Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Currently, 60 per cent of people in the UK are overweight or obese. Many of us would like to drop a few pounds if possible, but with so much information on diet and weight loss available, separating facts from myths can be something of a minefield.
In this episode, we speak to Prof Giles Yeo, a geneticist and obesity expert based at the University of Cambridge.
He tells us exactly how our bodies extract calories from the food we eat, the real effect that exercise has on our weight, and how the reward pathways in our brains are linked to our appetites.
For more podcast content from the BBC Science Focus team, find Instant Genius on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Follow us on X: @SFIGPod
Currently, 60 per cent of people in the UK are overweight or obese. Many of us would like to drop a few pounds if possible, but with so much information on diet and weight loss available, separating facts from myths can be something of a minefield.
In this episode, we speak to Prof Giles Yeo, a geneticist and obesity expert based at the University of Cambridge.
He tells us exactly how our bodies extract calories from the food we eat, the real effect that exercise has on our weight, and how the reward pathways in our brains are linked to our appetites.
For more podcast content from the BBC Science Focus team, find Instant Genius on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Follow us on X: @SFIGPod
