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The Wellness Scoop

Fasting Myths, Gut-Boosting Pasta & A Five-Year Brain Boost

The Wellness Scoop

The Wellness Scoop

Mental Health, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.75.9K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on The Wellness Scoop, we unpack four headlines shaping how we eat and think about health. A major Cochrane review finds intermittent fasting is no more effective for weight loss than standard calorie-controlled diets, despite its surge in popularity. We explore what the evidence actually shows and why public perception may not match the data. We then dive into resistant starch, the underrated fibre found in foods like lentils and cooled pasta, and explain how simple preparation tweaks can support gut health, cholesterol and blood sugar balance. New research also suggests that lifelong reading, writing and learning could lower dementia risk by nearly 40% and delay onset by up to five years. We unpack what this means for cognitive reserve and long-term brain resilience. And finally, we look at the rise of matcha. From high street launches to social media hype, we break down whether it really deserves its health halo and how it compares to coffee. Order your copy of Ella's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pre-order your copy of Rhi's upcoming book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fibre Formula⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is sponsored by Shopify.

0:03.0

I remember just before we launched our very first delicious yellow products, three energy balls,

0:07.4

thinking, but what if no one buys them?

0:09.4

What if this completely fails?

0:11.0

Starting something new is exciting, but it's also terrifying.

0:14.2

Exactly.

0:14.7

And I think anyone who's built something from scratch knows that feeling.

0:18.3

I definitely relate, and that's exactly how I feel with every single

0:21.9

book launch. And honestly, what just makes the world of difference is knowing you have the right

0:25.8

support behind you. And for millions of businesses, that's Shopify. Shopify powers millions of

0:31.5

brands around the world from global names to founders who are just getting started. Because it brings

0:36.7

everything into one place,

0:38.1

your inventory, payments, analytics, you're not juggling lots of different platforms and they

0:42.7

have brilliant AI tools that even help write product descriptions and improve your content.

0:47.2

And built-in email and social tools help you actually find your customers. So I think it's

0:52.9

time to turn those what ifs into

0:54.9

with Shopify today. Just sign up for your £1 per month trial today at shopify.com.

1:01.4

com.uk slash scoop. So that's just shopify.com.com.uk slash scoop.

1:08.0

The great thing about potential is it has no concept of time.

1:13.5

It doesn't care what day it is or how old you are.

1:16.9

It doesn't care where you're from or what you used to do.

1:20.2

It simply waits patiently for the day you decide to use it.

...

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