Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Ep. 522 Menopause Is Wrecking Your Gut – The Best Nutrition Fixes for Midlife Women with Dr. Sarah Berry | Gut Health & Menopause

15 snips

Nov 22, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Sarah Berry, a nutrition professor and Chief Scientist at Zoe, reveals how menopause impacts gut health and the microbiome. She discusses the dangers of misleading nutrition messaging on social media. Listeners learn about the importance of fiber, personalized nutrition, and the effects of food processing on health. Sarah also tackles misconceptions around dietary fats, the role of polyphenols, and offers practical tips for women in perimenopause. Her insights could reshape how women approach their nutrition during midlife.

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INSIGHT

Huge Individual Variability In Food Responses

People show large inter-individual variability in metabolic responses to identical meals.
Personalized nutrition must account for this day-to-day and person-to-person variability.

INSIGHT

Microbiome May Link To Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Early-onset colorectal cancer is rising and likely multi-factorial, with diet and the microbiome implicated.
Trials aim to raise fiber to 40 g/day and diversify fiber to shift microbiome signatures linked to risk.

ADVICE

Use Time-Restricted Eating When Practical

Try time-restricted eating if it fits your life; shrinking the eating window often improves health markers.
Early time-restricted eating (finish earlier) tends to give larger benefits.

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I am delighted to connect with Dr. Sarah Berry today. She is a professor at King's College London and the Chief Scientist at the science and nutrition company, Zoe. As an academic leader in nutrition science, Sarah has conducted over 35 human nutritional studies, and she currently leads the world's largest in-depth nutrition research project, the ZOE Predict Study. Her research is at the forefront of personalized nutrition, deepening our understanding of fats and the structure of food. Her recent studies explore menopause, snacking, cardiometabolic health, and more.

In our conversation today, we explore the general tendency of social and other media to misrepresent nutrition and discuss the importance of the food landscape, the food matrix, and fiber in addition to bioindividuality and personalized nutrition. Dr. Berry explains why bowel cancer rates in young adults are increasing and the potential drivers of that, and we dive into the impact of the exposome, the influence of menopause on our microbiome, and cardiometabolic risk factors. We examine the importance of polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, the demonization of fats and cholesterol, and we tackle the misinformation surrounding seed oils, clarifying why we should remain open-minded. We also share some simple swaps that women in perimenopause and menopause can apply.

This conversation with Dr. Sarah Berry is rich and thought-provoking, so you will likely want to listen to it more than once.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

How food labelling is so often misleading
Why you should be cautious about taking nutritional advice from medical influencers
The importance of considering the underlying factors that determine how healthy a particular food is
Why fiber is essential for a healthy microbiome
How to avoid discomfort by spreading your fiber intake throughout the day
The importance of personalized nutrition
Potential drivers of early-onset colorectal cancer
How the microbiome composition changes after menopause
The value of polyphenols and dietary fat
Dr. Berry debunks common misconceptions about seed oils versus butter
Some simple swaps to help women in perimenopause and menopause get enough fiber into their diets

Bio:

Professor Sarah Berry

Sarah is a Professor at King’s College London and Chief Scientist at ZOE, the science and nutrition company. As an academic leader in Nutrition Science, Sarah has conducted over 35 human nutrition studies and currently leads the world's largest in-depth nutrition research program, the ZOE PREDICT study. Her research is at the forefront of personalised nutrition, our understanding of fats, and the food structure. Sarah’s recent studies explore topics such as menopause, snacking, and cardiometabolic health.

She’s often featured as an expert on ZOE's own podcast, ZOE Science and Nutrition, and regularly appears on television and radio to translate complex science into useful advice.

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Connect with Dr. Sarah Berry