diet may have benefits that last even after someone stops following it.In this episode, we discuss:• How effective ketogenic diet therapy really is for epilepsy• Why it can work even when ketone levels are low• The five different ketogenic diets used in clinical practice• What blood glucose stability might have to do with seizure control• Why the medical world has been slow to embrace dietary therapies• Whether starting the ketogenic diet earlier could improve outcomes• How long children and adults typically stay on the diet• Whether ketogenic diet therapy can have lasting effects after stopping• What we know (and don’t know) about exogenous ketones for epilepsy• The role of parents and families in shaping epilepsy researchOne of the most interesting takeaways is that ketones may be only part of the story. Different ketogenic diets may work through different mechanisms, including changes in glucose regulation and the gut microbiome, and researchers are still working to understand exactly how it all fits together.If you're interested in metabolic health, the brain, or the science behind using nutrition as a medical therapy, this is a fascinating conversation.Useful resources mentioned in the episode:Charlie Foundation: https://charliefoundation.org/Matthews Friends: https://www.matthewsfriends.org/International Neurological Ketogenic Society: https://neuroketo.org/Dr. Kossoff and his colleagues also discuss their book, Ketogenic Diet Therapies, written for patients, parents and caregivers.Important: Ketogenic diet therapy for epilepsy should be undertaken with appropriate medical supervision, including guidance from a neurologist and specialist dietitian.If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to Degrees of Health and let us know in the comments: Do you think dietary therapies deserve a bigger role in modern medicine?#DegreesOfHealth #KetogenicDiet #Epilepsy #MetabolicHealth #Keto #Neurology #BrainHealth #NutritionScience------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

How much do we actually know about living longer?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with Professor Coleen Murphy, a leading researcher in aging and longevity at Princeton University, to talk about what the science really tells us about how we age.They get into some of the biggest ideas in longevity right now, from calorie restriction and exercise to GLP-1s, peptides, vaccines, AI and the possibility that viruses could play a role in age-related disease.Coleen also explains why she thinks we shouldn't be obsessed with simply living as long as possible. The bigger goal might be staying healthy, active and cognitively sharp for as long as we can.They discuss:Why we still have so much to learn about agingThe science behind calorie restriction and whether it's actually worth itWhy Coleen is much more interested in exerciseThe idea of "longevity escape velocity"Where AI could speed up longevity researchWhy prevention may be more important than trying to fix problems later in lifeThe surprising connection between vaccines and dementia riskWhat we really know about GLP-1 drugs and longevityThe risks and hype around longevity peptidesWhy women and reproductive aging could hold important clues about longevityHow sleep and wearables could help us understand our own agingWhy the brain and the rest of the body are much more connected than we once thoughtThe role of optimism, mindset and purpose in healthy agingWhy simply measuring and tracking what you do might be more useful than extreme longevity protocolsOne of the biggest takeaways from the conversation is that longevity isn't necessarily about finding one magic pill or living an incredibly restrictive lifestyle. It's about understanding the biology of aging and figuring out how we can stay healthier for longer.A fascinating conversation with someone who has spent decades studying the science behind how we age.Find out more about Coleen Murphy and her research:Princeton University / Murphy LabBook: How We Age: The Science of Longevity by Coleen MurphyIf you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to Degrees of Health and let us know in the comments:Would you rather live longer, or simply stay healthier for longer?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

What actually matters when it comes to improving metabolic health, losing weight, or the diet you use to lose it?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben sits down with Dr Max Petersen to unpack his research comparing three very different diets: a true ketogenic diet, a Mediterranean diet, and a very low-fat plant-forward diet. The study was designed to answer a fascinating question: if people lose the same amount of weight, do different diets produce different effects on metabolic health? Max explains how the study controlled weight loss by providing participants with all of their food, allowing the researchers to compare the diets while keeping weight loss broadly the same. Participants achieved around 10% weight loss, with more than 95% adherence to the provided diets.The results were particularly interesting for insulin sensitivity.All three diets produced roughly a 50% improvement in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. But the ketogenic diet produced a much greater improvement in liver insulin sensitivity — around two to three times greater than the other two diets.We dig into what that actually means, why muscle and liver insulin sensitivity are different, and how the body handles glucose after a meal.Ben and Max also explore the role of ketones, whether the benefits of the ketogenic diet can actually be attributed to ketosis itself, and why Max thinks the dramatic reduction in insulin levels may be more important than ketones acting as signalling molecules.The conversation also covers one of the more surprising findings from the study: the ketogenic group did not experience the expected rise in LDL cholesterol. Max explains why metabolic context may be an important factor when looking at how people respond to different diets.We also get into:Calories in vs calories outWhy energy balance is more complicated than it soundsKeto vs Mediterranean vs very low-fat dietsWhat insulin sensitivity actually tells us about metabolic healthThe difference between liver and muscle insulin sensitivityWhy exercise can increase glucose uptake independently of insulinWhat ketones actually do in the bodyWhether ketosis itself is responsible for the benefits of a ketogenic dietThe importance of metabolic contextWhy a true ketogenic diet is different from simply eating low carbWhether protein could explain some of the differences between dietsWhat Max would study nextThe potential role of GLP-1 medicines in metabolic healthImportantly, Max also explains why these findings shouldn't simply be turned into a recommendation that everyone should follow a ketogenic diet. The study looked specifically at people with obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, and he emphasises that the effects of diet can depend heavily on the metabolic context and the individual.A fascinating conversation about nutrition science, metabolic health and why the answer to “which diet is best?” may be far more complicated than we think.Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations with researchers, scientists and health experts exploring what the evidence actually tells us.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

What if you didn’t need a full workout to get meaningful health benefits from exercise?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben sits down with Professor Jonathan Little to explore the science behind exercise snacks short bursts of vigorous exercise that can be sprinkled throughout your day.Jonathan explains where the idea came from, what the research actually shows, and whether a few minutes of exercise here and there can really make a difference to fitness, blood sugar and metabolic health.We get into what counts as an exercise snack, why intensity matters, how exercise snacks could help people who are currently inactive, and whether they can be useful alongside a more traditional training programme. We also talk about the best time to exercise if you're trying to improve glucose control, including why exercising 30–60 minutes after a meal may be particularly useful. Jonathan shares some of the most practical exercise snacks from his research, from high-knee marching and running on the spot to squats and stair climbing. But there’s still a lot we don't know.How much exercise is actually enough?Does one minute work as well as two or four?Can exercise snacks meaningfully add to an existing training programme?And what are the mechanisms inside the muscle that explain the benefits?Jonathan also explains why the research is still in its early stages and why properly understanding the dose-response relationship could be the next big step for the field.In this episode:* What exactly is an “exercise snack”?* Can short bursts of exercise improve VO₂ max?* The effects on glucose control and insulin sensitivity* Why going from nothing to something may have the biggest impact* How vigorous does an exercise snack need to be?* The best exercises to use* Why exercising after meals could help blood glucose* Exercise snacks for people who already train* Whether exercise snacks can complement HIIT and endurance training* What we still don't know about the ideal dose* The future of exercise snack research.If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk but still want to move more, this is a fascinating look at how small changes could fit into everyday life without necessarily feeling like another workout.Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations with researchers, scientists and health experts exploring what the evidence actually tells us.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have.

What actually happens in your brain while you sleep and how does it change what you remember?On this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben sits down with sleep researcher Dr Rebecca Spencer to explore how sleep shapes learning, memory and our everyday performance. Rebecca explains how the brain processes and organises information overnight, why the sleep stages matter, and why pulling an all-nighter might be working against the very thing you’re trying to learn. We also get into the fascinating role of naps, from why they’re so important for children to how adults might use them to support memory, plus the connection between sleep, circadian rhythms and athletic performance. And, as Rebecca makes clear, despite how much we all sleep, there’s still a huge amount we don’t understand. In this episode, we cover * How sleep helps preserve and organise memories * What the brain is doing while we sleep * Why reviewing information before bed may give it a boost * Why naps matter, and how timing and duration can make a difference * How sleep supports learning in children and adults * The relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms and performance * What sleep science still needs to figure out. If you’re interested in learning more effectively, improving your routines, or simply understanding what your brain is up to at night, this one’s for you. Chapters Introduction to Rebecca Spencer and her research How sleep influences learning and memory The role of sleep in preserving and organising memories Different stages of sleep and their functions Multitasking during sleep and wakefulness The impact of reviewing information before sleep The importance of naps for children and adults Timing and duration of naps for cognitive benefits How sleep research influences athletic performance Living in sync with circadian rhythms Future research directions in sleep science Surprising facts about how little we understand sleep 📚 Find out more about Rebecca’s research: The Sleep and Neuro Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shares its research and publications on its lab website. Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations with researchers and experts exploring how we can better understand our health. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have. #Sleep #Learning #Memory #SleepScience #CircadianRhythm #DegreesOfHealth #RebeccaSpencer

What happens to your brain when you miss a night of sleep and could creatine help keep it sharp? In this episode, Dr. Ali Gorgi discusses his research on creatine, sleep deprivation, and cognitive performance, revealing how creatine can mitigate cognitive decline under stress and the potential for future studies in neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Ali Gorgi explores the science behind creatine, sleep deprivation and cognitive performance. We dive into how creatine works in the brain, what happens when you’re running on little sleep, and whether it could help support your thinking when you’re feeling tired. We also unpack the research, what it can tell us, and what we still need to understand. If you’re curious about the connection between sleep, brain energy and cognitive performance, this episode is for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Ali Gorgi and the study on creatine 02:05 Background on creatine's role in cognition and sports 03:52 Main findings: creatine improves reaction time and short-term memory during sleep deprivation 05:53 How sleep deprivation affects brain energy and creatine's role 07:57 The process of creatine uptake in the brain and muscles 10:06 Effects of stress on creatine transport and metabolism 12:03 Individual variability in response to creatine supplementation 13:56 Optimal dosing strategies and future research directions 16:05 Potential applications for neurodegenerative diseases and brain health 17:56 The form of creatine and combining it with other compounds 19:54 Next steps in creatine research and ongoing studies In this episode: * How creatine works in the body and brain * What sleep deprivation can do to cognitive performance * The potential role of creatine when you haven’t had enough sleep * What the research says about creatine and brain function * What we still don’t know about creatine and cognition. Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations exploring the science behind health, performance and the human body.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌈 Exploring the benefits of red and infra light therapy? Our community receive 10% off the FlexBeam from Recharge Health via this link: ⬇️ https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/DyJ3mn (learn more about the benefits of healing with light in our 'Light as Medicine' Playlist). 🤝 Join the community - by subscribing, you are self-selecting as a health nerd. We like you. We applaud you. You are shaping the future of health information in real time. As a thank you, we pledge to bring you the best we can, where we are, with the tools we have. #Psychology #Learning #Curiosity #AI #CognitiveScience #Education #DegreesOfHealth

What makes us ask why? And what actually happens in our brains when we try to understand something?In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with psychologist and cognitive scientist Dr. Tania Lombrozo to explore the science of explanation, curiosity and how we make sense of the world.We get into why explaining something can be one of the most effective ways to learn it, how our brains can convince us we understand something when we don’t, and why the explanations we find satisfying aren’t always the ones that are true.Tania also explains how our drive to understand is shaped by language, social interactions and the different ways we learn. We discuss why reasoning by analogy can be so powerful (and where it can go wrong), and how different learning systems can sometimes leave us holding contradictory beliefs.One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is what happens when AI enters the picture. As large language models become increasingly good at explaining things, what happens if we start outsourcing the very thinking that helps us learn? And could making learning easier actually make us worse at it?We also get into desirable difficulties, why putting more effort into learning can help information stick, and Tania’s advice for making your own learning process more effective.Plus, Tania shares what has surprised her most about human behaviour, and why we might be better off giving people a little more credit for the way they think.Her new book, Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand, is out on October 6th.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the human drive to ask why02:19 Carl Rogers, the self and cognitive dissonance04:23 Language, communication and why we explain06:35 Curiosity in animals and humans09:10 Why explaining something helps us learn11:54 Explanatory illusions and cognitive biases13:10 Are humans really rational?14:58 The evolution of explanation and social cognition17:07 Why we explain things for different reasons18:05 How humans learn and the power of explanation19:54 Why we can hold contradictory beliefs21:38 Learning by thinking24:20 The feedback loop between explanation and learning27:01 AI, large language models and the future of explanation29:18 Could AI change how we understand the world?31:37 Desirable difficulties and effective learning34:37 Why learning needs a little friction36:41 Are humans more rational than we think?37:02 What has surprised Tania most about human behaviour?38:41 Tania’s new book and final thoughts📚 Tania’s book: Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand — out October 6th.Find out more about Tania’s research and work at tanyalombrozo.com or whyweaskwhy.com.Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations with researchers, scientists and thinkers exploring the questions that help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.#Psychology #Learning #Curiosity #AI #CognitiveScience #Education #DegreesOfHealth