The Body of Evidence

Intermittent fasting is supposed to help you burn fat and lose weight. It's also supposed to be easier than traditional dieting. But the data paints a different story.
 
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Hosts:     Christopher Labos & Sophie Tseng Pellar
Editor:    Robyn Flynn
Researcher: Ariane Journet
Theme music: "Fall of the Ocean Queen" by Joseph Hackl
Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos
Chris' book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer
 
Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.



References:
Garegnani, Luis I., et al. "Intermittent fasting for adults with overweight or obesity." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2 (2026).

Liu, Deying, et al. "Calorie restriction with or without time-restricted eating in weight loss." New England Journal of Medicine 386.16 (2022): 1495-1504.

Trepanowski, John F., et al. "Effect of alternate-day fasting on weight loss, weight maintenance, and cardioprotection among metabolically healthy obese adults: a randomized clinical trial." JAMA internal medicine 177.7 (2017): 930-938.

Jamshed, Humaira, et al. "Effectiveness of early time-restricted eating for weight loss, fat loss, and cardiometabolic health in adults with obesity: a randomized clinical trial." JAMA internal medicine 182.9 (2022): 953-962.

Bensalem, Julien, et al. "Intermittent time‐restricted eating may increase autophagic flux in humans: An exploratory analysis." The Journal of Physiology 603.10 (2025): 3019-3032.

Sutton, Elizabeth F., et al. "Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes." Cell metabolism 27.6 (2018): 1212-1221.

Manoogian, Emily N C et al. "Time-Restricted Eating in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial." Annals of internal medicine vol. 177,11 (2024): 1462-1470. doi:10.7326/M24-0859

Daylight Savings has been unfairly blamed on farmers for years. In today's episode we find out if it really does save electricity and whether there are any harms to jolting our circadian rhythm back and forth by one hour twice a year. 
 
Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you!
http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE
 
Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.
 
Hosts:     Christopher Labos & Sophie Tseng Pellar
Editor:    Robyn Flynn
Theme music: "Fall of the Ocean Queen" by Joseph Hackl
Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos
Chris' book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer
 
Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.



References:
The origins of daylight savigns time: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2015/03/06/five-myths-about-daylight-saving-time/

Conserving coal during WWI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time#/media/File:Saving_Daylight_-_Save_1,000,000_tons_of_coal_NMAH-AC0433-0000103.jpg

Electricity savings with daylight savings time:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.5547/01956574.39.2.thav

https://web.archive.org/web/20140130232223/https:/www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-daylight-saving-times-save-energy/

https://web.archive.org/web/20130518104926/http:/www1.eere.energy.gov/analysis/pdfs/epact_sec_110_edst_report_to_congress_2008.pdf


Health benefits to daylight savings time: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4364628/

Health risks to daylight savings time: 
https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20140100

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945700000320?via%3Dihub

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29461606/


Standard time vs. daylight savings time
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12478180/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/america-already-tried-permanent-daylight-saving-time-could-it-work-now

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Limiting screen time in kids is easier said than done. Also, how much is too much? Will new laws limiting access to social media for kids and teens do anything?
 
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https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE
 
Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.
 
Hosts:     Christopher Labos & Sophie Tseng Pellar
Editor:    Robyn Flynn
Researcher: Auriane Journet
Theme music: "Fall of the Ocean Queen" by Joseph Hackl
Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos
Chris' book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer
 
Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.
 
References:
American College of Pediatricians. Media use and screen time: its impact on children, adolescents, and families. 2020.
Canadian Heritage. Government of Canada introduces legislation to make social media services and AI chatbots safer for children. 10 June 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2026/06/government-of-canada-introduces-legislation-to-make-social-media-services-and-ai-chatbots-safer-for-children.html
Cerniglia L, Cimino S, Ammaniti M. What are the effects of screen time on emotion regulation and academic achievements? A three-wave longitudinal study on children from 4 to 8 years of age. Journal of Early Childhood Research. 2021;19(2):145-60.
COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA, David Hill, Nusheen Ameenuddin, Yolanda (Linda) Reid Chassiakos, Corinn Cross, Jeffrey Hutchinson, Alanna Levine, Rhea Boyd, Robert Mendelson, Megan Moreno, Wendy Sue Swanson; Media and Young Minds. Pediatrics November 2016; 138 (5): e20162591. 10.1542/peds.2016-2591
Esfandiari M, Sciacca B, Feijóo S, Laffan DA, Milosevic T, O'Toole C, et al. Trends in digital technologies to address children's online safety education: A systematic scoping review. International Journal of Educational Research Open. 2025;9:100462.
Gallup. Screens ubiquitous in classrooms; teachers split on efficacy. September 2026. https://news.gallup.com/poll/714479/screens-ubiquitous-classrooms-teachers-split-efficacy.aspx
Hinkley T, McCann JR. Mothers' and father's perceptions of the risks and benefits of screen time and physical activity during early childhood: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(1):1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6199-6
Institut de la statistique du Québec. L'utilisation des écrans chez les tout-petits d'environ un an et demi et leurs parents. 2024. https://statistique.quebec.ca/fr/produit/publication/utilisation-ecrans-tout-petits-environ-un-an-et-demi-et-leurs-parents
Livingstone S, Helsper EJ. Parental Mediation of Children's Internet Use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. 2008;52(4):581-99.
McClain, C., Sidoti, O., Faverio, M., & Lama, S. (2025, October 8). How parents approach their kids' screen time. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/PI_2025.10.08_Parents-Kids-Screens_REPORT.pdf
Médias24. Réseaux sociaux : la France interdit l'accès aux moins de 15 ans. 22 July 2026. https://medias24.com/2026/07/22/reseaux-sociaux-la-france-interdit-lacces-aux-moins-de-15-ans-1728491/
Miller CC, Mervosh S. How Much Screen Time Is Your Child Getting at School? We Asked 350 Teachers. The New York Times. 2025.
Vasconcellos, R. P., Sanders, T., Lonsdale, C., Parker, P., Conigrave, J., Tang, S., Del Pozo Cruz, B., Biddle, S. J. H., Taylor, R., Innes-Hughes, C., Salmela-Aro, K., Vasconcellos, D., Wilhite, K., Tremaine, E., Booker, B., & Noetel, M. (2025). Electronic screen use and children's socioemotional problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological bulletin, 151(5), 513–543. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000468
Qu G, Hu W, Meng J, Wang X, Su W, Liu H, et al. Association between screen time and developmental and behavioral problems among children in the United States: evidence from 2018 to 2020 NSCH. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2023;161:140-9.
Tamana SK, Ezeugwu V, Chikuma J, Lefebvre DL, Azad MB, Moraes TJ, et al. Screen-time is associated with inattention problems in preschoolers: Results from the CHILD birth cohort study. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213995
TechPolicy.Press. Early Lessons from Australia's Teen Social Media Ban for the Rest of the World. 2026. https://www.techpolicy.press/early-lessons-from-australias-teen-social-media-ban-for-the-rest-of-the-world/
Toigo S, Wang C, Prince SA, Varin M, Roberts KC, Betancourt MT. Recreational screen time and mental health among Canadian children and youth. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada. 2025;45(7-8):311-22.

The Apple Watch Series 12 is doubling down on its new Readiness Scores and HRV. How well does it work and how much can rely on heart rate variability to tell us anything about our health.
*** JOIN OUR STUDY: *** bit.ly/digitaldietstudy
Become a supporter of our show today either on Patreon or through PayPal! Thank you!
http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=9QZET78JZWCZE
 
Email us your questions at thebodyofevidence@gmail.com.
 
Hosts:     Christopher Labos & Sophie Tseng Pellar
Editor:    Robyn Flynn
Theme music: "Fall of the Ocean Queen" by Joseph Hackl
Rod of Asclepius designed by Kamil J. Przybos
Chris' book, Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: https://ecwpress.com/products/does-coffee-cause-cancer
 
Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.
References:
Chris article on HRV for the Montreal Gazette: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/labos-ive-got-no-time-for-apple-watchs-new-health-sensing-system/

Eric Topol's review on wearable tech and HRV: https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-big-holes-in-wearable-heart-rate

A primer on how to measure HRV https://www.empirical.health/blog/how-wearables-measure-hrv/

How well does wearable tech correspond with ECG derived measures of HRV: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/26/16/5192?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

A review of readiness scores: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/teb-2025-0001/html