The Truth About...

Journalist Fiona Phillips is on a mission to find out the truth behind the recent headlines on sugar. She discovers why some of us have more of a sweet tooth than others, which sugars you can enjoy guilt-free, why there is so much sugar hidden in food you would think was purely savoury and what effect sugary drinks have on the appetite. Fiona also helps four Brits, whose sugar-heavy diets could be putting their health at risk, to change their ways. From coming up with low-sugar recipes to finding ways to beat the sweet cravings, they will see whether cutting back to the levels suggested by health authorities is really achievable and what the benefits actually are. As the dieters progress on their journey, it soon becomes clear that the transformations will be dramatic.

Calories are the language of many diets and healthy eating plans, but it turns out you can't always trust the numbers on the label. Recent research reveals that over a third of foods we buy are mis-labelled. Calories aren't all they seem. To find out what's going on, Dr Chris van Tulleken is going to investigate Britain's favourite foods. In a specially designed pop-up kitchen lab in a major British city, Chris will be joined by scientists, chefs and members of the public to discover the truth about calories - what they are, what's really in the food we eat, and what our bodies do with them. Through a series of demonstrations, Chris and top nutritionists will reveal a different way to keep track of the calories we consume: 'The Biological Counter' will give an accurate number we can trust. It will tell us which foods give us extra calories, which foods give us fewer, and how cooking techniques can dramatically alter a food's calorific count. The programme will show how we can all be healthier through eating smarter - without dramatically changing the food on our plate.

Fat has a reputation as public health enemy number one. But is it really the devil we think? Recent headlines suggest that we may have got it all wrong, and that fat may not be as bad as we've long believed. Dr Saleyha Ahsan cuts through the confusion and reveals the surprising science of fat. She discovers that eating fat isn't the only culprit behind the nation's ever-expanding waistline and investigates some startling new research that suggests some saturated fats might even be good for our health. A group of nine volunteers take Salehya's Big Fat Challenge to investigate the strange things that happen to our body and mind if we stop eating fat entirely. And Saleyha discovers the fat hidden in sea water that could make the food of the future a lot healthier. This programme shows how we can be smarter about fat if we know which ones we should really be eating and how much is good for us.

Dr Chris Van Tulleken calls on the British public to seek out the truth about the top-selling over-the-counter medicines. We spend an astonishing £2.3 billion on pills, potions and lotions from the chemist's shop every year to beat common ailments from headaches to colds to indigestion. But how much do we really know about what we're buying? Chris embarks on a series of stunts and experiments up and down the country to uncover the secrets of Britain's favourite medicines: how do they act in the body? Should you take a daily dose of vitamins? Is honey and lemon just as good as cough syrup? What's the best way to relieve pain after exercise? And could home remedies work just as well? Chris finds out whether these common cures are all they're cracked up to be or whether there are better ways to spend our hard-earned cash.

In this two-part event, Britain's top dentists show how the latest science can change how we all look after our teeth.

In this two-part event, the BBC joins forces with the UK's leading dentists. Together, we've created a special clinic to treat and transform Britain's teeth. In this second show, the mission continues to change the way we all look after our gnashers. Jasmine Harman meets Sam, a talented singer who has been silenced by the look of her mouth. Can lead dentist Serpil Djemal build up her teeth and her confidence so she can sing again? We also meet Joe, a young man who has the teeth of an old-age pensioner. Serpil must use all her skill and artistic talent to make his mouth match his age. And the clinic welcomes a family from Birmingham with six kids, all with a seriously sweet tooth! Together they discover the secret to snacking is not about what you eat but when you eat it. And they uncover the truth of how to brush your teeth perfectly. Dr Chris Van Tulleken continues his investigation to find the latest scientific discoveries that can change how we look after our teeth. He gives himself gum disease to see if a healthy mouth can add years to your life. He also investigates the hidden sugars in food, and finds out if the drinks we thought were harmless are really dissolving our teeth.

Angela Rippon investigates the disease that took her mother's life and is now starting to affect her friends. She undergoes a series of tests to discover if she has any early signs of the disease and makes the difficult decision about whether to take a genetic test that could predict her future risk. Along the way, Angela finds out some of the surprising ways people can help to protect themselves. She discovers why getting a good night's sleep could help prevent Alzheimer's and how learning a new language might be more effective than any current drug treatment. Angela also visits a number of people who are living with the disease, including Bob, the husband of one of her oldest friends. She meets families that carry a gene for early-onset Alzheimer's and discovers how they could be the best hope of finding a cure for this devastating disease.

A&E doctor Javid Abdelmoneim is on a mission to find out the truth about alcohol. In January, the government released its new alcohol guidelines. For men, the recommended weekly limit was cut by a third to 14 units per week, equivalent to about seven pints of beer, bringing it in line with the amount recommended for women. So what is behind the change? This is just one question of many that Javid aims to answer as he explores the science of drinking and the new evidence for the health risks of alcohol. Why do some people get drunk quicker than others? What is behind red wine's healthy reputation? Is a nightcap actually good for your sleep? Does lining your stomach work? And can alcohol actually make you eat more?

Fiona Phillips teams up with leading scientists to look at how to eat and drink to good health, and she uncovers some surprising truths. She reveals which cheap, everyday foods can give us all the benefits of so-called superfoods at a fraction of the price and why frying can be the healthiest way to cook. Fiona becomes a human guinea pig to test some of the top-selling health drinks and supplements. She investigates whether antioxidant smoothies really give us the healthy boost we think and discovers why multivitamin pills might do us more harm than good. In a unique experiment with scientists from Aston and Liverpool John Moores universities, she sets out to find the healthiest breakfast, and discovers why we'd be better off with bacon and eggs rather than cereal and fruit. To find out whether we can really detoxify our bodies, she puts some popular detox foods and drinks to the test and reveals why we're better off with fresh foods and the odd glass of wine.

Fresh or processed, white or red - how does meat measure up? It's been getting a lot of bad press recently with new links to cancer and heart disease. But 98 per cent of us in the UK are still meat eaters. Chris Bavin, a greengrocer by trade and a carnivore by nature, wants to know if he can keep meat in his diet and stay healthy. He teams up with top scientists to put meat under the microscope and examine it as never before. They follow 40 volunteers on a groundbreaking study to find out exactly how much meat is good for us, test whether paying more for chicken makes it any better for us, discover a way to dramatically reduce the health risks associated with processed meats and reveal an unlikely lean supermeat that won't break the bank.

The World Health Organisation has described stress as 'the health epidemic of the 21st century'. In this programme Fiona Phillips wants to understand why we are experiencing increased amounts of stress in our lives and what actions we can take in order to reduce it. She speaks openly about her own experience of stress and her desire to find better coping mechanisms in the hope of improving her health and happiness. Fiona explores some of the very latest scientific research behind stress and demonstrates a number of techniques and lifestyle changes which are designed to keep our high stress levels in check. A key question driving Fiona's discovery is whether or not some types of stress might actually be good for us. Fiona investigates this latest scientific thinking and learns how to turn stress into a weapon rather than a woe, simply by changing the way we perceive it.

We are one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the world. In The Truth About Sleep, insomniac Michel Mosley finds out what happens if we don't get enough sleep and looks at surprising solutions to help us get more.

As trials are announced in Britain of a new preventative drug, Dr Chris van Tulleken explores the latest science around HIV, meeting health professionals, scientists, and individuals affected by the virus, in the UK and South Africa, challenging the myths and stigma surrounding it.

In the UK over £9 billion a year are spent on beauty products that promise to improve and transform. But how much of what these products promise is based in scientific evidence, and how much is simply marketing manipulation? Cherry Healey teams up with independent scientists to put everyday cosmetics to the test. In a groundbreaking study carried out by the University of Sheffield, and with the help of 25 volunteers, she discovers that moisturisers might not have the benefits people think they do. She meets dermatologists to find out how well her skin is really aging and sees the shocking effects of sun damage, and she discovers the only over-the-counter product scientists would use on their own wrinkles. Beauty journalist Sali Hughes shows Cherry how to save money on her make-up bag, and with the help of the University of Sunderland she puts common cellulite solutions to the test. She also finds out the truth behind the common claims on cosmetics.

By the middle of January many people struggle to keep up their resolutions to be more active. The result is that the UK wastes nearly £600 million a year on unused gym memberships. But new science has the answers. Medical journalist Michael Mosley teams up with scientists whose latest research is turning common knowledge about fitness on its head. They reveal why 10,000 steps is just a marketing ploy and that two minutes of exercise is all a person needs each week. They discover how to get people to stick to their fitness plans and what exercise can actually make everyone more intelligent. Whether it is for couch potatoes who hate the thought of exercise, someone too busy to consider the gym, or even for fitness fanatics who are desperate to do more - science can help everyone exercise better.

Chris Bavin looks at the latest scientific research on obesity and shows how small lifestyle changes can help people maximize their chances of keeping trim. The programme reveals when the best time to eat is, how people's gut bacteria may influence their weight and how a simple piece of string can reveal how healthy someone is. Plus we meet cutting-edge researchers who hope to solve obesity with a simple injection.

Dr Xand van Tulleken investigates whether claims about negative effects of carbohydrates on health are true and explores healthier ways to consume them.

The menopause currently affects 13 million women in the UK. And yet it's shrouded in secrecy and wildly misunderstood. In this frank and intimate film, broadcaster and journalist Mariella Frostrup shares her own personal experience of the menopause and brings this great taboo out into the open. Mariella investigates how the latest science can explain what it is, and what can be done about it. She meets the scientists who have uncovered the cause of hot flushes and developed a brand new drug to treat them, finds out if taking hormone replacement therapy is dangerous, discovers if men also have a menopause and witnesses a cutting-edge procedure that could actually reverse the menopause. Whatever your age or your gender, the menopause will affect you or someone close to you. It's time we all understood it better.

Wild alligators and a sewage works are just two of the places Angela Rippon discovers that scientists are looking for new ways to fight bacterial infections. Angela reveals how a growing number of bacterial diseases are becoming resistant to the antibiotics currently in use. If nothing is done, millions could die. Angela investigates the latest scientific breakthroughs, meets a GP on the front line in the fight against infection and finds out how we can all take part in the effort to keep the miracle cure effective.

In the UK, we eat over three million takeaways per day. Journalist Nikki Fox teams up with scientists at Liverpool John Moores University to discover what this habit is doing to our health.

The cosmetic treatment industry is open for business again. As lockdown eases, demand is on the rise for new non-invasive procedures like injectable fillers and fat freezing. But the UK is one of the only countries in the world where this industry is almost completely unregulated. How do we know if these treatments work, and if they are safe? In this two-part programme, medical journalist Michael Mosley teams up with blogger and journalist Mehreen Baig to scrutinise the science and safety of cosmetic treatments - and put them to the test.

Mehreen discovers whether a non-surgical bum lift can create a ‘Love Island bum' and investigates a procedure that claims to get rid of cellulite for good - if you can bear the pain and the price tag. She also asks whether our love of selfies could be driving the increasing demand for cosmetic treatments. Michael scrutinises the science behind fat freezing and fat heating, and whether they can shift troublesome love handles. He learns about the rising use of anabolic steroids for body enhancement and meets a steroid user who is willing to trade a healthy heart for bulging biceps. With the help of volunteers keen to shed the pounds, Michael puts the latest weight-loss technology to the test, pitting infrared light against traditional exercise - with surprising results.

You can't feel it or see it. You can't take its pulse or its temperature. But out of sight and out of mind, your immune system is working to protect you from infectious bacteria, viruses, injuries and a host of other nasties. Due to the coronavirus, the health market has exploded with products promising to boost, support or supercharge our flagging natural defences. But which of these so-called miracle products, superfoods and supplements should we be spending our cash on, and which really have the science to back up their claims? Now, as Dr Ronx Ikharia finds out, new science is revealing that the human body’s most extraordinary structure – a complex fighting system powered by five litres of blood and lymph – has the capacity to be supercharged and improved if we have the science know-how to do it. This is the definitive guide, not only to defending yourself against Covid-19, but also boosting your strength for when the cold and flu season is upon us.

During months of having to stay at home, millions of us have swapped the gym for our living room. The numbers doing home workouts has doubled in a year. But exactly what kind of exercise should we be doing, how much of it, and how often? Journalist and blogger Mehreen Baig used to hit the gym four times per week, but now her fitness regime has gone entirely DIY. She wants to use the latest science to make sure she is getting maximum return for her effort. Mehreen reveals why getting stronger could help you live longer. She uncovers exciting new research testing the theory that just one minute of strength training per week on each main muscle group might reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease. She puts dumbbells to the test against resistance bands and discovers why bands can give your muscles a better workout.

Clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron teams up with former England footballer Alex Scott, who has suffered from depression, to discover how the latest science can help us gain greater control over our state of mind and improve our mental health and wellbeing. Even in normal times, one in four of us will experience mental health difficulties, but living through a global pandemic has put our mental health under unprecedented strain. Over the past year, a team from Imperial College London, in collaboration with the BBC, have surveyed the mental health of over 350,000 people across the UK. This unique study provides a snapshot before and during the pandemic, revealing its shocking impact.