Knowing Your S**t with Sophie Medlin

·54 min·5 clips

A patient lived in terror after a commercial test suggested cancer, but doctors couldn't find it anywhere.

Adrienne Herbert introduces the episode by outlining her mission to explore daily habits and wellness, then welcomes dietitian Sophie Medlin. Sophie describes her unusual career path from the NHS to running her own clinic focused on gut health, where she specializes in colorectal conditions and discusses poo with patients daily. She explains the difference between dietitians and nutritionists, emphasizing her role in diagnosing and managing digestive issues while considering long-term health impacts like bone density. The host shifts to discuss the extremes in dietary approaches, from ultra-processed foods to elite biohacking, and Sophie critiques how this leaves out the majority of healthy people seeking optimization. Adrienne then probes the rise of at-home health testing, sharing her personal interest in preventative measures, and Sophie responds with a cautionary tale about a patient who had a raised tumour marker from a commercial test but no detectable cancer, leading to severe health anxiety. Sophie strongly criticizes home food intolerance tests, noting they lack scientific credibility and have caused hospitalizations due to nutritional deficiencies. She also addresses genetic testing risks and continuous glucose monitors, warning about pathologizing normal body functions. When asked for solutions, Sophie advocates for basic, evidence-based guidelines: eat more plants, manage stress, sleep well, and drink water. The conversation turns to supplements, where Sophie recommends vitamin D for most people, especially in winter, and omega-3s if not eating oily fish regularly, while advising against gummies for adults due to low nutrient content. She discusses ashwagandha as a relatively safe herbal option for stress but stresses checking for drug interactions. Sophie explains how to choose quality supplements by looking at bioavailability and avoiding marketing gimmicks. The episode covers food and mood, linking gut health to mental well-being through the gut-brain axis, neurotransmitters like GABA, and the importance of B vitamins and omega-3s. Sophie highlights how stress can deplete nutrients and worsen diet quality, creating a vicious cycle. Finally, they discuss the 'power hour,' with Sophie sharing her morning routine of slow waking, decaf coffee, and dog walks to avoid rushing, emphasizing the gift of time.

As heard by us

A practical, skeptical conversation about supplements and personalized health claims that keeps returning to familiar nutrition basics.

Food advice can get loud when supplements, tests, and personalized plans promise certainty. Power Hour puts dietitian Sophie Medlin in conversation with Adrienne Herbert for a broad look at what those promises can realistically offer, from supplements, food and mood, gut health,…

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Why you'd press play

Want a sane way through supplement questions, food-and-mood chatter, gut health, alcohol, and the pull of personalized testing?

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