Who Told You That

WTYT

Thanks to social media, the amount of science we have access to has sky-rocketed but whilst these often-well-crafted videos can be incredibly plausible and persuasive, is the science as good as the presentation? Using their background in science education and marketing, our duo consider social media’s handling of everything from Ozempic to period-based exercising, teasing out the great from the grim and the brilliant from the bunkum whilst helping their listeners to develop their own truth-seeking skills

  1. 49. Ditch the Bacon to Save Your Bacon?

    Apr 16

    49. Ditch the Bacon to Save Your Bacon?

    Here’s a question for you, which 50% do you fall into?  The 50% that know that processed milk is strongly linked to our risk of developing colorectal cancer or the 50% that thinks there’s no such thing as too much ham, bacon and yum, pepperoni? More than 10 years ago, the World Health Organization categorized processed meats as a level 1 carcinogen (yes, the same category as smoking and asbestos!) yet so many of us are still unaware just how deadly that daily ham sandwich could turn out to be. Our duo considers the implications of the recent survey of American adults showing an alarming lack of understanding of the relationship between processed meat consumption and the development of colorectal cancer. Whilst reviewing the likelihood of a cancer diagnosis at different ages, they also discuss the worrying global trend of increasing colorectal cancer diagnoses in the under-50 age group. Listen in on our WTYT? duo’s conversation and let us know if it changes your mind about that BLT sandwich😉

    32 min
  2. 48. Osteoporosis: a Young Person's Disease?

    Mar 27

    48. Osteoporosis: a Young Person's Disease?

    Let’s be honest, when we hear the word osteoporosis, what image comes to mind? An elite athlete at the peak of their powers? No? How about a frail older lady? Is that closer to the mark? I mean osteoporosis, that’s an old person’s disease, right? Hmm. Whilst we typically experience the devastating and perhaps even fatal consequences of osteoporosis in our final decades, the seeds are planted much younger – probably before we’ve even left our twenties. Join our talkative twosome to find out how to create a healthy skeleton that will hopefully, outlast our need for it! And as always, let us know what you think about this conversation and what you’d like us to chat about next.

    38 min
  3. 47. Raw Milk: Processing to the Rescue?

    Mar 4

    47. Raw Milk: Processing to the Rescue?

    ‍ Yes, raw milk does contain probiotic bacteria, but unfortunately, they’re only the ones that give you salmonella, listeria and e-coli! No, drinking raw milk will not protect you against the ‍H5N1 virus, responsible for bird flu and in fact, even just splashing yourself in the eye with raw milk could infect you with H5Ni! ‍ Here’s a good overview by the prestigious, Ivy League Brown University, on the potential benefits and risks of drinking raw milk. ‍Proponents of raw milk often suggest it might reduce childhood asthma, ignoring data that children brought up in rural areas are less likely to have asthma than their urban counterparts, with pollution likely being the key difference and cause of asthma. ‍‍Here’s an example of a site promoting raw milk but note when it says “ ‍‍First-hand accounts and surveys show that there are many people whose lactose intolerance symptoms are improved by drinking raw milk”. Asking people what they think and getting them to report on subjective symptoms when they know what they’ve drunk i.e already believe in and have paid money for, is not science! Here’s one of the studies quoted in the above link which demonstrates the poor quality of the original article’s “data”. ‍ ‍Oh dear, this influencer claimed her lactose intolerance was cured by drinking raw milk but the dieticians, nutritionists and scientists in this article easily debunk her explanation.‍ ‍ And with a truly heavy heart, WTYT? asks you to take a look at this article. This story appeared just a couple of days after your WTYT? duo had their discussion about raw milk. No “told you so’s” just a desperate sadness for this poor family who we have absolutely no doubt, were absolutely doing what they thought was the right thing for their health and the health of their family. Btw: in this episode we mentioned a couple of previous episodes. Click here if you want to revisit our discussion about the gut microbiome and probiotics (ep. 14) or on the following episode numbers if you want to check out our 2-part vaccination conversation (ep. 38 and 39).

    22 min
  4. 46. Fast Fashion: A Planet and People Disaster?

    Feb 25

    46. Fast Fashion: A Planet and People Disaster?

    If you enjoyed today’s discussion and want to find out more, here’s a great overview of the toxicity of the fast fashion industry, and when you ready to go deeper, check out this scientific paper. Take a look at the following links for more on the awfulness of microplastics and the Toxicity of those heavy metals found in dyes. And what about those waterproofing PFAS? do they cross our skin and into our circulation (clue: yes!) and what effects do they have on our health (clue: nothing good!). For a few thoughts on where and what to buy, take a look at this blog post. And finally, remember that discussion our duo had about ultra-processed foods in episode 42? Turns out we were right on the money and yes, we should be treating those ultra-processed foods just like smoking! ‍

    35 min
  5. 45. The Skinny on Stretching.

    Feb 18

    45. The Skinny on Stretching.

    Episode Resources: Check out these articles for more great information on the science of stretching and if you want to check your understanding of dynamic vs. static stretching then look no further than this resource. Here are thoughts from the Mayo clinic and a physiotherapist (Physical Therapist in the US) as to why static stretching may be best avoided pre-exercise. Does science agree with our physiotherapist’s thoughts? Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out that there’s Not really much evidence that static stretching increases risk of injury but it does appear to reduce strength and power, at least temporarily. On the other hand, here’s a weighty, but interesting discussion of why some static stretching pre-exercise might be okay in some circumstances. Whilst dynamic stretching does seem to have benefits for range of motion, the evidence to say it reduces injury is not very strong - more work is needed in this field. Not all dynamic stretching is necessarily good, data suggests avoiding ballistic i.e bouncing stretches, instead, here are a few suggestions of ones to try. But how about this rather positive note to end on, what about trying yoga? This, admittedly small study, showed increased testosterone and decreased cortisol (a marker of stress levels) levels after a yoga class! Forget dry January and consider trying flexible February instead!

    23 min
  6. 44. Soda: Pick Your Poison: Sugar or Diet

    12/10/2025

    44. Soda: Pick Your Poison: Sugar or Diet

    Who Told You That

    25 min
  7. 43. Tylenol: Separating The Facts From Fake News

    12/03/2025

    43. Tylenol: Separating The Facts From Fake News

    Episode Resources: Here’s that original announcement from the FDA that seems to be responsible for President Trump’s concern about tylenol. Here are the thoughts of the highly regarded, Yale School of Public Health, Here’s an example of study that supported the hypothesis that acetaminophen usage during pregnancy is linked to a higher incidence of autism spectrum disorder in offspring. And here’s that massive study that looked at over two million children and found no association between maternal acetaminophen use and the incidence of autism. Want to take a deeper look at the meta-study of 46 research projects that suggested a link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and increased likelihood of an autism or ADHD diagnosis, then click here. Now, check out this large big meta study that did not find any association between in-pregnancy use of acetaminophen and the development of neurodivergent disorders. For more on how our genetics influence whether we develop ADHD, this is an interesting read. And finally, although the medical profession often don’t worry about a fever if we’re not pregnant, here are a couple of resources that show Why having a fever when pregnant needs to be taken seriously and potentially treated. As always, get in touch and give us your feedback on our episodes as well as your suggestions for further conversations :)

    20 min
  8. 42. Ultra-Processed Foods: Just How Worried Should We Be?

    11/20/2025

    42. Ultra-Processed Foods: Just How Worried Should We Be?

    EPISODE RESOURCES: For a straightforward overview of what’s a ultra processed food (UPFs) and how to spot them, check out this article. Click here to be shocked just How much of these UPFs we’re actually eating! For an overview of the potential health risks of UPFs as well as some great suggestions for healthier snacks, take a peek at this article from the Guardian newspaper. Want confirmation of those horrendous ingredient lists we mentioned? Click on the foodstuff of your choice: Old El Paso corn tortilla, “Beyond Meat”, Planet Smoothie, Grenade protein bar, Quest protein bar - or don’t if you want to keep eating this stuff in blissful ignorance!  And if you’re now fascinated to read how corn goes from being a NOVA level 1 food to an ultra-processed corn tortilla, here’s the link to further enlightenment!  For that research on erythritol, check out these articles. And if our discussion of sucralose has got you wanting more, take a look at this link. For more on the relationship between the increased consumption of UPFs and various diseases, click on each of the following diseases: cancer, dementia, depression, diabetes type 2 and last but definitely not least, heart disease. But despite the growing body of research showing the health costs of these foods, when they are so cheap per calorie, reducing our reliance on them is going to be a huge, societal challenge. And if you’re a worried Brit, why not contact your MP to tell them of your concerns, you can use this link .

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Thanks to social media, the amount of science we have access to has sky-rocketed but whilst these often-well-crafted videos can be incredibly plausible and persuasive, is the science as good as the presentation? Using their background in science education and marketing, our duo consider social media’s handling of everything from Ozempic to period-based exercising, teasing out the great from the grim and the brilliant from the bunkum whilst helping their listeners to develop their own truth-seeking skills

Information

  • Creator
    WTYT
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © WTYT 2023
  • Show Website
    Who Told You That