This week the team talk about concerns for the health of YouTube star Eugenia Cooney, who is severely underweight. Eve, who was hospitalised with anorexia in her 20s, asked the social media giants why they weren't stepping in to take the Eugenia off air, in a bid to force her into treatment - and was given some surprising answers. And we hear from eating disorders specialist dietitian Renee McGregor, who explains how simply watching her videos could trigger worsening symptoms in vulnerable...

This week Barney and Eve get a sneak preview of a forthcoming Channel 4 documentary - hosted by Supersize vs Superskinny and Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson - which exposes the dangerous world of fake Ozempic and Wegovy, the 'miracle' skinny jabs. And the team ask... why have SO many once-curvy celebs recently begun looking so incredibly slim? Just diet and exercise, or have they had a little chemical help? With science guru Vivienne Perry and award winning health reporter Jo...

That’s pretty much the conclusion of a number of recent articles written about the popular fertility treatment – said to put a pause on a woman’s biological clock. The Medical Minefield team hear from one young woman, Charlie, who deeply regrets undergoing the procedure, describing it as painful and not worth the month of tests, scans and bloating. But Emma Kafton, from fertility clinic Evewell, who perform hundreds of egg freezing procedures, says that, under the right supervision, it can be...

Yet another study shed light on the supposed dangers of ultra-processed food this week – but Barney and Eve are sceptical. Are the frozen chips and burgers that they grew up on really that bad? Rob Percival, Head of Food Policy at The Soil Association, explains exactly why these foods should be limited – and it’s not just because they’re calorific, he says. Meanwhile, ITV’s resident GP Dr Hilary Jones explains why he too is taking a stand against ultra-processed foods, but caveats that...

Amid reports from concerned doctors that women are taking risky megadoses, Barney speaks to Davina McCall's menopause GP Naomi Harris, who says she's worried that patients are getting medical advice from their hairdressers and other unreliable sources, and from Birmingham-based consultant gynaecologist Lynne Robinson, who says hormone over-treatment can lead to serious health problems.  Follow us on Twitter @MedMinefield Support the show: https://medicalminefield.com See...

This week Eve reveals that she was approached by the BBC to appear in a recent documentary about antidepressants. Her interview hit the cutting room floor, and she can't help wonder, having watched the resulting film, whether it was because she wasn't anti-antidepressants enough? And the team speak to mood disorders specialist Professor Allan Young, who says debate is important when it comes to psychiatric treatment, but that recent media coverage simply focusing on the negatives could be...

Are we all getting fatter due to sedentary lifestyles? Or is exercising for weight loss pointless? This week, Dr Chris van Tulleken, BBC presenter and author of the best seller Ultra Processed People, explains how science has shown we'd burn the same number of calories working in a desk job as we would if we were hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. And Cambridge University obesity expert Professor Giles Yeo explain why he didn't lose a single pound on a 1,000km bike ride across the UK. Follow us...

Eve and Ethan talk to Angela Chesworth who lost 168lbs in a year after having gastric bypass surgery - but far from giving her a new lease of life, it sent her plummeting into depression. And Dr Alex Miras an expert in obesity at Imperial College London reveals how weight loss ops can trigger some very unexpected mental health 'side effects'.  Follow us on Twitter @MedMinefield Support the show: https://medicalminefield.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid a global shortage of weight loss jab Ozempic, UK health chiefs have banned doctors from prescribing it as a slimming aid for non-diabetics. But speaking to Medical Minefield, Professor Carel Le Roux - and expert in metabolic medicine at Ulster University -  argues that obesity alone is a disease, and should be treated with the jab, just like diabetes is. The team also hear from one 72 year-old woman who has taken Ozempic for weight loss, but says she wouldn’t do it again. Follow Medical...

This week, Barney and Eve are taking a closer look at the new Alzheimer’s wonder drug donanemab - is it all it’s cracked up to be? Headlines are calling it a revolutionary treatment and some patients have said their dementia symptoms reversed. But Rob Howard, professor of old-age psychiatry at University College London, insists that the treatment, and evidence, need to be approached  Follow Medical Minefield on Twitter @MedMinefield Support the show: https://medicalminefield.com See...

After a recent study suggested hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of dementia by a worrying 24 per cent - contradicting other research that shows it could protect against against it - Barney and Eve try to find the truth behind the headlines. We hear from hormone expert Professor Annice Mukherjee and menopause specialist Dr Naomi Potter who both say women shouldn't panic, but also warn against believe too much of the hype.  Follow Medical Minefield on Twitter...

This week, Eve talks to one of the authors of a new paper that is calling for more young women with eating disorders to be offered HRT. The researchers behind it – a group of menopause specialists and gynaecologists – claim the treatment could be vital for protecting young women from brittle bone disorders, like osteoporosis. But Eve, who had anorexia in her 20s, is unconvinced. She speaks to eating disorder campaigner Hope Virgo about why the medication could in fact prove detrimental to...

Over the last month two groups of psychiatrists have been battling on Twitter about the efficacy of antidepressants. On one side of the debate is psychiatry researcher Professor Joanna Moncrieff from University College London, who says there is little good evidence that the most common type of mood boosters – SSRIs – can help beat depression. The side effects, she says, are simply not worth it. But Dr Sameer Jauhar – a consultant psychiatrist from Kings College London – has written an entire...

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions about late term abortions. If you need to speak to someone for help, please contact Samaritans on 116 123. This week, Barney and Eve discuss a sensitive topic: abortion. In light of the recent sentencing of a British woman to jail time after having an illegal late-term abortion, women’s health advocates are calling for complete decriminalisation of the procedure.  We hear from Emma Milne, Associate Professor in Criminal Law and Criminal...

This week we discuss the latest bizarre cosmetic surgery craze: buccal fat removal. Both men and women are asking surgeons to hollow out their face in a bid to replicate the taught, chiseled look of models and popstars. But in this weekend's Mail on Sunday, top experts are warning against the procedure due to the serious risks. The Medical Minefield ask beauty guru Ashley Stobart why she was attracted her to the procedure - and what eventually put her off - while consultant plastic surgeon...

This week, Barney and Eve are looking ahead to Davina McCall’s upcoming documentary about The Pill. Davina has hinted that she will be exploring the negative side effects of the pill, and Barney and Eve hear from experts who are concerned about scare stories leading to women stopping the conceptive… and unplanned pregnancies. We hear from GP and women’s health ambassador Dr. Philippa Kaye and to Dr. Paula Briggs, consultant in sexual and reproductive health at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, who...

This week, Barney and Ethan are once again discussing semaglutide, but this time about its reported additional benefits of reducing patient’s bad habits. Users of the weight loss drug claim to feel reduced urges to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and even bite their nails. Could this be how humanity is cured of addictions? We hear from Dr Tony Goldstone, Associate Professor of Brian Sciences at Imperial College London, who is excited about the new data but does think we need to wait to see...

This week, Barney and Ethan Ennals talk vapes. Barney has recently quit after a year and is looking for reasons to not pick it back up. Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health, says while we don’t know what the long term side effects are, our main priority should be to keep vapes out of the hands of children; while Professor John Britton, consultant in respiratory medicine at the University of Nottingham, says while there is no evidence that vaping is worse for you than, say...

This week, Barney and Eve review findings published by the ground-breaking UK-funded Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) looking at people who tried a low-calorie diet to bring their diabetes intro remission. Can we call it successful if most people on it gain back all the weight they lost? We hear from June, an 86 year old woman who tried out the soup and shake diet and lost 3 stone, only to gain it all back soon after; and to Dr. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the...

This week, Eve looks at the latest big bad wolf of the nutrition world: Ultra-processed food. A host of a claims have been made about the products – like ready meals, cereals and supermarket bread – over the past few months, including that it’s addictive and to blame for the nation’s obesity problem. But Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of nutrition at Reading University, says the vilification of these types of foods is unjustified. In fact, he says, if you only ate processed food, you could be...

It’s a controversial idea that has been hotly debated in the psychiatric community – are some patients with deadly anorexia simply too difficult to treat? The Medical Minefield team hear from campaigner Hope Virgo, who says that increasing numbers of NHS doctors are taking this stance, discharging patients who are still very unwell. We hear the upsetting story of one such patient, who was ‘given up on’ by her hospital team after seven years in treatment. Follow Medical Minefield on Twitter...

This week on Medical Minefield, the team is talking about smacking children, after the Government rejected a call to ban it in England. Was this the right move? Barney and Eve speak with mother of three Christine, who says she does not regret smacking her children when they were younger and claims they have since grown into wonderful adults; and from Dr Robert Larzelere of Oklahoma State University, and expert on child disciplinary methods, who says smacking is a good method for getting...

This week, Barney and Eve examine claims that the menopause is so horrendous, it is responsible for a number of suicides in mid-life women. Do the figures stack up? They hear from Instagram’s favourite gynaecologist Dr Jennifer Gunter, who says suicidal thoughts are far more complex than a simple hormone deficiency, while campaigner Rachel Lankester, founder of menopause information group MenoClarity, explains her fears that ‘scaremongering’ messages about the hormonal change could make...

Barney and Eve have become disturbed by a new fitness trend: tweens in the gym. With most of them glued to the weights machines for big muscles, or doing endless squats for a toned booty, should we be worried? The pair hear from a London-based teacher who says she’s been concerned about teenage gym culture for a while – with many of her pupils unhealthily fixated on ‘bulking up’. Meanwhile, Paul Shearman of Better Health, who run a junior gym programme, defends the gym’s initiative and...