Which supplements work — and which are a waste | Prof. Tim Spector & Prof. Sarah Berry

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Education, Science

4.6 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can pills and powders really improve our health? Despite their clinical look, most supplements aren’t tested with the scientific rigour we expect from medical treatments, and many don’t live up to their promises. Today, we're joined by two of ZOE’s top scientists to uncover the truth. They share groundbreaking new research and reveal the results of a brand new randomized controlled trial that could reshape how we think about supplements and introduce an entirely new kind. Tim Spector is one of the world’s top 100 most cited scientists, a professor of epidemiology, and ZOE’s scientific co-founder. He’s joined by Dr. Sarah Berry, a world leading expert in large scale human nutrition studies, Professor of Nutrition at King’s College London, and Chief Scientist at ZOE. By the end of this episode, you’ll have the latest science to help you make informed decisions about supplements and understand what your gut health really needs in 2025. Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Can supplements actually harm your health? 02:55 Why vitamin pills can do more harm than good 05:45 The truth behind scurvy, rickets, and early nutrition 08:30 Why we’re still stuck in a post-war supplement mindset 11:15 Should you supplement if you’re not deficient? 14:00 What calcium supplements are really doing to your heart 16:50 The real reason food companies add vitamins 19:20 The problem with your diet isn’t deficiency 21:45 Why fixing your diet is harder than it sounds 24:30 Why we need a new kind of supplement 27:10 Whole plants vs powders: why structure matters 29:40 Why plant diversity is the future of gut health 32:10 What’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? 35:05 Inside the randomized trial testing a new gut supplement 37:45 The science behind measuring real health impact 40:00 How the gut supplement changed the microbiome 42:30 Why probiotics worked… but much less 45:10 The surprising link between microbes and mood 48:20 How much did cholesterol and inflammation improve? 51:30 Could this reshape how we supplement in the future? 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim SpectorFree resources from ZOE Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Mentioned in today's episode The Evolution of Science and Regulation of Dietary Supplements: Past, Present, and Future, The Journal of Nutrition (2024) Supplemental Vitamins and Minerals for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021) Long-term multivitamin supplementation and cognitive function in men: a randomized trial, National Library of Medicine (2013) A diverse high-fibre plant-based dietary intervention improves gut microbiome composition, gut symptoms, energy and hunger in healthy adults: a randomised controlled trial, MedRxiv (2024) On calcium supplementation: Dietary calcium intake and risk of fracture and osteoporosis: prospective longitudinal cohort study, British Medical Journal (2011) Vitamin D and Calcium for the Prevention of Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, JAMA (2019) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Zoe Science and Nutrition, where world-leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health.
0:11.0	Since the late 1990s, supplements have become a part of our daily diet. Today they're impossible to ignore.
0:22.6	But can these pills and powders really help us to achieve better health?
0:26.6	Because despite their clinical appearance, most supplements aren't subject to genuine scientific scrutiny,
0:32.6	no matter what they might say.
0:38.3	Today, I'm joined by two Zoe scientists behind a groundbreaking new study to help us find answers,
0:43.3	and they have exciting results to share, and the promise of a brand new class of supplements.
0:49.3	Tim Spector is one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists, a professor of epidemiology,
0:55.3	and my scientific co-founder at Zoe. I'm also joined by Dr. Sarah Berry, a world leader in
1:00.9	large-scale human nutritional studies, a professor in nutrition at King's College London, and chief
1:05.7	scientist at Zoe. She's led extensive research into how our bodies process different nutrients.
1:12.1	You'll finish today's episode, able to make informed decisions about taking supplements.
1:20.9	Sarah and Tim, thank you so much for joining me today.
1:24.0	Pleasure.
1:24.9	Very excited.
1:26.1	So I don't need to explain the rules, but we're going to start
1:29.1	with a rapid fire Q&A from our listeners. Tim, are many people wasting money with the supplements
1:36.0	they take? Sadly, yes. Sarah, can vitamin supplements provide the same health benefits as getting nutrients from eating whole foods?
1:46.5	Rarely.
1:47.8	Tim, can supplements actually harm your health?
1:51.6	They can.
1:53.4	Sarah, do you see marketing claims from some supplements and think, that's just nonsense?
	...

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