Q&A: Michael Mosley

Dr Michael Mosley on why we hiccup and the diet that may change your mental health.

Michael Mosley. Picture: Amber Rowlands

Something happened in 1957 (aside from your birth) that had a ripple effect throughout the Western world. What was it? The American Heart Association came up with a campaign to reduce heart disease and the message became that all fat was bad for you. We switched from butter – not such a terrible fat – to trans fats, which are super unhealthy. Then manufacturers started churning out low-fat products that were very high in sugar. I was a big fan of the low-fat diet for many years – that’s what I was taught at medical school. But it doesn’t work.

Gut science is your passion. What’s the latest on the wonders of the microbiome? There’s some really good research out of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University that shows that switching to a Mediterranean-style diet changes your gut bacteria, and they in turn will produce anti-inflammatory agents that reduce your risk of things like depression and anxiety. It’s the first good evidence that changing your diet can also change your mental health.

So, the Mediterranean diet… is not pizza and pasta. It’s about fish, olive oil and vegetables.

You’ve worked with scientists to develop some revolutionary diets such as the 5:2 based on intermittent fasting, and now the Fast 800. There are lots of diets around… Something like 50,000, I’m told.

A lot of people will think “god, not another diet!” Absolutely – that’s because 99 per cent of them are terrible. Things like the cabbage soup diet are unbelievably boring and don’t have enough protein. In a diet book you need to look in the back; is there a pile of scientific references?

You’ve been the guinea pig in myth-busting TV shows such as Trust Me I’m a Doctor. Did you ever go too far? I was doing a program about fear; naturally, the producer said: “What are you afraid of?” I’m quite claustrophobic … so we went caving and at one point I got stuck in a narrow passage. On one level, I think the producer was deeply thrilled because you can hear me just screaming. It was pure fear.

Your upcoming tour is called Wonders of the Human Body. Fun facts, please? There are lots of curious facts about the body – like the reason we hiccup. It’s because we’re ultimately descended from amphibians; they have a method of breathing that in humans has become maladapted. That’s why the best way to overcome hiccups is to hold your breath.

When you visit Australia, what do you like to eat? I love to go out and eat fish, maybe a really good Italian or Greek meal. I have a son in Melbourne and two of my closest friends are in Perth; we go for a run along the beach early in the morning and have a laugh and breakfast afterwards – lovely smashed avocado on sourdough, or an omelette with sauerkraut.

Do you cook at home in England? To be honest, my wife Clare [a GP] does most of the cooking. I’ve always been more conservative in my tastes but she’s pushed me along. She likes trying weird stuff – there are all sorts of strange fermented foods bubbling away in the kitchen.

What is your food addiction? Chocolate! On the Yale Food Addiction Scale it’s at the top. The fact is that once I start eating it I simply cannot stop. I have to stick it in the bin – and then put something nasty on top of it. Because in the past I have taken it out of the bin and washed it off and eaten it. Yeah.

And your last supper – what’s on the menu? Garlic prawns. Then a nice juicy red steak with mustard and sauerkraut and a pile of vegies. For dessert, strawberries and raspberries with a good dollop of Greek yoghurt. And I would have my wife and four kids there as well. Because the best food is eaten in company.

Wonders of the Human Body tours nationally Sept 18-28; livenation.com.au. The Fast 800 by Dr Michael Mosley (Simon & Schuster, $29.99) is out now.