Science Friction

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Science Friction

Science Friction's latest series is: Cooked. We dig into food science pickles. Why are studies showing that ice cream could be good for you? Do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet says? And why are people feeling good on the carnivore diet? Nutrition and food scientist Dr Emma Beckett takes us through what the evidence says about foods like meat, ice cream and potatoes — and unpicks why nutrition studies can be so conflicting and confusing. All six episodes of Cooked are available now. Our next series, on digital devices and what they're doing to our brains, will be out in May.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    01 | Cooked: Could ice cream actually be good for you?

    Two decades ago, nutritional epidemiologists made a startling finding – that people eating more ice cream were less likely to develop diabetes. In the years since, various groups have tried to account for this peculiar scientific signal — with limited success. In multiple studies the link between ice cream and a reduced risk of diabetes persists. Yet nutrition experts globally still aren’t convinced. But if it’s not true, what’s causing the signal? Grab a spoon and dig into culture, causation and confounders — and the joy of a tub of ice cream. Credits: Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Nathan TurnbullThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: Nutrition Science's Most Preposterous Result - The Atlantic. Here's the scoop on the new thinking about ice cream, yogurt, cheese and health - WBUR. Dairy and your heart health - Heart Foundation.

    26 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    02 | Cooked: All-meat eaters say they feel great - but why?

    Diets like carnivore have been popping up all over the place. People who go carnivore aim to eat nothing but a select few animal products, like meat and eggs. So why are some people turning to an all-meat diet? And why do they say they feel good doing so? On this episode of Cooked, we sift through some of the counterintuitive findings around carnivore — the scientific pitfalls you need to be aware of when reading the research — and the health effects in the short and long term. Guests: Mick and JennyNew South Wales, Australia Dr Jacob MeyAssistant Professor and Registered Dietitian, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana Dr Richie KirwanLecturer, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Liverpool John Moores University Dr Janet ChrzanNutritional anthropologist, University of PennsylvaniaAuthor, Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets Credits: Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Angie GrantThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status Among 2029 Adults Consuming a "Carnivore Diet" - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2021. Limitations of Self-Reported Health Status and Metabolic Markers Among Adults Consuming a “Carnivore Diet” - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2022. Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality: Results from Two Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies - Circulation, 2021. Long-Term Consumption of 10 Food Groups and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies - Advances in Nutrition, 2022. Association of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies - BMJ, 2019. Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets - Columbia University Press, 2022. What is the carnivore diet? - Harvard Health Publishing, 2024.

  3. EPISODE 3

    03 | Cooked: Mystery in the Mediterranean

    It was one of the world's biggest nutrition trials. A study of thousands of people which found that following a Mediterranean diet could meaningfully reduce someone's risk of heart disease and stroke. But as data detectives began to comb through the results of the trial, something wasn't quite adding up. On Cooked this week, we're taking a look at what can go wrong when implementing a nutrition science trial at scale ... and what it means for one of the world's most popular diets. Guests: Dr John Carlisle Anaesthetist, NHS, United Kingdom Dr Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz Epidemiologist, University of Wollongong Dr Evangeline Mantzioris Program Director, Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of South Australia Credits: Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Angie GrantThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: The analysis of 168 randomised controlled trials to test data integrity - Anaesthesia, 2012. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet - New England Journal of Medicine, 2013. Data fabrication and other reasons for non-random sampling in 5087 randomised, controlled trials in anaesthetic and general medical journals - Anaesthesia, 2017. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts - New England Journal of Medicine, 2018. Mediterranean‐style diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease - Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019. Translation of a Mediterranean-Style Diet into the Australian Dietary Guidelines: A Nutritional, Ecological and Environmental Perspective - Nutrients, 2019. Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet is associated with physical and cognitive health: a cross-sectional analysis of community-dwelling older Australians - Frontiers in Public Health, 2022. In conversation with John Carlisle: the silent hero shaping medical publication integrity - ENT and Audiology News, 2024. That Huge Mediterranean Diet Study Was Flawed. But Was It Wrong? - NYT, 2018. Errors Trigger Retraction Of Study On Mediterranean Diet's Heart Benefits - NPR, 2018. How the Biggest Fabricator in Science Got Caught - Nautilus, 2015. Statistical vigilantes: the war on scientific fraud - The Guardian, Science Weekly Podcast, 2017.

  4. EPISODE 4

    04 | Cooked: A peculiar potato experiment

    Why did a group of anonymous strangers on the internet try to eat almost nothing but potatoes for a month?  On Cooked this week, an unusual experiment and the possibilities and perils of a mono-diet. Guests: Andrew Taylor Melbourne, Australia Slime Mold Time Mold Scientist collective Dr Jess Danaher Associate Dean, RMIT University; Nutrition Scientist and Dietitian Credits: Reporter: Alistair KitchenPresenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Angie GrantThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: Weight Loss and Fad Diets - Better Health Channel The Potato People - Kitchen Counter SMTM Potato Diet Community Trial SMTM Potato Diet Community Trial: 6 Month Followup

    26 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    05 | Cooked: Electrolytes — who needs them?

    Over the past few years, you might have heard advertisements in your podcast feed or on social media for electrolyte supplements. If you haven’t seen them, they’re basically these little sachets or tubs that get mixed in with water as a drink. News media reports demand for such products is exploding – with the market for electrolyte supplements set to grow to 112 billion dollars by 2030, more than doubling in size in less than a decade. They go by a bunch of different names … and their marketing often suggests we could all use more electrolytes in our life. But what’s the science on this swing towards salty beverages? Who actually needs them? And what does our obsession with optimised hydration … say about us? Guests: Dr Alan McCubbin Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Nutrition Dietetics and Food, Monash University; Accredited Sports Dietitian Dr Colleen Derkatch Professor of Rhetoric, English Department, Toronto Metropolitan University; Author, Why Wellness Sells Jay Clark Athlete and fitness coach Dan Newton Athlete and fitness coach Credits: Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Tim JenkinsThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: Modelling sodium requirements of athletes across a variety of exercise scenarios – Identifying when to test and target, or season to taste - European Journal of Sport Science, 2022. The Impact of Dietary Sodium Intake on Sweat Sodium Concentration in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Review - International Journal of Sports Science, 2018. Impact of Sodium Ingestion During Exercise on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review - International Journal of Sports Science, 2018. Sodium Intake Beliefs, Information Sources, and Intended Practices of Endurance Athletes Before and During Exercise - International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2018. Sports Dietitians Australia Position Statement: Nutrition for Exercise in Hot Environments. Why Wellness Sells - Hopkins Press, 2022. Exercise - the low down on hydration - Better Health. The electrolytes boom: a wonder supplement – or an unnecessary expense? The Guardian, 2024. No, you don't need daily electrolyte supplements - Axios, 2023.

    26 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    06 | Cooked: Vitamin B3 ... and the media

    For episode six of Cooked, we turn the lens on … science communication itself. We’re looking at how information travels from a scientific study to the world and what can go wrong along the way. This is the final episode in our Cooked series. We'll be back in May for another series of Science Friction on a different topic — digital devices and how they're driving us to delight ... and to despair. Statement from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in response to Science Friction. Guests: Isabelle Oderberg Founder, Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition Professor Claire Roberts Lead, Pregnancy Health and Beyond Laboratory, Flinders University Dr Georgia Dempster Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Dr Nazmul Karim Senior Lecturer, Monash University Credits: Presenter: Dr Emma BeckettProducer: Carl SmithSenior Producer: James BullenSound Engineer: Tim JenkinsThis story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples. More information: NAD Deficiency, Congenital Malformations, and Niacin Supplementation - New England Journal of Medicine, 2017. Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations - Journal of Science Communication, 2022. Vitamin profile of 563 gravidas during trimesters of pregnancy - Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2002. Effect of maternal dietary niacin intake on congenital anomalies: a systematic review and meta-analysis - European Journal of Nutrition, 2021. Pregnancy Double Discovery - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2017. Statement regarding pregnancy discovery - Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, 2017. Vitamin B3 supplementation in pregnancy - NSW Health, 2017. The 'vegemite cure' - the Sydney finding that could help women everywhere - ABC Sydney Drive, 2017. Could vegemite prevent miscarriage? - Women's Health Melbourne. Pregnant women shouldn’t start taking vitamin B3 just yet: reports it prevents miscarriage and birth defects are overblown - The Conversation, 2017. Can a simple vitamin prevent miscarriages and birth defects? - The Australian, 2017. The common vitamin that could be the key to preventing some cases of heart birth defects and miscarriages - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2023.

    26 min

  7. SEASON 2 TRAILER

    00 | INTRODUCING — Cooked

    For Science Friction, a new series — Cooked! On Cooked, we dig into the nuance of nutrition. Why are studies showing that ice cream could be good for you? Do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet says? And why are people feeling good on the carnivore diet? Nutrition and food scientist Dr Emma Beckett helps comb through the evidence on food groups and ingredients like meat, dairy and salt — to unpick why nutrition studies can be so conflicted and confusing.

See All Season 2 (7)

Trailers

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About

Science Friction's latest series is: Cooked. We dig into food science pickles. Why are studies showing that ice cream could be good for you? Do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet says? And why are people feeling good on the carnivore diet? Nutrition and food scientist Dr Emma Beckett takes us through what the evidence says about foods like meat, ice cream and potatoes — and unpicks why nutrition studies can be so conflicting and confusing. All six episodes of Cooked are available now. Our next series, on digital devices and what they're doing to our brains, will be out in May.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC listen
  • Episodes
    304
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    Science Friction

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