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We are constantly being
told how to live our lives.

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But what's the health
advice you can really trust?

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In this series, we use
our expertise to guide you

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through the contradictions
and the confusion.

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We'll get to the heart of the debate.

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And ensure you get the
information you need.

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We're here when you
don't know where to turn.

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I'm Michael Mosley. In this series,
I'm joined by a team of doctors.

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Together, we'll cut through the hype,
the headlines, and the health claims.

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This is Trust Me, I'm A Doctor.

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'It's the end of January and most of us

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'have started to let our new year
health resolutions slip, so in this

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'programme, we're going to test some
cunning tricks to make them stick.'

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Good looking guy. I'd trust him.

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'Plus, we reveal the herbal
supplement that could help

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'you drink less.

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'We'll find out why chocolate

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'and ice cream could
help some lose weight...'

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- That just makes you think about food in a totally new way.
- Absolutely.

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'..whether running outdoors or
on a treadmill is better for you.

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'And why the key to a good
night's sleep might be pineapple.'

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Ha-ha! This, I can't believe!

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New year is traditionally the time

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when we decide we're
going to get in shape,

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we're going to do that
exercise, go on the diet,

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take the cake out of the trolley
and put it back on the shelf.

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The problem is these
resolutions rarely last.

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By now, near the end
of January, many of us

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will have given up our healthy
new year's resolutions and by the

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end of the year, the figure will
have risen to a shocking 80%.

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We're here to help change all that.

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When it comes to new year's
resolutions, the themes remain

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the same every year
- broadly, eat better, do more exercise.

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We know what we want to do,
broadly we know how to do it,

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the question is
- how do we do it in a way that lasts?

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How do we motivate
ourselves to keep on going?

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To find out, we're going to
run a whole range of different

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experiments throughout this
programme to discover some

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new tricks that could help us
all stick to our resolutions

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and improve our health.

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To designs our tests,

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we've assembled a team of behaviour
experts at the Shard in London.

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'Claire McDonald and Ed Gardner
are leading our brainstorm.'

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If it said, "After you've eaten
these nachos, you really need to

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"go for an hour run," then that
might be something we could explore.

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'It all comes down to understanding
why we believe the way we do.'

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Why do you think it is that people just find
it incredibly difficult to stick to resolutions?

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There's lots of reasons
and I think one of them

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is related to what is pulling
us to behave in a different way,

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so it's easier to be inactive
or eat more unhealthily,

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then we're probably
more likely to do that.

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And we get distracted quite a lot.

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The way our homes are built,
the way we run our lives,

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they're not always set up to
help us act out that new behaviour

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and if we are going to do it,
we've got to change the way we live.

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'So it's not that we lack the will
to be healthier, it's just hard

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'to alter our lifestyles
in ways that really stick.

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'But we want to change that.

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'So we've come to
Derby to test some of Ed

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'and Claire's ideas on how
people can stay motivated.

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'For our first experiment,

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'we've recruited 36 volunteers who
all work here at Derby University.'

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Morning, all. Hi there.

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'Like most of us, they want
to be a bit more active,

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'but find it hard to
motivate themselves.'

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Are you kind of conscious of
sitting quite a lot during the day?

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Yeah, definitely.

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And I tried one of the fitness bands
for a while and it kind of vibrated

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when I'd sat for too long.

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Do you classify yourselves
as active or a bit inactive?

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- A bit inactive.
- I'm not very active at all, I'm afraid.

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I'm trying, but...

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'We're hoping to turn
trying into triumphing.'

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We're asking our volunteers
to put a bit more activity,

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a bit more oomph into their daily lives.

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And we're dividing
them into three groups

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because we want to test out
three very different motivational

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techniques and see which,
if any of them, works.

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'All three groups are being
given the sort of information

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'we hear all the time
- take lunchtime strolls, get

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'off the bus a stop early, and take
the stairs, rather than the lift.

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'But our experiment is about how well
they stick to this more 'active lifestyle.

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'So each group will try a different
technique to remain motivated.

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'Group one are the control group.

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'They're just getting the
usual familiar health messages.

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'Group two will be our competitors.

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'They'll be competing for prizes

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'and will get regular
feedback on their progress.

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'Group three are the collaborators.

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'We're giving them a team target

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'which they have to achieve together.'

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Now, with the control
group, essentially,

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they're kind of like the rest of
us. They've got some information,

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the standard sort of
government information.

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Do you expect that to
make any difference?

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I think we might see some
kind of increase, yeah,

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because we are providing them
with prompts, but it is the kind

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of standard prompts that we know
and are given on a daily basis,

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so information alone is not
enough to change behaviour.

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So I think we might see some kind
of small increase, but potentially

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not as great an increase as
we see within the other groups.

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Why did you choose the different
approaches in the other two groups?

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There's well established, I guess, findings
that competition can improve people's

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productivity and performance, so we're seeing
whether or not it works in this office environment.

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With cooperation, again, there's lots of
evidence around, the role of social proof,

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so actually if you see other
people doing similar things to you,

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or if people provide
you with encouragement

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or support in order to
reach a particular goal,

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then people are much
more likely to commit.

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I do like this. The
uncertainty is quite fun.

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It'll be very interesting to see which
one wins. You think it'll be tight.

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I think it'll be tight
between the cooperation

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and the competition, yeah.

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- OK, I'm going for competition.
- OK.

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Over the past week, we've
gathered our volunteers'

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baseline activity levels.

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Now, we'll be keeping track
over their progress over the next

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four weeks with pedometers
and apps to see which group is

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the most successful at sticking
to a more active lifestyle.

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Will the urge to beat rivals
or the dread of letting

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a group down keep them more motivated?

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We'll find out later in the programme.

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Now, many of us make a
resolution to cut back on alcohol.

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A heroic few are
attempting a dry January,

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something that requires a
supreme act of willpower.

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But for those of us with the
more modest aim of just cutting

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back a bit on the booze,
could there be an easier way?

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Well, some brand new research
coming from the United States

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suggests that an ancient Chinese
remedy might be able to help.

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Surgeon Gabriel Weston's
going to find out more.

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This tablet is made from
the root of the kudzu plant,

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a type of vine native
to South East Asia,

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and there are some intriguing
new studies that suggest that

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taking it can help us reduce
our alcohol consumption

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without us even realising it.

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It's a plant with a long history,

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as Professor Elizabeth
Williamson explains.

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The ancient traditional uses,
going back for 2,000 years, were for

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coughs and colds and flu,
also for blood pressure,

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high blood pressure, hypertension,
angina, quite a lot of things like

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that, but it also has a long history
of use for preventing alcohol abuse.

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And what's its effectiveness
against all those things?

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It's used routinely in China
for people with heart conditions

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and that's been extensively tested.
As far as the alcohol's concerned,

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the history of that is
documented back as far as 600 AD.

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And it's not just ancient tradition.

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There's some new scientific
research that suggest kudzu might be

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effective in curbing
alcohol consumption.

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But does that mean we
should all start buying it?

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I must admit I'm doubtful.

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Sure, there are some tantalising

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and reputable studies
from Harvard no less,

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but these were conducted on lone
drinkers in laboratory conditions,

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hardly equivalent to a boozy night out.

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What we want to do is
test kudzu in the wild,

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so to speak, with a real life scenario

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for the very first time.

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We've recruited a group of
volunteers from companies

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in Reading willing to have two
nights out in the name of science.

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Two hours ago, we gave them all pills.

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Some of them got kudzu
and others a placebo.

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None of them knows which they've taken.

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Now, they're going to have
access to our bar for 90 minutes

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and can have their choice
of beer, wine or spirits,

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and we're monitoring how
much each person consumes.

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In America, studies have shown
that taking kudzu makes people

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drink more slowly and so drink
less. This is thought to happen

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because of a group of active
molecules known as isoflavones

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and the theory is that these
isoflavones help deliver

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alcohol to the brain more quickly,

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so people feel its effects sooner

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and hence, slow down.

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But will this work in the real world?

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One week later, our volunteers are back
at the pub to repeat the experiment.

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Those who had the placebo last
time have been given kudzu this time

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and vice versa.

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Again, they don't know which pills
they've taken and we're monitoring

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how many units they're drinking
to see if the kudzu has any effect.

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So, what do our volunteers think?

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I felt like I was actually slowing
down, compared to last week.

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Pretty similar, really. Yeah.

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- So no dramatic difference
for you? - No, not really. - OK.

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Well, tonight, I didn't
really want to drink as much,

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but I don't know whether that
was because I wanted to or

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whether because it's just cos
of the drugs, I don't know.

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So, guys, I've got the secret
results in the envelope here.

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When you were drinking
as a group without kudzu,

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just with a placebo, you
had seven units per person

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and when you took the kudzu, you had

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5.5 units per person, which means

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that overall, you drank about 20%
less when you took the supplement.

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It's a result.

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I'm both surprised and encouraged
by the results of our test.

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I really didn't expect the
kudzu to make such a substantial

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difference, but before you
rush out to buy kudzu extract,

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it's a case of buyer beware.

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Our test and those in the US
involved each person taking

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over 500mg of the active ingredient.

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But we couldn't find any brands
of kudzu available that had

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the Government's THR mark that
guarantees that they contain

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what they say on the label.

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We had to have ours laboratory
tested to get the right doses

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and they didn't contain the
amount they said on the packet.

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Maddeningly, then, there isn't yet
a reliable product on the market.

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But it's an enticing prospect,
one that could make it easier to

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stick to our resolutions
and cut back on the booze.

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Eating healthily, losing weight,
these are all good resolutions.

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The trouble is we're all
different and it's unlikely that

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a single diet is going to
work just as well in everyone.

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Dr Saleyha Ahsan has been to Israel
to look at some really impressive

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new research which suggests for
the first time it is possible to

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develop a truly personalised diet.

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Some people can eat
exactly what they want

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and they never put on any weight,
whereas others just need to

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look at food and they're
piling on the pounds.

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'For years, we were told that
this couldn't be true, that those

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'who put on weight were secretly
eating more, or exercising less.'

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00:13:09,980 --> 00:13:11,965
Now, that smells gorgeous!

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00:13:11,965 --> 00:13:14,764
'Then we started to blame our genes.

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'But now there's a new discovery
which can explain this phenomenon

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'and crucially, could help
us all become healthier

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'and slimmer without counting calories.'

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A team here in Israel have
found that different people do

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react differently to
different types of food

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and what they've found is that it's not so
much to do with our genes, but our gut bacteria.

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All of us have thousands
of different microbes

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living in our gut. They're
key to how we process food.

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And this new research
suggests that our own personal

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combination of bacteria
can make a real difference.

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'To find out how, I'm going to become

231
00:13:58,217 --> 00:14:03,338
'part of a huge trial that's being
carried out on 1,000 volunteers.

232
00:14:03,338 --> 00:14:06,623
'First, I have to give
a poo or a stool sample

233
00:14:06,623 --> 00:14:09,726
'and I'm being fitted with
a glucometer, a device which

234
00:14:09,726 --> 00:14:13,217
'will measure my blood sugar levels
constantly for the next week.'

235
00:14:13,217 --> 00:14:14,852
Are you ready?

236
00:14:15,328 --> 00:14:18,284
'When we eat, our blood
sugar levels go up,

237
00:14:18,284 --> 00:14:22,086
'but if they go up too high and
too quickly in a spike, this can

238
00:14:22,086 --> 00:14:26,354
'increase our risk of putting
on weight and type 2 diabetes.

239
00:14:26,354 --> 00:14:29,770
'Some foods have long been
thought particularly bad at causing

240
00:14:29,770 --> 00:14:32,920
'blood sugar spikes, but the
researchers here now think

241
00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,455
'those foods are different for each
of us, as Dr Eran Segal explains.'

242
00:14:37,455 --> 00:14:42,391
If we can understand which foods
for individuals in particular

243
00:14:42,391 --> 00:14:44,369
spike their blood sugar levels,

244
00:14:44,369 --> 00:14:46,929
then we might be able
to recommend for them

245
00:14:46,929 --> 00:14:50,422
personally tailored diets that
would achieve a normalised blood

246
00:14:51,343 --> 00:14:53,176
glucose levels in these individuals.

247
00:14:53,176 --> 00:14:55,342
So, why do you need a
stool sample from me?

248
00:14:55,342 --> 00:14:58,678
From the stool, we can actually
extract the collection of gut

249
00:14:59,439 --> 00:15:02,167
microbes that live there.

250
00:15:02,167 --> 00:15:05,659
There's been many different
studies showing the very intimate

251
00:15:05,717 --> 00:15:09,405
relationships between
us and our gut microbes.

252
00:15:09,405 --> 00:15:12,276
If you take gut microbes
from an overweight person

253
00:15:12,276 --> 00:15:15,960
and from a lean person and
you transplant them into mice,

254
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,046
the one who receives the gut
microbes of the overweight person

255
00:15:19,046 --> 00:15:23,711
will increase his body weight
and become obese very quickly,

256
00:15:23,711 --> 00:15:28,967
compared to the other who on the same
exact diet will actually not gain weight.

257
00:15:28,967 --> 00:15:31,395
Oh, my gosh! Wow!

258
00:15:31,875 --> 00:15:35,405
'Each one of us has our own
unique set of gut bacteria

259
00:15:35,405 --> 00:15:38,967
'and the theory is that this
explains why different foods cause

260
00:15:38,967 --> 00:15:41,847
'sugar spikes in different people.

261
00:15:42,349 --> 00:15:44,924
'So I'm going to put that to the test.'

262
00:15:44,924 --> 00:15:48,725
So I'm all kitted out now in
exactly the same way as all the other

263
00:15:48,725 --> 00:15:51,955
hundreds of people involved
in the team's study.

264
00:15:51,955 --> 00:15:56,090
They've got a sample of my gut
bacteria and this little monitor

265
00:15:56,090 --> 00:15:59,815
will be keeping an eye on my blood
sugar levels throughout the week.

266
00:16:01,667 --> 00:16:03,647
'Another volunteer, Leila,

267
00:16:03,647 --> 00:16:06,746
'is starting the same
experiment alongside me.

268
00:16:06,746 --> 00:16:09,889
'We're the same sex and
age and for the next week,

269
00:16:09,889 --> 00:16:13,309
'we're going to do and
eat all the same things.

270
00:16:13,673 --> 00:16:17,021
'But both of us have
different gut microbes,

271
00:16:17,166 --> 00:16:21,624
'so will this make us respond
differently to the same foods?

272
00:16:21,624 --> 00:16:24,767
'A week of careful
monitoring will tell us.'

273
00:16:24,767 --> 00:16:27,112
Go to sleep. OK. There we go.

274
00:16:35,204 --> 00:16:38,812
The next morning, Leila
and I start the experiment.

275
00:16:38,812 --> 00:16:42,031
'We're going to be following
how our blood sugar levels react

276
00:16:42,031 --> 00:16:44,127
'throughout the day to the same foods,

277
00:16:44,127 --> 00:16:47,425
'using finger prick tests
that give an instant result.'

278
00:16:49,220 --> 00:16:52,948
- Right. Breakfast. I'm actually hungry.
- I'm starving.

279
00:16:52,948 --> 00:16:56,285
'The researchers have given us
a really exciting breakfast -

280
00:16:56,285 --> 00:16:58,574
'four slices of white bread.

281
00:16:58,574 --> 00:17:00,398
'This, according to the textbooks...'

282
00:17:00,398 --> 00:17:01,227
Ow!

283
00:17:01,227 --> 00:17:04,703
'..should cause us both a rapid
spike in blood sugar levels.'

284
00:17:04,703 --> 00:17:06,410
Mine's 99.

285
00:17:06,410 --> 00:17:08,952
88. Quite a big difference,
though, isn't it?

286
00:17:08,952 --> 00:17:13,623
So, I'm having a little bit of
a... On my graph, it'll be going up.

287
00:17:13,623 --> 00:17:16,949
'So, I had the expected
spike. Not good for me.

288
00:17:16,949 --> 00:17:20,289
'But Leila's blood sugar remained
at a lower, healthier level.'

289
00:17:20,289 --> 00:17:22,732
# Me and you just singin' on the train,

290
00:17:22,732 --> 00:17:25,056
♪ Me and you listening to the rain... ♪

291
00:17:25,056 --> 00:17:29,163
'Over the next week, we'll continue
to test our bodies' reactions

292
00:17:29,163 --> 00:17:32,048
'to a whole range of
common foods to find out

293
00:17:32,048 --> 00:17:35,639
'which give each of us a bad
sugar spike and which don't.'

294
00:17:35,639 --> 00:17:39,688
I'm allowed to eat ice
cream and I have to say,

295
00:17:39,688 --> 00:17:42,911
after a hot morning's
work, it's delicious.

296
00:17:43,639 --> 00:17:47,557
And then we'll work out whether
I'm ever allowed to have it again!

297
00:17:47,557 --> 00:17:50,466
I'm going to make the
most of it for now.

298
00:17:50,466 --> 00:17:51,462
'From our results,

299
00:17:51,462 --> 00:17:55,100
'the researchers will be able
to relate our gut bacteria to the

300
00:17:55,100 --> 00:17:57,989
'foods that give us a
bad sugar spike and give

301
00:17:57,989 --> 00:18:01,921
'each of us a personalised
diet plan to avoid them.

302
00:18:02,028 --> 00:18:06,650
'But the team here think they
can do even more than that.

303
00:18:07,198 --> 00:18:11,590
'As Dr Eran Elinav, the project's
other lead researcher, explains -

304
00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:15,103
'they believe we can actually
change our gut bacteria,

305
00:18:15,103 --> 00:18:18,168
'giving us a healthier
response to food.'

306
00:18:19,144 --> 00:18:22,518
Eran, how can you actually
change your gut bacteria?

307
00:18:22,518 --> 00:18:25,602
So there's several ways
which are under intense

308
00:18:25,602 --> 00:18:29,385
research at our labs and
nutrition is the strongest

309
00:18:29,385 --> 00:18:32,438
influencer of the composition of
and function of the gut microbes

310
00:18:32,438 --> 00:18:35,768
so if we take, for example,
an extreme situation in which

311
00:18:35,768 --> 00:18:41,075
a person is eating meat and
now he becomes a vegetarian.

312
00:18:41,075 --> 00:18:43,952
And we have done such
experiments in our labs.

313
00:18:43,952 --> 00:18:46,530
You can measure the gut
microbes and, within days,

314
00:18:46,530 --> 00:18:48,883
there will be a dramatic,
very reproducible change

315
00:18:48,883 --> 00:18:52,460
both in the composition and the
function of the gut microbes.

316
00:18:52,460 --> 00:18:55,428
- You're training your gut microbes.
- Absolutely.

317
00:18:55,428 --> 00:18:57,577
This is exactly like
training your muscles.

318
00:18:57,577 --> 00:19:00,719
It is training your other
organ, which is our gut microbes.

319
00:19:00,719 --> 00:19:03,997
- I mean, this is just so exciting.
- I am super excited.

320
00:19:03,997 --> 00:19:09,256
This field and these findings are
what keeps...gets me up at night!

321
00:19:09,256 --> 00:19:11,143
The idea that food affects us

322
00:19:11,143 --> 00:19:16,493
so differently and that we can
alter that effect is brand-new to me.

323
00:19:16,493 --> 00:19:19,830
I'd accepted the view that
some foods gave all of us

324
00:19:19,830 --> 00:19:23,153
a sugar spike and others
didn't but, during this week,

325
00:19:23,153 --> 00:19:27,577
I've already begun to see hints
that this isn't quite true.

326
00:19:27,577 --> 00:19:32,079
So I'm really looking forward
to seeing what the entire picture

327
00:19:32,079 --> 00:19:34,879
looks like with all of my results.

328
00:19:34,879 --> 00:19:38,150
I'll be getting my personalised
diet results a bit later

329
00:19:38,150 --> 00:19:41,398
in the programme, seeing what
it does for me, and finding

330
00:19:41,398 --> 00:19:44,463
out more about the implications
of this research for all of us.

331
00:19:55,145 --> 00:19:58,073
Another common resolution
is to get more sleep.

332
00:19:58,073 --> 00:20:00,044
We all know how good it is for us,

333
00:20:00,044 --> 00:20:02,255
but if we have real problems sleeping,

334
00:20:02,255 --> 00:20:05,452
it can be a very hard nut to crack.

335
00:20:05,452 --> 00:20:07,790
But we've got some
new tricks you can try.

336
00:20:07,790 --> 00:20:09,808
Over to Dr Chris van Tulleken.

337
00:20:11,941 --> 00:20:16,015
I'm a lousy sleeper and it's
getting worse as I get older.

338
00:20:16,015 --> 00:20:18,453
You know, I wake up in the
middle of the night more,

339
00:20:18,453 --> 00:20:20,149
then I'm tired during the day,

340
00:20:20,149 --> 00:20:22,498
so I have a nap, usually
through something important,

341
00:20:22,498 --> 00:20:25,096
that stresses me out, then I
can't get to sleep at night.

342
00:20:25,096 --> 00:20:27,433
It's a really lousy pattern.

343
00:20:27,730 --> 00:20:31,550
Getting into bad sleeping habits can
have serious effects on our brains.

344
00:20:31,550 --> 00:20:33,542
So how can we break them?

345
00:20:33,648 --> 00:20:36,631
To put our theories to the
test, we found a place where

346
00:20:36,631 --> 00:20:40,511
there are plenty of people
suffering from problems sleeping -

347
00:20:40,511 --> 00:20:42,535
a retirement village.

348
00:20:42,535 --> 00:20:45,445
As we get older, problems
with sleep get worse.

349
00:20:45,445 --> 00:20:50,481
Time we went to bed, between 10
and 11, I was wide awake again.

350
00:20:50,481 --> 00:20:53,968
And it would be three, four and
five o'clock before I'd go to sleep,

351
00:20:53,968 --> 00:20:55,105
tossing and turning.

352
00:20:55,105 --> 00:20:58,947
I've started recently getting
up four or five times a night.

353
00:20:58,947 --> 00:21:02,051
Sometimes I'd be wide awake
at two o'clock in the morning.

354
00:21:02,051 --> 00:21:06,924
And I wouldn't go to bed till
six o'clock, seven o'clock.

355
00:21:06,951 --> 00:21:09,123
These are classic patterns of bad sleep.

356
00:21:09,123 --> 00:21:10,869
And whether you're stressed

357
00:21:10,869 --> 00:21:13,313
or getting older, the cause is the same.

358
00:21:13,313 --> 00:21:17,529
It's down to your hormones,
especially one called melatonin.

359
00:21:17,529 --> 00:21:20,432
This hormone should naturally
be released into our brain

360
00:21:20,432 --> 00:21:23,148
when night falls, making us feel drowsy.

361
00:21:23,148 --> 00:21:26,095
Dr Manny Bagary explains.

362
00:21:26,095 --> 00:21:28,734
This is a melatonin
curve of a young adult.

363
00:21:29,610 --> 00:21:32,748
As you can see, round
about seven o'clock,

364
00:21:32,748 --> 00:21:36,307
the melatonin levels start to
increase up until about three,

365
00:21:36,307 --> 00:21:38,394
four o'clock in the
morning, at which they peak

366
00:21:38,394 --> 00:21:39,987
and then start to decrease.

367
00:21:39,987 --> 00:21:43,510
And melatonin is the hormone
that puts me to sleep.

368
00:21:43,510 --> 00:21:45,264
Yeah, it helps you to go to sleep.

369
00:21:45,264 --> 00:21:48,402
OK, why does our sleep
get worse as we get older?

370
00:21:48,402 --> 00:21:50,197
So, as we get older,

371
00:21:50,729 --> 00:21:54,393
the peak in melatonin often
comes a little bit earlier,

372
00:21:54,393 --> 00:21:56,006
so we tend to sleep a little bit earlier

373
00:21:56,006 --> 00:21:58,800
and we also tend to wake
up a little bit earlier.

374
00:22:00,430 --> 00:22:02,962
'So to tackle our volunteers' problems

375
00:22:02,962 --> 00:22:06,619
'we're going to start by
measuring their melatonin levels.

376
00:22:06,968 --> 00:22:10,460
'Charmingly, we collected
their spit at regular intervals

377
00:22:10,460 --> 00:22:13,077
'throughout the day
until they fall asleep.'

378
00:22:13,077 --> 00:22:13,860
Thanks a lot(!)

379
00:22:16,420 --> 00:22:18,963
We're also tracking their sleep
patterns through watches that

380
00:22:18,963 --> 00:22:22,106
monitor their movements and
through detailed diaries.

381
00:22:24,792 --> 00:22:28,240
After a week, Manny analyses
our volunteers' data.

382
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,709
For some, it's clear from
their melatonin patterns

383
00:22:30,709 --> 00:22:32,765
that their body clocks are all wrong.

384
00:22:34,356 --> 00:22:36,748
Tony shows a classic
pattern for older people,

385
00:22:36,748 --> 00:22:39,929
with his melatonin peaking
too early, around 8pm,

386
00:22:41,154 --> 00:22:42,821
sending him napping.

387
00:22:42,821 --> 00:22:46,915
But his melatonin then drops again
when he should be going to bed.

388
00:22:48,330 --> 00:22:53,559
Billy, instead, has very low levels
all night and can't get to sleep.

389
00:22:53,994 --> 00:22:56,451
And then it suddenly
peaks in the early morning,

390
00:22:56,451 --> 00:22:59,206
which is when he finds
himself finally dropping off.

391
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,303
'We, though, have researched a
whole raft of ways that might help

392
00:23:05,303 --> 00:23:07,413
'get their body clocks back on track,

393
00:23:07,413 --> 00:23:11,599
'boosting melatonin at the right
times and helping with sleep.

394
00:23:12,558 --> 00:23:14,770
'And I've prepared
each of our volunteers

395
00:23:14,770 --> 00:23:17,447
'a Trust Me sleeping
bag with instructions.'

396
00:23:17,447 --> 00:23:19,503
- There you go.
- Cheers.

397
00:23:19,503 --> 00:23:22,784
'The regime, surprisingly,
starts in the morning.'

398
00:23:22,784 --> 00:23:25,897
That's the last thing I need!

399
00:23:26,500 --> 00:23:28,432
'They're not allowed to lie in.

400
00:23:28,432 --> 00:23:32,724
'They must get up and open the
curtains to get bright sunlight.

401
00:23:32,997 --> 00:23:35,015
'Sunlight helps set the body clock,

402
00:23:35,015 --> 00:23:37,692
'suppressing melatonin
production in the brain.

403
00:23:37,692 --> 00:23:40,766
'This should help make
them alert for the day.

404
00:23:40,834 --> 00:23:44,520
'Caffeine in the morning
is fine, but not after 3pm.'

405
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:46,304
Decaf tea.

406
00:23:46,304 --> 00:23:49,345
'Afternoon naps are strictly forbidden.

407
00:23:49,679 --> 00:23:53,141
'The supper menu
- a few unusual things to try,

408
00:23:53,145 --> 00:23:55,889
'even though there's
less evidence for them.'

409
00:23:55,889 --> 00:23:59,098
Pineapples actually contain melatonin.

410
00:23:59,098 --> 00:24:00,266
It's a bit of a long shot

411
00:24:00,266 --> 00:24:02,423
as to whether or not they'll
put you to sleep, but if you're

412
00:24:02,423 --> 00:24:05,419
desperate and you like pineapple,
well, it might be worth a go.

413
00:24:07,169 --> 00:24:09,225
Oh, wonderful.

414
00:24:09,225 --> 00:24:12,680
'And there are other
melatonin-containing alternatives

415
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,158
'such as rice, walnuts, sweetcorn,

416
00:24:15,158 --> 00:24:19,432
'banana, orange and a warm, milky drink.

417
00:24:20,098 --> 00:24:23,774
'After supper, it's no
alcohol and complete darkness.'

418
00:24:23,774 --> 00:24:26,684
What's this? A sleep mask.

419
00:24:26,684 --> 00:24:29,764
'Even the blue-tinted
light from computer screens

420
00:24:29,764 --> 00:24:33,112
'and TVs can suppress melatonin
that should be being released

421
00:24:33,112 --> 00:24:35,750
'into their brains and
helping put them to sleep.

422
00:24:38,311 --> 00:24:41,352
'Our volunteers have agreed to
stick to this routine for a week

423
00:24:41,352 --> 00:24:45,089
'whilst we continue to monitor
their sleep and melatonin levels.

424
00:24:45,089 --> 00:24:47,334
'So how have they got on?'

425
00:24:47,334 --> 00:24:50,389
I pretty well liked what was in the bag.

426
00:24:50,389 --> 00:24:52,445
I'm a very happy bunny.

427
00:24:52,445 --> 00:24:56,533
I really did lay off having
coffee in the evening.

428
00:24:56,533 --> 00:24:59,934
I did try to take my
half-glass of hot milk

429
00:24:59,934 --> 00:25:02,917
and I think that made a difference, too.

430
00:25:02,917 --> 00:25:05,389
So, Manny, what were the results?

431
00:25:05,389 --> 00:25:06,432
The results were very interesting.

432
00:25:06,432 --> 00:25:09,469
Most people seemed to get
better but those changes really

433
00:25:09,469 --> 00:25:11,603
seemed to come through
towards the end of the week.

434
00:25:11,603 --> 00:25:14,072
And three people got
significantly better.

435
00:25:14,512 --> 00:25:17,485
For example, at the start,
Kerry's melatonin levels

436
00:25:17,485 --> 00:25:19,261
were very low through the night,

437
00:25:19,261 --> 00:25:21,636
linked to her problems sleeping.

438
00:25:21,783 --> 00:25:24,746
But now her cycle has
returned to normal.

439
00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,012
I tried doing the things
that were on the list.

440
00:25:28,012 --> 00:25:29,897
I ate the foods at the right time.

441
00:25:29,897 --> 00:25:32,476
I'm going to make sure
that she doesn't drink

442
00:25:32,476 --> 00:25:35,930
- as much coffee any more. She does.
- And the wine. - Can't stop the wine.

443
00:25:35,930 --> 00:25:39,101
- No, no, the wine can be medicinal, but coffee, no.
- Ooh!

444
00:25:39,101 --> 00:25:43,640
Beryl's sleeping patterns show that
she woke up fewer times each night.

445
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:48,218
One of the articles you gave us
and told us was to block out light.

446
00:25:48,218 --> 00:25:50,856
And I did that, and
that was a great help.

447
00:25:50,856 --> 00:25:54,464
Some of the other things we
tried were rather experimental,

448
00:25:54,464 --> 00:25:57,433
but others have good
scientific backing behind them

449
00:25:57,433 --> 00:26:00,807
and some of them, at least,
seem to have had an effect.

450
00:26:00,807 --> 00:26:05,504
With the results based on one week's
intervention are very impressive.

451
00:26:05,504 --> 00:26:08,191
We would expect improvements to bed in

452
00:26:08,191 --> 00:26:10,300
over a period of six to eight weeks.

453
00:26:10,300 --> 00:26:12,395
Is anyone going to keep up any

454
00:26:12,395 --> 00:26:15,615
of the advice or interventions
that we have given?

455
00:26:15,615 --> 00:26:17,671
Yes, because it helped.

456
00:26:17,671 --> 00:26:20,271
Instead of three, four,
five o'clock in the morning,

457
00:26:20,271 --> 00:26:22,371
I can go to sleep now straightaway.

458
00:26:22,371 --> 00:26:26,638
I think we are
definitely sleeping better

459
00:26:26,638 --> 00:26:31,022
because of what we have
learned, what we have been shown.

460
00:26:31,022 --> 00:26:34,087
There is evidence that
better melatonin patterns

461
00:26:34,087 --> 00:26:36,454
and sleep might do all
our brains good, too,

462
00:26:36,454 --> 00:26:37,735
helping keep us sharp.

463
00:26:39,533 --> 00:26:41,473
You know, I think a
lot of us just accept,

464
00:26:41,473 --> 00:26:43,568
as we get older and
we get more stressed,

465
00:26:43,568 --> 00:26:47,137
we're just never going to sleep that
well again, but there is this what

466
00:26:47,567 --> 00:26:50,835
I think of as a kind of bundle of
changes you can make in your life.

467
00:26:50,835 --> 00:26:53,951
These might help restore your
melatonin and sleep patterns

468
00:26:53,951 --> 00:26:58,188
so that you don't just feel better,
your mind will stay sharper, too.

469
00:26:58,188 --> 00:27:00,766
There's information about all
the tricks you can try to sort

470
00:27:00,766 --> 00:27:04,715
out your body clock and
melatonin levels on our website...

471
00:27:18,290 --> 00:27:20,699
The hardest thing about getting
healthier isn't knowing what

472
00:27:20,699 --> 00:27:24,677
to do, it's actually going out and
doing it and then sticking to it.

473
00:27:24,677 --> 00:27:28,444
And that's why we've set off a whole
array of experiments here in Derby

474
00:27:28,444 --> 00:27:32,051
to see which, if any, help
people achieve their health goals.

475
00:27:36,202 --> 00:27:37,367
Morning, all!

476
00:27:37,367 --> 00:27:38,789
'In the university offices,

477
00:27:38,789 --> 00:27:42,514
'36 volunteers have set
out to get more active.

478
00:27:42,514 --> 00:27:46,624
'We're testing whether competing
with each other or cooperating to

479
00:27:46,624 --> 00:27:50,310
'achieve a group target is
better to keep them motivated.

480
00:27:51,082 --> 00:27:53,912
'My resolution, though, is around food.

481
00:27:53,912 --> 00:27:58,724
'Whenever it's there, I'm tempted
to eat it, especially if it's sugary.

482
00:27:58,820 --> 00:28:02,641
'So how can I get better
at resisting temptation?

483
00:28:02,641 --> 00:28:04,399
'Well, there is research that suggests

484
00:28:04,399 --> 00:28:07,077
'a few simple tricks might
make a big difference.'

485
00:28:09,968 --> 00:28:13,362
Experts from Cornell University
in the United States have done

486
00:28:13,362 --> 00:28:17,042
some absolutely fascinating
research looking at the links

487
00:28:17,042 --> 00:28:21,331
between our weight and the foods
we leave lying out on the surface.

488
00:28:21,331 --> 00:28:24,001
And based on studies
in hundreds of kitchens,

489
00:28:24,001 --> 00:28:26,347
they've come up with some golden rules

490
00:28:26,347 --> 00:28:29,250
of what to do and what not to do.

491
00:28:32,068 --> 00:28:35,326
First, put all food out of sight...

492
00:28:36,374 --> 00:28:38,318
..apart from fruit.

493
00:28:39,698 --> 00:28:43,265
What the experts found was that
people weighed more on average

494
00:28:43,265 --> 00:28:45,904
if they kept things like
biscuits, fizzy drinks,

495
00:28:45,904 --> 00:28:49,900
crisps and even cereal on their
kitchen counters, whereas those

496
00:28:49,900 --> 00:28:54,207
with just fruit on the counter
were more likely to weigh less.

497
00:28:54,207 --> 00:28:57,893
The trick here is to avoid
temptation altogether.

498
00:28:57,893 --> 00:29:01,501
What I'm doing is out
of sight and out of mind.

499
00:29:01,501 --> 00:29:05,657
But, in reality, I am such a
chocoholic that I'd actually have to

500
00:29:05,657 --> 00:29:09,904
give this to my wife to hide,
otherwise I would go and eat it.

501
00:29:09,904 --> 00:29:11,964
Next, reorder your cupboards.

502
00:29:11,964 --> 00:29:15,551
It turns out we are all naturally
a bit lazy and are three times

503
00:29:15,551 --> 00:29:19,416
more likely to eat the first
foods we see than the fifth one.

504
00:29:19,416 --> 00:29:21,844
So put healthier foods first.

505
00:29:21,844 --> 00:29:24,734
And take vegetables out of the
drawers at the bottom of the fridge

506
00:29:24,734 --> 00:29:26,441
and put them where you can see them.

507
00:29:28,847 --> 00:29:31,678
Then there's the eating itself.

508
00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,990
When I cook a family meal like
a casserole, I would normally

509
00:29:34,990 --> 00:29:38,714
leave it on the kitchen table
for people to help themselves.

510
00:29:38,714 --> 00:29:41,664
Well, it turns out this is
actually a really bad idea.

511
00:29:41,664 --> 00:29:43,985
In studies we have
found that, if you leave

512
00:29:43,985 --> 00:29:49,462
the casserole on the stove, then
people will actually 20% less.

513
00:29:49,462 --> 00:29:52,142
Why? Well, we don't just
eat when we're hungry,

514
00:29:52,142 --> 00:29:53,760
we eat what is in front of us.

515
00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,870
So if you leave it over there,
then people are far less likely

516
00:29:56,870 --> 00:30:00,589
to help themselves to unnecessary
seconds, or even thirds.

517
00:30:02,141 --> 00:30:04,928
The trick is to understand
that we naturally tend

518
00:30:04,928 --> 00:30:08,536
to go for the easy option and
make that the healthy option.

519
00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:13,959
Which is all very well in
the privacy of our own homes,

520
00:30:13,959 --> 00:30:16,714
but what happens when
we head out shopping?

521
00:30:18,491 --> 00:30:21,302
'There, it seems, the whole
world is designed to make us

522
00:30:21,302 --> 00:30:25,499
'buy more food, and
often less healthy food.

523
00:30:25,531 --> 00:30:28,984
'Well, behaviour expert Claire
McDonald has some tricks for us

524
00:30:28,984 --> 00:30:31,260
'to try there too.'

525
00:30:31,778 --> 00:30:33,862
The shopping environment
has been designed to help us

526
00:30:33,862 --> 00:30:38,088
conveniently move around a store
in a kind of mindless fashion.

527
00:30:38,088 --> 00:30:41,908
A fog head. You'll have the
similar items week in, week out,

528
00:30:41,908 --> 00:30:45,322
and how they get into your
basket isn't necessarily choice,

529
00:30:45,322 --> 00:30:47,766
it's just repetition, habits.

530
00:30:47,766 --> 00:30:49,784
We get into a way of shopping.

531
00:30:51,258 --> 00:30:55,321
'And she's unearthed some possible
ways of breaking those bad habits.

532
00:30:55,321 --> 00:30:58,629
'But they require rather
unusual experiments

533
00:30:58,629 --> 00:31:01,600
'at an obliging local supermarket.

534
00:31:01,777 --> 00:31:04,764
'Firstly, can we be
nudged into healthy habits

535
00:31:04,764 --> 00:31:07,126
'if caught at the right moment...'

536
00:31:07,126 --> 00:31:10,297
Good-looking guy! I'd trust him.

537
00:31:10,658 --> 00:31:15,028
'..unexpected messages and
reminders at the right time?'

538
00:31:15,530 --> 00:31:18,130
We're going to remind people
as they go round the store,

539
00:31:18,130 --> 00:31:21,389
so they don't get lost in the
kind of mind space of shopping.

540
00:31:21,389 --> 00:31:23,678
They're going to be
prompted continually.

541
00:31:23,678 --> 00:31:26,292
So by putting a prompt
right by the fruit and veg,

542
00:31:26,292 --> 00:31:29,062
you can act upon the
message as you receive it.

543
00:31:29,062 --> 00:31:31,733
So, soon there could
become more cut-outs of me

544
00:31:31,733 --> 00:31:34,062
- scattered all over the country!
- A terrifying thought.

545
00:31:34,062 --> 00:31:35,667
An army of Michaels across the country

546
00:31:35,667 --> 00:31:38,193
telling you to eat fruit and veg.

547
00:31:38,427 --> 00:31:40,443
And we're also testing a new theory,

548
00:31:40,443 --> 00:31:45,050
that what we eat just before we shop
will influence our buying habits.

549
00:31:45,050 --> 00:31:48,207
We've probably all suffered
from shopping while hungry,

550
00:31:48,207 --> 00:31:51,587
but how about shopping while eating?

551
00:31:51,864 --> 00:31:54,794
Over the next few weeks we're
going to monitor the sales of fruit

552
00:31:54,794 --> 00:31:56,772
and vegetables in this shop

553
00:31:56,772 --> 00:31:59,527
and see if our interventions
have made any difference.

554
00:31:59,527 --> 00:32:01,779
If they have, and even if they haven't,

555
00:32:01,779 --> 00:32:03,991
we should learn some valuable lessons.

556
00:32:05,349 --> 00:32:08,839
'And when the results came
in, they were encouraging.

557
00:32:08,839 --> 00:32:11,146
'Compared with similar stores,

558
00:32:11,146 --> 00:32:15,609
'this one had an 8% increase in
vegetable sales over six weeks.

559
00:32:15,609 --> 00:32:19,390
'It seems that reminders at
the crucial time really helped.

560
00:32:19,390 --> 00:32:22,726
'And when we encourage people to
eat clementines before shopping,

561
00:32:22,726 --> 00:32:25,163
'clementine sales went through the roof.

562
00:32:25,163 --> 00:32:26,948
'Not a surprise to marketeers, perhaps,

563
00:32:26,948 --> 00:32:29,859
'but something we could
turn to our advantage.'

564
00:32:29,859 --> 00:32:31,110
Thank you!

565
00:32:31,110 --> 00:32:34,889
'So when you're hitting the food
shops, use your own psychology.

566
00:32:34,889 --> 00:32:38,105
'Don't go snacking on chocolate
and crisps just beforehand

567
00:32:38,105 --> 00:32:40,743
'if you want to avoid buying more junk.

568
00:32:40,743 --> 00:32:43,227
'And use the power of
the timely reminder.

569
00:32:43,227 --> 00:32:46,137
'You don't need a
life-size cut-out of me.

570
00:32:46,137 --> 00:32:49,396
'A note to self on
shopping list should do it.'

571
00:33:02,124 --> 00:33:04,910
'Earlier in the programme
I was in Israel...'

572
00:33:04,910 --> 00:33:05,623
Are you ready?

573
00:33:05,623 --> 00:33:09,193
'..taking part in a new study
that promises to revolutionise

574
00:33:09,193 --> 00:33:11,651
'the way we think about foods.

575
00:33:11,651 --> 00:33:14,755
'The researchers there believe
that what's good for one person

576
00:33:14,755 --> 00:33:16,566
'can be bad for another

577
00:33:16,566 --> 00:33:20,873
'because of differences in the
bacteria we all have in our guts.

578
00:33:20,873 --> 00:33:24,830
'If true, this could
change diet advice for ever.

579
00:33:27,571 --> 00:33:31,852
'To put it to the test, both
I and another volunteer, Leila,

580
00:33:31,852 --> 00:33:35,144
'ate exactly the same things for a week.

581
00:33:35,144 --> 00:33:39,703
'The researchers analysed how those
'foods affected our blood sugar levels

582
00:33:39,703 --> 00:33:44,158
'and how this in turn related
'to different bacteria in our gut.

583
00:33:44,830 --> 00:33:48,943
'Dr Eran Segal is about
to reveal our results.'

584
00:33:48,943 --> 00:33:53,466
Basically, we have analysed
everything that you ate.

585
00:33:53,466 --> 00:33:58,069
So there are certain items that
we identified as being good,

586
00:33:58,069 --> 00:34:02,360
and good in the sense that they do
not raise your blood sugar levels much.

587
00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:06,298
- OK.
- And we can put that into categories of things that are...

588
00:34:06,298 --> 00:34:09,713
I'm already seeing things that
I love that are on the bad!

589
00:34:09,713 --> 00:34:11,670
Oh, no!

590
00:34:11,670 --> 00:34:14,152
Cereal, grapes, tomato soup

591
00:34:14,152 --> 00:34:16,641
and sushi all turn out to give me

592
00:34:16,641 --> 00:34:18,888
a bad spike in blood sugar levels,

593
00:34:18,888 --> 00:34:23,339
increasing my risk of type 2
diabetes and putting on weight.

594
00:34:23,339 --> 00:34:24,827
I thought I was being healthy.

595
00:34:24,827 --> 00:34:29,272
I thought, "Right, I've got
grapes. I'll just snack on grapes."

596
00:34:29,272 --> 00:34:32,647
And as I've been doing that
I've actually been contributing

597
00:34:32,647 --> 00:34:35,790
to my glucose levels
spiking and getting fatter.

598
00:34:35,790 --> 00:34:41,297
But cola, ice cream, chocolate and
croissants are all on my GOOD list.

599
00:34:41,297 --> 00:34:43,393
It's all very surprising.

600
00:34:43,393 --> 00:34:47,416
- I haven't bought a loaf of bread for years.
- Really?

601
00:34:47,416 --> 00:34:48,851
I can't believe that.

602
00:34:48,851 --> 00:34:50,699
'And compared to mine,

603
00:34:50,699 --> 00:34:51,862
'Leila's results

604
00:34:51,862 --> 00:34:52,909
'just go to show

605
00:34:52,909 --> 00:34:55,378
'how different individuals are.

606
00:34:55,378 --> 00:34:57,784
'Several foods, like croissants,

607
00:34:57,784 --> 00:35:00,306
'bananas and nuts, pasta and pizza,

608
00:35:00,306 --> 00:35:01,872
'had opposite effects

609
00:35:01,872 --> 00:35:03,467
'on the two of us.

610
00:35:03,467 --> 00:35:05,097
'And this means that standard

611
00:35:05,097 --> 00:35:06,455
'healthy eating advice

612
00:35:06,455 --> 00:35:07,641
'is doing some of us

613
00:35:07,641 --> 00:35:09,628
'no good at all.'

614
00:35:09,628 --> 00:35:10,869
Wow!

615
00:35:10,869 --> 00:35:12,555
I'm so surprised.

616
00:35:12,555 --> 00:35:15,504
This is showing you the
results on two individuals,

617
00:35:15,504 --> 00:35:18,221
but we've tested close
to 1,000 individuals.

618
00:35:18,221 --> 00:35:21,634
And, for example, if a
dietician tells somebody

619
00:35:21,634 --> 00:35:23,420
to eat wholegrain rice,

620
00:35:23,420 --> 00:35:27,369
and we see that many people actually
spike for rice and they don't know it,

621
00:35:27,369 --> 00:35:32,396
then that advice can actually have
harmful effects in the long run.

622
00:35:32,396 --> 00:35:33,263
Yeah.

623
00:35:33,263 --> 00:35:36,794
'But the team think that knowing
our gut microbes could help.'

624
00:35:36,794 --> 00:35:41,591
When comparing you and Leila,
we actually found very big

625
00:35:41,591 --> 00:35:45,004
differences in your
microbiome composition.

626
00:35:45,004 --> 00:35:49,196
Leila has a good bacterial
composition that is much more diverse.

627
00:35:49,196 --> 00:35:51,096
- She's got more colours.
- More colours.

628
00:35:51,096 --> 00:35:53,302
And in general, more colours

629
00:35:53,302 --> 00:35:57,230
and more diversity of gut
bacteria is a good thing to have.

630
00:35:57,230 --> 00:36:01,460
So if I follow the diet
that you've given me,

631
00:36:01,460 --> 00:36:04,835
- then I could end up with a more colourful pie chart.
- You might.

632
00:36:04,835 --> 00:36:09,520
And then perhaps, after
altering your good bacteria,

633
00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:13,609
your response to foods might
actually improve overall

634
00:36:13,609 --> 00:36:16,403
and your glucose metabolism
might improve overall.

635
00:36:16,403 --> 00:36:18,538
'These results are fascinating

636
00:36:18,538 --> 00:36:22,712
'and clearly I have to try what
the researchers are suggesting.'

637
00:36:22,712 --> 00:36:23,954
Looking ahead -

638
00:36:23,954 --> 00:36:26,321
and I am so excited about this -

639
00:36:26,321 --> 00:36:29,156
I'm going to stick to the
good food diet, I'm going

640
00:36:29,156 --> 00:36:34,115
to avoid the bad food diet
and then we're going to re-test

641
00:36:34,115 --> 00:36:38,107
for my gut bacteria to see if
there's been any difference.

642
00:36:38,107 --> 00:36:41,173
And according to Eran, there should be.

643
00:36:43,051 --> 00:36:47,317
So for two weeks, it's out with
the red foods and in with the green.

644
00:36:48,851 --> 00:36:52,760
Meanwhile, back in Israel, the
team are analysing my gut bacteria

645
00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,381
in stool samples I send them.

646
00:36:55,381 --> 00:36:57,980
Now it's time to find
out what they've seen.

647
00:37:01,090 --> 00:37:04,465
- Hi, how are you doing,
guys? - Good. - We're good.

648
00:37:04,465 --> 00:37:08,617
What I'm dying to know
is, how were my results?

649
00:37:08,617 --> 00:37:13,001
Your microbiome configuration
dramatically changed.

650
00:37:13,001 --> 00:37:16,743
And in most aspects it
changed for the better.

651
00:37:16,743 --> 00:37:21,205
We saw that certain bacteria
that are typically associated with

652
00:37:21,205 --> 00:37:26,170
- a risk for obesity and diabetes became lower.
- Really?

653
00:37:26,170 --> 00:37:29,791
We can see that certain
bacteria that are associated with

654
00:37:29,791 --> 00:37:34,754
- improved glucose tolerance, they actually went up.
- That's amazing.

655
00:37:34,754 --> 00:37:39,992
- And actually over a really short space of time.
- Absolutely.

656
00:37:41,246 --> 00:37:44,039
The results are incredibly promising.

657
00:37:44,039 --> 00:37:46,459
If I keep to the personalised diet,

658
00:37:46,620 --> 00:37:49,893
my gut bacteria should
continue to change.

659
00:37:49,893 --> 00:37:51,989
My health should improve

660
00:37:51,989 --> 00:37:54,886
and I may even lose some weight.

661
00:37:54,886 --> 00:37:57,610
This research is truly revolutionary

662
00:37:57,610 --> 00:38:02,034
and has the potential to
transform our health in the future.

663
00:38:03,274 --> 00:38:06,160
I'm so excited by what
I've just been told.

664
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:10,506
In the space of just a few weeks,
I've managed to change my own

665
00:38:10,506 --> 00:38:13,215
gut microbiome profile.

666
00:38:13,215 --> 00:38:16,115
This experience is
going to change my life,

667
00:38:16,115 --> 00:38:21,258
and I hope in the future it
will help other people too.

668
00:38:21,258 --> 00:38:25,380
The team in Israel are now
working on a way to allow anyone to

669
00:38:25,380 --> 00:38:30,650
send in a stool sample and get a
personalised diet plan in return.

670
00:38:32,881 --> 00:38:36,505
And they are currently running
a study over a year to see how

671
00:38:36,505 --> 00:38:40,229
long you need to stay on the diet
to maintain the healthy changes

672
00:38:40,229 --> 00:38:42,256
in your gut bacteria.

673
00:38:42,394 --> 00:38:45,226
There are more details
on our website at...

674
00:38:54,470 --> 00:38:58,815
Still to come, could your
scales really be lying to you?

675
00:38:58,815 --> 00:39:01,764
And is there such a thing
as too much exercise?

676
00:39:01,764 --> 00:39:02,967
But first...

677
00:39:07,210 --> 00:39:10,624
For those of us whose resolution
is to get more exercise,

678
00:39:10,624 --> 00:39:13,190
running is a very popular option.

679
00:39:13,190 --> 00:39:18,543
But is there really any difference between
treadmill running and outdoor running?

680
00:39:18,543 --> 00:39:20,716
And which one is better for our bodies?

681
00:39:23,533 --> 00:39:25,952
I'm going to try pounding the pavement

682
00:39:25,952 --> 00:39:28,629
and toiling on the
treadmill to find out.

683
00:39:32,533 --> 00:39:35,847
First, does one of them get
me fitter than the other?

684
00:39:36,562 --> 00:39:39,488
Well, there's a decent chance
you're burning more calories

685
00:39:39,488 --> 00:39:41,634
if you're out in the open air.

686
00:39:41,890 --> 00:39:45,094
Running outside actually
uses up more energy than

687
00:39:45,094 --> 00:39:47,787
running at the same
speed on a treadmill.

688
00:39:47,787 --> 00:39:50,076
This is largely due to wind resistance,

689
00:39:50,076 --> 00:39:53,260
which you just don't
get running indoors.

690
00:39:53,642 --> 00:39:57,117
However, a study conducted at
the University of Exeter shows

691
00:39:57,117 --> 00:40:00,027
that you can easily
compensate for this in the gym

692
00:40:00,027 --> 00:40:04,327
simply by setting your
treadmill to a 1% gradient.

693
00:40:04,327 --> 00:40:06,821
But there's also the
issue of perception.

694
00:40:06,821 --> 00:40:10,091
A study from 2012 found
that the treadmill can

695
00:40:10,091 --> 00:40:12,517
distort our perception of speed.

696
00:40:12,517 --> 00:40:15,756
When participants were asked to
match their outdoor running speed

697
00:40:15,756 --> 00:40:19,616
on a treadmill, they ended up
running significantly slower.

698
00:40:19,616 --> 00:40:22,230
This suggests that not
only do we work harder

699
00:40:22,230 --> 00:40:26,566
when we're running outside, we
don't even realise we're doing it.

700
00:40:27,257 --> 00:40:30,674
So if running edges it
in terms of work rate,

701
00:40:30,674 --> 00:40:33,543
what method is safest for our bodies?

702
00:40:33,543 --> 00:40:38,238
When it comes to injuries, there are
fewer hazards to treadmill running.

703
00:40:41,381 --> 00:40:44,213
But there are also some
surprising drawbacks.

704
00:40:45,260 --> 00:40:48,413
Repetition of the same movement
can put us at a grater risk

705
00:40:48,413 --> 00:40:52,671
of wearing out joint or ligaments
and ending up with an injury.

706
00:40:53,055 --> 00:40:57,238
When we run, each foot hits the
ground about 1,000 times per mile,

707
00:40:57,238 --> 00:40:59,865
leading to a lot of wear and tear.

708
00:40:59,865 --> 00:41:01,534
So if you use a treadmill,

709
00:41:01,534 --> 00:41:04,640
where you're performing the
same action again and again,

710
00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:09,607
it's a good idea to mix it up a bit
by varying the speed and incline.

711
00:41:11,867 --> 00:41:15,111
This is less of an issue
in the great outdoors.

712
00:41:16,202 --> 00:41:19,174
When you run outdoors,
especially if you go off-road,

713
00:41:19,174 --> 00:41:22,103
each step is likely to be
different because of the uneven

714
00:41:22,103 --> 00:41:26,680
and varied terrain, and this can
actually strengthen the ligaments,

715
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:32,965
activate a variety of muscles and
even teach the body better balance.

716
00:41:35,499 --> 00:41:38,406
Studies have also shown
that exercising outdoors

717
00:41:38,406 --> 00:41:42,170
is good for the mind and for
lowering stress and blood pressure.

718
00:41:43,649 --> 00:41:46,792
Plus there are the advantages
of exposure to the sunshine

719
00:41:46,792 --> 00:41:48,983
and therefore to vitamin D,

720
00:41:48,983 --> 00:41:52,474
although in Britain that
clearly can't be guaranteed.

721
00:41:52,474 --> 00:41:54,996
For strength, fitness and well-being,

722
00:41:54,996 --> 00:41:58,901
outdoor running clearly has
the edge and it costs nothing.

723
00:41:58,901 --> 00:42:02,354
But if you prefer the treadmill,
make sure you take advantage

724
00:42:02,354 --> 00:42:07,669
of all its features to up the
energy levels and ring the changes.

725
00:42:08,423 --> 00:42:11,410
But when you're enthusiastically
getting your exercise,

726
00:42:11,410 --> 00:42:15,833
can you overdo it? Is there such
a thing as too much exercise?

727
00:42:15,833 --> 00:42:18,682
The current government
guidelines for adults are

728
00:42:18,682 --> 00:42:21,875
150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

729
00:42:21,875 --> 00:42:25,483
But is this the best amount
for us or just the minimum?

730
00:42:25,483 --> 00:42:27,645
Michael is finding out.

731
00:42:27,731 --> 00:42:30,568
I've come to hear the opinions
of two of the world's leading

732
00:42:30,568 --> 00:42:34,021
experts on exercise and they
have very different views.

733
00:42:35,961 --> 00:42:39,174
In the blue corner is
Professor Sanjay Sharma.

734
00:42:39,493 --> 00:42:42,363
He thinks the guidelines are spot on.

735
00:42:42,464 --> 00:42:46,422
150 minutes, let's call it
max 200 minutes per week,

736
00:42:46,422 --> 00:42:51,393
is enough for the welfare
of the general population.

737
00:42:51,393 --> 00:42:55,138
And in the red corner is
Professor Alejandro Lucia.

738
00:42:55,138 --> 00:42:57,886
He thinks we should be doing much more.

739
00:42:58,476 --> 00:43:02,478
Maybe 450 minutes per
week would be ideal.

740
00:43:02,820 --> 00:43:06,640
I want to find out why they
have such different views.

741
00:43:07,079 --> 00:43:11,424
First up, Professor Sanjay Sharma
from St George's Hospital, London.

742
00:43:11,424 --> 00:43:14,836
He is the medical director
for the London Marathon.

743
00:43:15,201 --> 00:43:19,514
He's convinced there is such
a thing as too much exercise.

744
00:43:19,514 --> 00:43:23,601
Over the last two decades or so,
there has been emerging evidence

745
00:43:23,601 --> 00:43:28,945
that in some individuals too
much exercise may be deleterious

746
00:43:28,945 --> 00:43:33,196
to an individual who
otherwise had a normal heart.

747
00:43:33,196 --> 00:43:37,269
Postulations are that too much
exercise may cause the atrium,

748
00:43:37,269 --> 00:43:39,004
this is the top chamber of the heart,

749
00:43:39,004 --> 00:43:41,462
to stretch or to even become inflamed

750
00:43:41,462 --> 00:43:44,676
and scarred, such that the
electrical circuit through it

751
00:43:44,676 --> 00:43:48,619
doesn't work very well, which
is called atrial fibrillation.

752
00:43:48,619 --> 00:43:51,406
Now, some people would say this
is only going to happen in people

753
00:43:51,406 --> 00:43:55,594
who already have some sort of
pre-existing weakness or disease,

754
00:43:55,594 --> 00:44:00,630
that you can't make a good
heart bad by doing exercise.

755
00:44:00,630 --> 00:44:05,160
Well, we took 172 veteran
athletes, mean age about 52,

756
00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:09,822
we compared them with matched
individuals who lead a healthy lifestyle.

757
00:44:09,822 --> 00:44:14,364
We found that our athletes,
15% of our athletes,

758
00:44:14,364 --> 00:44:18,360
had scarring in the heart muscle
compared to none of our controls.

759
00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:24,317
43% of our athletes had furring up of the
arteries compared with only 23% of our controls.

760
00:44:24,317 --> 00:44:28,468
So I don't think for one second
that the more you exercise,

761
00:44:28,468 --> 00:44:31,540
- the longer you will live.
- What would you recommend?

762
00:44:31,540 --> 00:44:32,997
I would say 30 minutes a day,

763
00:44:32,997 --> 00:44:36,060
equating to 150 minutes per week.

764
00:44:36,060 --> 00:44:40,206
This has been derived from very
large studies of 45,000 males.

765
00:44:40,206 --> 00:44:43,892
And that kind of gives you probably
the sort of optimal health benefits.

766
00:44:43,892 --> 00:44:47,851
I do believe this 150
to 200 minute cut-off

767
00:44:47,851 --> 00:44:51,582
that we're talking about is
enough to give you at least

768
00:44:51,582 --> 00:44:53,695
three additional years of life.

769
00:44:53,695 --> 00:44:57,449
If we packaged exercise up into
a pill, it would be considered

770
00:44:57,449 --> 00:45:00,652
as a miracle pill, because there
is no other therapy that's been

771
00:45:00,652 --> 00:45:03,872
invented yet that quite has
the benefits of exercise.

772
00:45:03,872 --> 00:45:05,781
I should also say that these benefits

773
00:45:05,781 --> 00:45:07,848
go beyond the cardiovascular system.

774
00:45:07,848 --> 00:45:11,262
Exercising reduces the
risk of cancer of the colon,

775
00:45:11,262 --> 00:45:14,948
cancer of the prostate, it
retards the ageing process,

776
00:45:14,948 --> 00:45:17,107
and it is an antidepressant.

777
00:45:17,107 --> 00:45:18,582
And what would you recommend?

778
00:45:18,582 --> 00:45:21,453
If you were going for a single
form of exercise, what would it be?

779
00:45:21,453 --> 00:45:23,199
I would say a brisk walk.

780
00:45:23,199 --> 00:45:26,311
A brisk walk can be done any
time, you don't have to pay

781
00:45:26,311 --> 00:45:30,825
to go to the gym, it can be
performed anywhere, anyplace

782
00:45:30,825 --> 00:45:32,301
and it's enjoyable.

783
00:45:33,659 --> 00:45:36,646
Professor Sharma clearly believes
that, although exercise is

784
00:45:36,646 --> 00:45:39,944
great for our health, there
is such a thing as too much.

785
00:45:39,944 --> 00:45:41,418
But is he right?

786
00:45:42,543 --> 00:45:46,127
Professor Alejandro Lucia has
carried out studies into the health

787
00:45:46,127 --> 00:45:51,534
of elite athletes and authored
more than 350 scientific papers.

788
00:45:51,534 --> 00:45:54,129
Now, the standard recommendations
are that we should be doing

789
00:45:54,129 --> 00:45:58,467
150 minutes of moderately
vigorous exercise every week.

790
00:45:58,467 --> 00:46:03,396
How much do you think we should really be
doing if we want to get optimal benefits?

791
00:46:03,396 --> 00:46:09,147
I will say that...maybe 450
minutes per week would be ideal.

792
00:46:09,147 --> 00:46:11,388
450 minutes a week is a lot!

793
00:46:11,388 --> 00:46:14,263
I mean, that's almost 70 minutes a day.

794
00:46:14,263 --> 00:46:16,630
How much do you do?

795
00:46:16,630 --> 00:46:20,937
I do indoor cycling two or three
times a week fairly intensively

796
00:46:20,937 --> 00:46:24,351
and then I ride my bike for
four to five hours on Sundays.

797
00:46:24,351 --> 00:46:26,653
- Four to five
hours? - Yeah. - OK.

798
00:46:26,653 --> 00:46:28,232
- And then...
- That's impressive!

799
00:46:28,232 --> 00:46:30,856
So do you think you can
damage a healthy heart

800
00:46:30,856 --> 00:46:32,681
by doing too much exercise?

801
00:46:32,681 --> 00:46:38,089
I don't think that intense
exercise, even at the highest level,

802
00:46:38,089 --> 00:46:43,571
if done properly, should damage
a previously healthy heart.

803
00:46:43,571 --> 00:46:48,886
So you frequently hear about
people dropping dead in a marathon.

804
00:46:48,886 --> 00:46:50,687
Yeah,

805
00:46:50,687 --> 00:46:55,270
there was a NICE study done by
American researchers a few years ago.

806
00:46:55,270 --> 00:46:59,187
They analysed data from
10 million runners who ran

807
00:46:59,187 --> 00:47:03,184
marathons and half marathons
in the US in the last decade.

808
00:47:03,184 --> 00:47:06,652
And they found that the
incidence of sudden cardiac death

809
00:47:06,652 --> 00:47:08,185
was fairly low.

810
00:47:08,461 --> 00:47:13,141
And, when it happened, it always
did in the less prepared runners

811
00:47:13,141 --> 00:47:15,740
and during the second half of the race.

812
00:47:15,740 --> 00:47:19,993
These people had never even
done a half marathon before

813
00:47:19,993 --> 00:47:22,511
and they had an underlying
cardiac condition,

814
00:47:22,511 --> 00:47:25,654
which had remained
unrecognised until that moment.

815
00:47:25,654 --> 00:47:29,719
So Professor Sharma would argue
that, if you do a lot of exercise,

816
00:47:29,719 --> 00:47:33,846
then you can cause permanent damage
to your heart. What do you say?

817
00:47:33,846 --> 00:47:37,145
We did a couple of studies,
the cohort was fairly small

818
00:47:37,145 --> 00:47:41,605
on former world champions in
marathons or Tour de France cyclists

819
00:47:41,605 --> 00:47:46,419
and we didn't see any type of
deleterious affect with MRI.

820
00:47:46,419 --> 00:47:49,174
There was a good balance
between the muscle mass

821
00:47:49,174 --> 00:47:51,347
and the size of the
cavities of the heart.

822
00:47:51,347 --> 00:47:54,567
But is there any real evidence
that elite athletes actually live

823
00:47:54,567 --> 00:47:56,080
longer than the rest of us?

824
00:47:56,080 --> 00:47:58,446
Yeah, they do live longer
than the rest of us,

825
00:47:58,446 --> 00:48:02,416
especially those who have
participated in endurance sports.

826
00:48:02,416 --> 00:48:06,876
For instance, there
was a study published on

827
00:48:06,876 --> 00:48:11,168
almost 100 cyclists who
finished the Tour de France

828
00:48:11,270 --> 00:48:15,408
and they lived quite longer
than the general population.

829
00:48:15,782 --> 00:48:18,043
Doctor Lucia sees government guidelines

830
00:48:18,043 --> 00:48:20,275
as a bare minimum, not a target.

831
00:48:20,275 --> 00:48:24,388
And he thinks there is no limit
to how much exercise we can do.

832
00:48:24,388 --> 00:48:27,742
As long as we are healthy, we
will never damage our bodies.

833
00:48:28,476 --> 00:48:31,384
Now it's my turn to decide,
after hearing their evidence,

834
00:48:31,384 --> 00:48:33,247
what I believe.

835
00:48:33,247 --> 00:48:35,808
Now, everyone agrees that
exercise is a good thing,

836
00:48:35,808 --> 00:48:37,554
but how much is too much?

837
00:48:37,554 --> 00:48:40,775
Well, having listened to our
experts, I am inclined to think

838
00:48:40,775 --> 00:48:45,280
that around 30 minutes of moderate
exercise done most days of the week,

839
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:50,322
that's 150 to 180 minutes,
is enough for most people.

840
00:48:50,322 --> 00:48:54,253
And if you go on really hard for
a long period of time, there is

841
00:48:54,253 --> 00:48:57,997
a small but significant risk
that you'll damaged not just

842
00:48:57,997 --> 00:49:00,518
your joints but also your heart.

843
00:49:13,795 --> 00:49:16,809
There's nothing more depressing
than climbing onto the scales

844
00:49:16,809 --> 00:49:21,057
after a week of dedicated dieting
and seeing that your weight has

845
00:49:21,057 --> 00:49:26,106
stayed exactly the same or, worse
still, seems to have increased.

846
00:49:26,647 --> 00:49:29,712
This can undermine all of our
good intentions and leave us

847
00:49:29,712 --> 00:49:32,311
reaching for the cake tin in despair.

848
00:49:32,311 --> 00:49:34,905
But what if these disappointing results

849
00:49:34,905 --> 00:49:37,452
aren't always what they seem?

850
00:49:37,452 --> 00:49:40,634
What if it's the way that
we are weighing ourselves

851
00:49:40,634 --> 00:49:42,273
that's the problem?

852
00:49:42,273 --> 00:49:45,470
Let's say you're trying to hit
a sensible weight loss target

853
00:49:45,470 --> 00:49:50,048
of half a kilogram a week.
Sounds simple enough, but...

854
00:49:50,048 --> 00:49:52,020
over the course of a single day,

855
00:49:52,020 --> 00:49:56,330
our weight can fluctuate by as
much as one or two kilograms.

856
00:49:56,482 --> 00:50:00,477
'This is mainly due to things
like eating, drinking, exercising

857
00:50:00,477 --> 00:50:02,582
'and going to the toilet.

858
00:50:03,269 --> 00:50:05,961
'So if you want an accurate
measurement of weight loss,

859
00:50:05,961 --> 00:50:07,565
'here's what you should do.

860
00:50:07,565 --> 00:50:10,114
'Ideally weigh yourself naked.'

861
00:50:10,114 --> 00:50:13,042
- I'm not taking my jeans off!
- No, no, don't worry about that.

862
00:50:13,042 --> 00:50:15,931
- Is that where you're normally at?
- Yep.

863
00:50:15,931 --> 00:50:17,036
Step on.

864
00:50:17,614 --> 00:50:21,261
That's great, even with shoes
and coat on. Right, your turn.

865
00:50:21,261 --> 00:50:23,240
'Always use the same scales.'

866
00:50:23,240 --> 00:50:27,160
- Happy, sad? -
Not surprised. - OK.

867
00:50:27,326 --> 00:50:32,053
'You should also make sure you place
the scales on the same hard surface.

868
00:50:32,053 --> 00:50:35,281
'Carpet can make a
surprising difference.'

869
00:50:35,756 --> 00:50:39,093
-I know always my weight.
-OK.

870
00:50:40,257 --> 00:50:41,731
Right.

871
00:50:42,701 --> 00:50:44,215
Go.

872
00:50:48,987 --> 00:50:52,164
The reason that these scales
are reading differently is

873
00:50:52,164 --> 00:50:54,920
because the base is
sinking into the carpet,

874
00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:59,194
which means the carpet fibres
are supporting some of the weight.

875
00:51:00,516 --> 00:51:03,308
- That's nicer.
- That's nicer!

876
00:51:03,339 --> 00:51:06,442
A lot nicer. Like 10... Yeah, 10 kilos.

877
00:51:06,442 --> 00:51:08,824
Wow, wow.

878
00:51:08,824 --> 00:51:13,403
For accurate results, weigh
yourself every day at the same time.

879
00:51:13,403 --> 00:51:16,235
Then, at the end of the
week, calculate the average.

880
00:51:17,570 --> 00:51:21,334
After a few weeks, you will have
an accurate track of your weight.

881
00:51:23,858 --> 00:51:27,582
A recent study in the US found
that people who weigh themselves

882
00:51:27,582 --> 00:51:31,472
every day are more likely
to achieve their weight goal.

883
00:51:31,472 --> 00:51:36,010
But if a daily weigh-in is a bit
off-putting, do it weekly instead.

884
00:51:36,010 --> 00:51:38,485
Choose the same day every week

885
00:51:38,485 --> 00:51:41,163
and then calculate the
average over each month.

886
00:51:42,986 --> 00:51:45,043
So next time you step onto the scales

887
00:51:45,043 --> 00:51:48,285
and get a nasty surprise,
don't lose heart.

888
00:51:48,285 --> 00:51:51,544
One-off measurements don't
reflect your true progress.

889
00:51:51,544 --> 00:51:57,907
Instead, keep going. Your hard
work will pay off over time.

890
00:52:07,076 --> 00:52:09,008
Paracetamol is in the news.

891
00:52:09,008 --> 00:52:12,495
We take it for everything, from
toothache to pulled muscles.

892
00:52:12,495 --> 00:52:15,172
But recent headlines
claim that, for back pain,

893
00:52:15,172 --> 00:52:17,248
it's no better than a sugar pill.

894
00:52:17,248 --> 00:52:20,429
They're reporting on a big study
in a major scientific journal.

895
00:52:20,429 --> 00:52:23,323
So what does this mean? Over to Chris.

896
00:52:23,323 --> 00:52:26,509
The truth is, paracetamol has
always been a bit of a mystery.

897
00:52:26,509 --> 00:52:30,040
We've never been exactly
sure how it kills pain.

898
00:52:30,040 --> 00:52:33,205
And it turns out now that perhaps
the reason we don't understand how

899
00:52:33,205 --> 00:52:37,638
it works for things like back pain
is because it might not work at all.

900
00:52:37,638 --> 00:52:40,897
But for back pain, maybe that
shouldn't be such a surprise.

901
00:52:42,143 --> 00:52:45,773
We've known for a long time that
paracetamol is not as effective

902
00:52:45,773 --> 00:52:49,536
as anti-inflammatories at treating
painful conditions where the

903
00:52:49,536 --> 00:52:53,998
painful area is inflamed, like
arthritis or a painful wound.

904
00:52:53,998 --> 00:52:56,852
We also know it doesn't work very well

905
00:52:56,852 --> 00:53:01,431
when pain is coming from the nerve
itself, so things like sciatica.

906
00:53:01,431 --> 00:53:06,348
And that might explain why it's
not very effective for back pain,

907
00:53:06,348 --> 00:53:09,917
because much back pain is due
to inflammation and nerve pain.

908
00:53:11,464 --> 00:53:13,812
Perhaps more importantly,
though, there's another caution

909
00:53:13,812 --> 00:53:16,933
about paracetamol, that there
are questions about its safety

910
00:53:16,933 --> 00:53:19,938
if you take it in the long
term in relatively high doses,

911
00:53:19,938 --> 00:53:22,396
something that you might
be tempted to do if you have

912
00:53:22,396 --> 00:53:24,092
a longer-term back pain.

913
00:53:24,934 --> 00:53:27,805
But the good news is that
paracetamol is probably still

914
00:53:27,805 --> 00:53:30,172
effective for things
like post-operative pain,

915
00:53:30,172 --> 00:53:35,509
headaches, dental pain and of course
it treats fever very effectively.

916
00:53:35,964 --> 00:53:38,137
So don't be put off
paracetamol completely.

917
00:53:38,137 --> 00:53:41,517
Just use it sparingly
and for the right things.

918
00:53:41,517 --> 00:53:44,666
As for back pain, the National
Institute for Clinical Excellence,

919
00:53:44,666 --> 00:53:47,225
NICE, are reviewing
their recommendations

920
00:53:47,225 --> 00:53:50,322
and they'll consider this
evidence when they report back.

921
00:53:50,322 --> 00:53:53,334
In the meantime, if you have
back pain or want to try something

922
00:53:53,334 --> 00:53:55,909
different, there are drug alternatives.

923
00:53:55,909 --> 00:53:59,362
But more importantly, there's
exercise and physiotherapy

924
00:53:59,362 --> 00:54:02,698
and you can speak to your GP
about how to do those things best.

925
00:54:13,319 --> 00:54:16,191
Back in Derby, it's the
end of their big experiment.

926
00:54:17,469 --> 00:54:20,806
For four weeks, our 36 volunteers
have been trying to stick

927
00:54:20,806 --> 00:54:26,234
to the resolution to get more active
using different types of motivation.

928
00:54:26,234 --> 00:54:27,825
One group, our control,

929
00:54:27,825 --> 00:54:31,499
received nothing more than
regular public health advice.

930
00:54:31,666 --> 00:54:35,416
The second group were competing
against each other for prizes.

931
00:54:36,750 --> 00:54:40,281
And the third group had a collective
target to aim for together.

932
00:54:41,484 --> 00:54:44,627
It seems some of them
certainly found motivation.

933
00:54:44,627 --> 00:54:47,328
Erm, use the stairs,
never catch the lift.

934
00:54:47,328 --> 00:54:50,165
Where I'd normally e-mail people,
I would try and go and see them.

935
00:54:50,165 --> 00:54:52,324
We had one day where
we decided we just try

936
00:54:52,324 --> 00:54:55,311
and do as many stairs as possible,
so we started at the bottom floor,

937
00:54:55,311 --> 00:54:59,113
up to the ninth, back down again
for as many times as we could go.

938
00:54:59,113 --> 00:55:02,488
But which group increased
their activity the most?

939
00:55:02,488 --> 00:55:06,263
Experts Claire McDonald and Ed
Gardner have been monitoring all

940
00:55:06,263 --> 00:55:10,258
their steps and their stair-climbing
and totting up the winners.

941
00:55:10,258 --> 00:55:12,788
First up, the control group.

942
00:55:12,788 --> 00:55:15,826
Over the four weeks, their
average activity levels

943
00:55:15,826 --> 00:55:20,224
stayed pretty constant, just
a 3% overall improvement.

944
00:55:20,382 --> 00:55:23,195
The co-operators were
much more active throughout

945
00:55:23,195 --> 00:55:26,480
the experiment, a 16% improvement.

946
00:55:26,551 --> 00:55:28,639
And finally the competitors,

947
00:55:28,639 --> 00:55:30,988
well, they were similar
to the co-operators

948
00:55:30,988 --> 00:55:33,899
until the final week, when
they had a burst of activity,

949
00:55:33,899 --> 00:55:37,635
giving them a 30% overall improvement.

950
00:55:37,928 --> 00:55:41,203
But then we looked at individual scores.

951
00:55:41,647 --> 00:55:45,316
Although the competitive group
contained the two tops scorers,

952
00:55:45,316 --> 00:55:48,110
response from the rest of
the group was more mixed.

953
00:55:50,883 --> 00:55:56,143
These patterns give Ed and Claire a
fascinating insight into our psychology.

954
00:55:56,997 --> 00:55:59,412
One of the things that we found
was that those in the competitive

955
00:55:59,412 --> 00:56:02,477
group appear to be increasing in
the number of steps they were taking

956
00:56:02,477 --> 00:56:05,457
from week to week, so they were
improving on a week by week basis,

957
00:56:05,457 --> 00:56:09,402
whereas those in the control
and the cooperative groups

958
00:56:09,402 --> 00:56:12,350
stayed relatively stable, so
they just stayed flat over time.

959
00:56:12,350 --> 00:56:14,157
So the people who are
in the different groups,

960
00:56:14,157 --> 00:56:16,328
they could see what other
people in the groups were doing?

961
00:56:16,328 --> 00:56:19,123
So the competitive group, yeah,
they were told their position,

962
00:56:19,123 --> 00:56:21,942
I guess, or their rank
within their group each week.

963
00:56:21,942 --> 00:56:24,136
Right, so as you slipped down
the rankings, you might have said,

964
00:56:24,136 --> 00:56:26,656
"Right, I'm going to improve,"
or something like that?

965
00:56:26,656 --> 00:56:29,085
That's the idea
- those below the normal, below the average,

966
00:56:29,085 --> 00:56:31,223
should show or realise
they need to improve

967
00:56:31,223 --> 00:56:32,389
compared to the rest of the group.

968
00:56:32,389 --> 00:56:34,329
That's what you find in
the competitive group.

969
00:56:34,329 --> 00:56:36,923
Whereas in the cooperative
group, even those below the norm,

970
00:56:36,923 --> 00:56:38,475
they're all in it together,

971
00:56:38,475 --> 00:56:42,782
therefore actually people
remain relatively stable.

972
00:56:42,782 --> 00:56:45,318
So understanding a bit
of psychology can help us

973
00:56:45,318 --> 00:56:47,750
all stick to our resolutions.

974
00:56:47,750 --> 00:56:50,853
I tend to go for the stairs
now just by default, really.

975
00:56:50,853 --> 00:56:54,477
- I don't think I've taken a lift since we started.
- It's very helpful.

976
00:56:54,477 --> 00:56:57,574
I think if you try to
do things on your own,

977
00:56:57,822 --> 00:57:00,227
you tend to slip back
into your old ways.

978
00:57:01,585 --> 00:57:03,615
Doing things in a group is key.

979
00:57:03,615 --> 00:57:07,015
It's social pressure that motivates
us to stick to our resolutions

980
00:57:07,015 --> 00:57:08,858
and not give up.

981
00:57:09,677 --> 00:57:11,927
Now, certainly our activity
experiment suggested that

982
00:57:11,927 --> 00:57:14,738
involving other people
is incredibly helpful,

983
00:57:14,738 --> 00:57:16,814
probably because it's more enjoyable

984
00:57:16,814 --> 00:57:20,639
and that means you're more
likely to stick to it long-term.

985
00:57:20,873 --> 00:57:24,714
For some people, competing with
each other seems to be best.

986
00:57:24,714 --> 00:57:27,313
For others, it's being
in a cooperative group.

987
00:57:29,212 --> 00:57:32,797
But whichever suits you personally,
use that knowledge and any other

988
00:57:32,797 --> 00:57:36,337
tricks from the series if you
want to make yourself healthier.

989
00:57:38,096 --> 00:57:41,083
Get the most benefit
for the least effort...

990
00:57:43,411 --> 00:57:45,700
..by exercising at the right time...

991
00:57:48,575 --> 00:57:50,749
..and eating at the right time...

992
00:57:54,795 --> 00:57:57,766
..knowing a few things
to avoid in your life...

993
00:57:58,753 --> 00:58:02,283
- It's a shocking result.
- It really, really is shocking.

994
00:58:02,283 --> 00:58:04,922
..and a few things to get a bit more of.

995
00:58:04,922 --> 00:58:07,987
The wider the hips, the
more healthy you are.

996
00:58:16,715 --> 00:58:19,728
That's it from Derby and
this series of Trust Me,

997
00:58:19,728 --> 00:58:22,135
though we will be
back later in the year.

998
00:58:22,135 --> 00:58:24,657
In the meantime, why don't
you go and visit our website...

999
00:58:28,347 --> 00:58:31,140
..where you can find out
a lot more about everything

1000
00:58:31,140 --> 00:58:34,516
covered in this series and also
sign up for some experiments.

1001
00:58:39,482 --> 00:58:44,020
# I just made an appointment
for a special rendezvous

1002
00:58:44,020 --> 00:58:49,725
# To see a man of miracles
and all that he can do

1003
00:58:53,837 --> 00:58:56,165
# Doctor, I want you

1004
00:58:56,165 --> 00:58:58,493
# Mmm, my doctor, wanna do

1005
00:58:59,301 --> 00:59:02,916
♪ I can't get over you, Doctor,
do anything that you wanna do. ♪