0:00:04 > 0:00:08When it comes to our health, it seems everyone has an opinion.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11But what's the health advice you can really trust?
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We're here to weigh up the evidence
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and use our expertise to guide you
0:00:19 > 0:00:23through the contradictions and confusions.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We do research no-one else has done
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and put your health at the heart of what we do.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36We listen to the questions you want answered
0:00:36 > 0:00:38and ensure you get the information you need.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43We're here when you want to know the latest findings
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and not the latest fads.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52I am Michael Moseley, and in this series I'm joined by a team of doctors.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Together, we'll cut through the hype, the headlines,
0:00:55 > 0:00:56and the health claims.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00This is Trust Me, I'm A Doctor.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Hello and welcome to Trust Me.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07This time, we're coming from Cambridge
0:01:07 > 0:01:10where we're carrying out the largest study ever done in the UK
0:01:10 > 0:01:15looking at the impact of coconut oil on cholesterol levels.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Could it really be healthier than butter
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and even cut our risk of heart disease?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Absolutely wonderful.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Also, what can genetic testing kits really tell you?
0:01:28 > 0:01:31What can you do about losing your hearing?
0:01:31 > 0:01:35It's not just learning a skill, it is brain training.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And, how much fruit is too much?
0:01:38 > 0:01:39But first...
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Sales of coconut oil are absolutely rocketing because of health claims.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49We're spending £16 million a year on it,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53an astonishing 70 times more than just six years ago.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Coconut oil is a so-called superfood.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Its enthusiasts claim it will cure everything
0:01:59 > 0:02:01from bad breath to digestive disorders.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04You can even use it as a moisturiser.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08But perhaps the most surprising claim is that eating this stuff can
0:02:08 > 0:02:12cut your risk of heart disease by reducing your cholesterol levels.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17If true, could coconut oil be a healthier
0:02:17 > 0:02:20yet equally tasty substitute for butter?
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Some people claim the reason coconut oil is good for your heart
0:02:25 > 0:02:28is because it reduces levels of harmful cholesterol.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Others say that's nonsense, it RAISES cholesterol.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Claims based on the fact it's more than 80% saturated fat -
0:02:35 > 0:02:37more even than butter.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43So is coconut oil a cholesterol-busting wonder food?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Or is this all simply dangerous hype?
0:02:47 > 0:02:51To find out, we've teamed up with the University of Cambridge
0:02:51 > 0:02:53to run a ground-breaking experiment.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57We've recruited nearly 100 volunteers, who are all over 50,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01to test what effect eating coconut oil compared to other fats
0:03:01 > 0:03:04will have on their cholesterol.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08We're splitting our volunteers into three groups.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Every day for four weeks, group one will eat 50g of coconut oil.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15That's about two tablespoons.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Group two will have 50g of olive oil,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23a fat that is known to lower harmful cholesterol.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Group three will eat 50g of butter a day which,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32like coconut oil, is high in saturated fat.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Helping us run the study are Professor Katie Koor and Professor Nita Forouhi.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41They're going to be looking closely at two different types of cholesterol.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and it's linked with increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54So hold on to that, LDL is bad.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57There's also another type of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59And that is supposed to be good
0:03:59 > 0:04:01because it takes away the bad LDL cholesterol.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06OK, so I was always taught saturated fat raises LDL levels.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We know that coconut oil is rich in saturated fat,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12so presumably it's bad for your heart.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Yes, that's why it's so surprising that there are so many health claims
0:04:15 > 0:04:18that coconut oil is good for your heart.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Also, it's now marketed on a large scale and so we really need to know
0:04:22 > 0:04:25what the health effects are in the British population.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Before our volunteers start their oily regime,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32we're taking baseline levels of both types of cholesterol -
0:04:32 > 0:04:35the bad LDL and the good HDL.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38We'll repeat these measurements at the end of our trial.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Every day for four weeks,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45our volunteers have to incorporate their 50g of oil or butter
0:04:45 > 0:04:49into their diet in whatever way they choose.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Shot!
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Mmm-mmm-mmm.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Jacket potato, it's got some butter on it.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59A month later, and our volunteers are back.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01So, what happened?
0:05:01 > 0:05:02Hi everyone!
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- Hello!- Hello, thank you very much for coming along.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Want to knock back a pint of fat before we get going?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- ALL:- No!
0:05:09 > 0:05:10OK, results time.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12CHEERING
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Well for LDL cholesterol, which is the cholesterol
0:05:15 > 0:05:19that's associated with increased risk of heart disease,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the people who were taking butter on average increased their
0:05:22 > 0:05:26LDL cholesterol by 0.3 millimoles per litre which is about 10%.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Right, so the poor old butter group, their heart disease risk went up,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33but in a way that was kind of completely predictable, correct?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- Yes.- And when you stop having that butter, it reverts again.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38On the olive oil,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41there was a very small average reduction, not significant,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46so essentially, no difference in LDL cholesterol on the olive oil diet.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49OK, so now for the big one, coconut oil.
0:05:49 > 0:05:55Well, LDL cholesterol for coconut oil went down by .09 millimoles
0:05:55 > 0:05:59per litre, so no overall increase in LDL cholesterol...
0:05:59 > 0:06:01CHEERING
0:06:01 > 0:06:05..which was really a big surprise for us, and not in line
0:06:05 > 0:06:08with what we've come to believe from previous studies.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12So butter raised LDL and olive oil did not.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Both as expected.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17But, surprisingly, neither did coconut oil,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19which is high in saturated fat.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24The fact that it didn't is really, really surprising.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29We also measured HDL cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And we found that coconut oil increased your good cholesterol,
0:06:32 > 0:06:37HDL cholesterol, more than olive oil and butter.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Butter and olive oil both raised good cholesterol by about 5%,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47but coconut oil raised it by an impressive 14%.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50And because it helps remove the bad stuff,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53the more good cholesterol you have, compared to bad,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55broadly, the better.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00So in our study coconut oil did not raise bad cholesterol,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03despite being high in saturated fat,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06and it also seemed to increase good cholesterol.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09So I must admit, I found that surprising,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12the idea that you can eat something that's rich in saturated fat
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and your LDL levels don't go up. Why?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18One explanation is that coconut oil is rich in lauric acid,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20which may be processed in the body differently from
0:07:20 > 0:07:22other saturated fatty acids.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26So I guess the message from it is not all saturated fats are the same
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and it is possible that some saturated fats are actually beneficial.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Within saturated fats there are actually probably good
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- and bad saturated fats.- And the art is identifying the good ones.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- That's the challenge. - So, watch this space.- Yes.- Yes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Further studies are needed to find out the long-term effects
0:07:46 > 0:07:48of coconut oil on health,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50but our results were unexpectedly good.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54So I'm not going to be glugging it by the litre,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57but I'm certainly going to be using it more in my cooking.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10A staggering 40,000 road accidents a year are thought to be caused
0:08:10 > 0:08:13by people falling asleep at the wheel
0:08:13 > 0:08:16due to a medical condition they don't even know they have.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21GP Dr Zoe Williams has been finding out how to recognise it
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and what you can do about it.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Around 1.5 million people in the UK
0:08:26 > 0:08:30are thought to have sleep apnoea, a condition that can seriously
0:08:30 > 0:08:33deprive you of sleep, sometimes without you even knowing.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Sleep apnoea causes its sufferers to temporarily stop breathing whilst asleep.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43So people will fall asleep, stop breathing, wake up,
0:08:43 > 0:08:44and start breathing again.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Over and over, sometimes hundreds of times each night.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Surprisingly, all this can happen without the person being aware of it.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56But it can lead to you falling asleep during the day,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00sometimes with devastating consequences.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05Nearly 12 years ago, lorry driver Colin Wrighton had a tragic accident.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I just looked out my window and saw this pile-up.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Said to myself, "Oh, what happened here?"
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Not realising that it was, it was me that had caused it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Colin had fallen asleep at the wheel
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and his lorry ploughed into a line of stationary traffic.
0:09:22 > 0:09:2625-year-old Toby Tweddell lost his life in the collision.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Initially they obviously thought, oh, had I been drinking?
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Had I been on drugs? Had I been using my telephone?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37You know, all these went through their mind,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39and that's what they were thinking.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Going back three months before this accident happened,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I'd gone to my doctor and asked him why do I keep feeling tired
0:09:45 > 0:09:48more than normal. It was, it was hard to explain cos
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I didn't feel tired, but I was sort of tired.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And he said, "Oh, you might be diabetic,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56"we'll send you for blood tests or your cholesterol might be out."
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And they all came back, nothing wrong with me.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01If the doctor had known about sleep apnoea,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03if they had sent me to a sleep clinic,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05then that accident would never have happened.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09The condition is often missed or misdiagnosed.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Sleep expert Dr David Jones
0:10:12 > 0:10:16began to suspect this might be what was wrong with Colin.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19First, Colin completed a simple questionnaire
0:10:19 > 0:10:22to assess his likelihood of nodding off during the day
0:10:22 > 0:10:25in certain situations, like reading a book,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27watching TV, or in a meeting.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32This gave Colin a score of 20 out of 24
0:10:32 > 0:10:35on what's known as the Epworth sleepiness scale.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40So David did a sleep study overnight at the hospital to observe Colin.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44David's repeating that test to demonstrate Colin's problem.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Here we can see that Colin has stopped breathing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50There's no air flow.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54We can see that he has started to try and get some air flow here,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56and here he's woken up and is recovering
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and this is the thing which causes him to be
0:10:59 > 0:11:01waking up during the night and coming through and being
0:11:01 > 0:11:04very, very tired when he wakes up in the morning.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Colin has obstructive sleep apnoea.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16When he's sleeping, he can stop breathing up to 70 times an hour.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22When Colin's awake, his airways open and he can breathe normally.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26But when he goes to sleep, like many of the muscles in his body,
0:11:26 > 0:11:27those in his neck relax,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30and that means the weight of his neck can push down
0:11:30 > 0:11:34on the airway and obstruct it. That means he can breathe any more.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Once the brain detects that he's not breathing,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40it forces him awake so that he starts breathing again.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45You're more likely to have sleep apnoea
0:11:45 > 0:11:48if you're overweight, male, and over 40.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52A large neck or recessed jaw also increases your risk.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54As well as constant tiredness,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58the telltale symptoms include waking up with a dry mouth,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00or headache, and snoring.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Losing weight may reduce the severity of your sleep apnoea,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06but what else can you do?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08The gold standard treatment is a CPAP machine.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11This is a little machine, this one.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15And this sits on the bedside and it blows air through a tube,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19through a mask, which fits on the patient's face...
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- OK.- ..and enables them to keep breathing,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24nice and evenly and steadily throughout the whole night.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27People find huge positive benefits, completely life-changing.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Being prescribed a CPAP machine transformed Colin's sleep patterns.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36And in the years since the accident, he's been campaigning
0:12:36 > 0:12:40to raise awareness of the condition that caused it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43I want to make people realise it's a silent killer.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It's all in memory of Toby
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and that's why I'm doing the campaigning.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I think, I think what you do, Colin, from such a tragedy,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54if we make ten diagnoses for making this programme,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- that will save lives. - Yeah, it will.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00The DVLA recognises that with the proper treatment,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04sleep apnoea doesn't affect your ability to drive.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06So a diagnosis won't cost you your licence
0:13:06 > 0:13:08if you get the right medical care.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13GPs are improving at spotting the subtle signs of sleep apnoea,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17but we need to get even better at diagnosing this condition.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The Epworth sleepiness scale is a simple questionnaire that you can do
0:13:21 > 0:13:23on your own or with your GP.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26So if you have any concerns about yours or your partner's
0:13:26 > 0:13:30daytime sleepiness, please, do go and see your GP.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Still to come, what can genetic testing kits really tell you?
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And what can you do if you're losing your hearing?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41But first...
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Thousands of you have been sending in questions to the Trust Me website,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48and we've been finding answers to some of the more popular ones.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Can eating a lot of fruit be bad for you?
0:13:52 > 0:13:56One for geneticist Giles Yeo.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03From an apple-a-day to the government's mantra of five-a-day,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06if there is one health message that's been drummed into us
0:14:06 > 0:14:10since we were kids, it's that eating fruit is good for us.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15But recently, the health headlines have been full of claims
0:14:15 > 0:14:17that challenge this long-held idea.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20That's because fruit has a high sugar content
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and, as we all know, too much sugar is bad for us.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28So is fruit nature's superfood or a sugary health hazard?
0:14:31 > 0:14:34A useful clue can be found at the zoo.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41In order to survive, animals, including us,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44have a rather pretty good sense about what is safe to eat.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48If it tastes bad, it generally means it's poisonous - avoid.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53If it tastes nice, however, like the fruit over here,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56it generally means it's good for you - eat loads.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58In fact, given the chance,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01most of the animal kingdom will happily gorge on fruit.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05That's because animals in the wild have to work hard for their food,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and fruit packs a nutritional punch,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12giving them both sugar for energy and a dose of crucial vitamins.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15The trouble for us humans is,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18these days it's easy to get our hands on fruit,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20far more of it than our bodies need.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23But can it really do us any harm?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Well, when it comes to overdosing on vitamins and minerals in fruit,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31the answer is generally "no".
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Our bodies can't store a lot of these nutrients from one day
0:15:34 > 0:15:36to the next, so if you have more than you need,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38you don't get any nutritional benefit from it,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40you simply wee it out.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But what your body will hold on to is this stuff.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Eat more of it than you need and you risk becoming overweight,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52which can lead to serious health problems.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And fruit contains more than you might think.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Let's compare an apple to a can of full-sugar fizzy drink.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Typically, a regular-sized soft drink contains about
0:16:04 > 0:16:06seven to eight teaspoons of sugar.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10This apple contains four teaspoons of sugar.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11So have two apples,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15and you've taken in as much sugar as you've had in this can.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19That sugar comes mainly in two forms.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23One is glucose, your body's preferred source of energy,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25which goes straight into your bloodstream.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30The other is fructose, which is taken to your liver
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and if not needed, it's turned into fat.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37These are chemically identical to the sugars you get in junk food,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41so if you're not careful, they can cause you the same problems.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Sugar is sugar and you're going to gain weight
0:16:45 > 0:16:47if you eat too much of it wherever it comes from.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50So how can you get all the health benefits of fruit
0:16:50 > 0:16:52without overdosing on sugar?
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Well, the first thing is to choose your fruits carefully.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Gramme-for-gramme, bananas, cherries, pomegranates,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06mangoes, grapes, and figs all contain more than
0:17:06 > 0:17:10watermelon, raspberries, kiwi fruit, and fresh cranberries.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16The riper the fruit, the more sugar it contains,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19so try not to leave it lying around for too long.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24You should eat most of your fruit whole
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and no more than one glass of juice or smoothie,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31as digesting the fruit releases the sugar more slowly
0:17:31 > 0:17:34and avoids overloading your system with one big hit.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Finally, don't neglect veg.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43There is no vitamin or mineral in fruit that you can't get from veg,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46in return for only a fraction of the sugar.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50While fruit is clearly healthy and natural,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52we need to resist the call of our genes
0:17:52 > 0:17:57and actually watch how much fruit, and therefore sugar, we eat.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07In this series of Trust Me,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I've been investigating some of the most controversial health questions
0:18:10 > 0:18:13that have made the headlines in the decades
0:18:13 > 0:18:15that I've been a health journalist.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19To get to the bottom of them, I've lined up a series of experts
0:18:19 > 0:18:24with opposing views. This time, we're looking at genetic testing.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26There are plenty of DNA tests out there,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30which look into your genes and then offer you advice on
0:18:30 > 0:18:32what you should eat and how you should exercise, as well as
0:18:32 > 0:18:35telling you about your risks of developing things like cancer
0:18:35 > 0:18:40or Alzheimer's, but how reliable and useful are they?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It's widely agreed that there are two important limitations
0:18:45 > 0:18:48to any form of genetic testing.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51First, most genetic conditions are not caused by changes
0:18:51 > 0:18:54in a single gene, but by several in combination.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Secondly, the environment also has a huge influence on their effect.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Given these constraints, are the testing kits
0:19:02 > 0:19:06consumers can buy really able to tell you anything useful?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Craig Pickering is a sports scientist at one of the UK's
0:19:10 > 0:19:14biggest companies that sells home testing kits online,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17costing £100 to £250.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21He believes they can be a powerful tool for improving health.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I've tried one that claims it can tell me all sorts
0:19:24 > 0:19:28of interesting things, like whether I'm lactose intolerant.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I have the results of my DNA test here.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33So this says that I'm lactose tolerant.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35How confident are you in this result?
0:19:35 > 0:19:37So when we're talking about lactose intolerance,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39it's just one gene that we're looking at,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41so really, we're very, very confident, 100% confident,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44that that version of that gene tells you
0:19:44 > 0:19:46whether you can or can't digest lactose.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49That is a single gene change, if you'd like, which you can detect,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52but for most of this stuff, it isn't like that.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- It's much more complicated. - We are certainly very confident
0:19:54 > 0:19:56in the impact that we say it has,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59but the context for the person will differ from situation to situation.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Why should I believe what's written down here?
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Every gene that we test for,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07we put that through a really rigorous scientific process, so
0:20:07 > 0:20:10we look at all the research on it, it has to have a minimum of three
0:20:10 > 0:20:14studies done on it, in humans, with a clear consensus of its effect.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Done on large numbers of people, so we can be as sure
0:20:17 > 0:20:19and confident as we possibly can be that that gene has the effect
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- that we say it does.- Don't you think it should be done in proper
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- professional hands, your GP for example?- Yeah, I always agree,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29I would love the NHS to offer genetic testing to everybody
0:20:29 > 0:20:32to give them the ability to make lifestyle changes which will improve
0:20:32 > 0:20:35their overall health, which then will have a knock-on effect of
0:20:35 > 0:20:37reducing the burden on the National Health Service
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- cos people will be much healthier. - Thank you.- Thanks.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Next, I'm meeting professor Frances Flinter, a clinical geneticist
0:20:44 > 0:20:48at Guys & St Thomas Hospital. She's highly sceptical
0:20:48 > 0:20:51of the benefits of consumer genetic testing kits.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56So what do you think about these commercial DNA tests
0:20:56 > 0:20:59you can buy which offer you advice on everything,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02from how you should exercise to what you should eat?
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I think we all know we should eat more fruit and vegetables
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and most of the genetic tests that people have done to look at
0:21:08 > 0:21:10what sort of diet they should eat generally come back with
0:21:10 > 0:21:13a recommendation that they should eat more broccoli,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and you don't need to pay a lot of money to find out that good advice.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18At some level, it seems like harmless fun.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And it's better to have a bit of information than no information,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- so, kind of, what's wrong with it? - In general,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26the technical sequencing of the DNA is fine.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28People are very good at doing that now,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31but the commercial companies tend to only look at certain parts
0:21:31 > 0:21:34of the DNA, so they will miss some significant mutations
0:21:34 > 0:21:37simply because they're not testing for them.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41The other concern is that it may reveal information that
0:21:41 > 0:21:44once you've got it, you decide you really would rather
0:21:44 > 0:21:46not have known about, and it may reveal information that has
0:21:46 > 0:21:48implications for other members of your family,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51such as your children, which you might not have thought about
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- before you had the test done. - Would you encourage or discourage
0:21:54 > 0:21:57someone like me, who's reasonably healthy,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00from doing one of these genetic tests?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Yes, I would discourage it because
0:22:02 > 0:22:05the chance of it giving you any useful information is very small.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11So, are genetic tests useful?
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Well, if all you want to get out of it is some advice on
0:22:15 > 0:22:18what you should eat and what form of exercise you should do,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21then it's entirely up to you how you spend your money.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24If however, you really do want an answer to a serious
0:22:24 > 0:22:28genetic question, you would clearly be better off going to your GP
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and getting a referral to see a geneticist.
0:22:38 > 0:22:4110 million people in the UK, one in six of us,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43has some degree of hearing loss.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Now, that's seen as an almost inevitable part of ageing,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50but there is emerging evidence it's linked to wider health problems.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52So, what can we do about it?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Dr Alain Gregoire has been finding out.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I'd like a cappuccino with chocolate on top, please.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06I suspect my hearing isn't as good as it used to be,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09so I've been looking into some surprising ways to help us cope
0:23:09 > 0:23:11with age-related hearing loss.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Gradual hearing loss is far more than an inconvenience.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It can lead to social isolation which, in turn,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21can contribute to mental health problems such as depression.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And there is research suggesting that it may be linked to
0:23:24 > 0:23:26your risk of developing dementia,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28so it's really important that we don't ignore it.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Yet on average, people suffer for a staggering ten years
0:23:33 > 0:23:35before they seek treatment.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Many are worried about being given a large, obtrusive hearing aid.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43But these are far more discreet and effective than they used to be.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Another reason many people don't get the treatment they need
0:23:47 > 0:23:50is they simply don't notice that their hearing is declining.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54One reason that it's tricky to spot gradual hearing loss,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57is our brains have a surprising way to compensate,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and we're not even aware of it.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04I can demonstrate this effect on myself, with a little help.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07My friend Michael has sent me a couple of video clips
0:24:07 > 0:24:12and I've got to listen, and watch, and decide what he's saying.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Bar, bar,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17bar, bar.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22Well it's pretty easy really. He's just saying "bar" repeatedly to me.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23Bar, bar.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Sounds a bit like a sheep really.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Let's see what the next clip shows.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Far, far,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33far, far...
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Straightforward really.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Far, as in over there in the distance.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40So what was Michael trying to prove with those two clips?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Alan, you might be surprised to learn that it was exactly
0:24:44 > 0:24:46the same sound in each of the clips.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49The only thing that changed was the pictures.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51HE LAUGHS
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Far, far.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55That's really amazing.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59In the second clip, although the sound is "bar",
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Michael is actually mouthing "far"
0:25:02 > 0:25:06and that's what my brain tells me I'm hearing.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09What's happening here is my brain is prioritising
0:25:09 > 0:25:12what I'm seeing over what I'm hearing.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Bar.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And this is something we can all use to our advantage
0:25:18 > 0:25:20to help us cope with hearing loss -
0:25:20 > 0:25:23an area that's being researched by auditory neuroscientist
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Dr Jennifer Bizley.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29We used to think that dedicated bits of the brain did hearing
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and a separate bit did vision
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and only later was that information put together.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Now we know that actually there's crosstalk between the senses
0:25:36 > 0:25:38at a really early stage.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And one of the things that we think the information could be doing
0:25:41 > 0:25:44is helping you in situations that are difficult,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46like listening in a noisy restaurant.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Being able to see a mouth movement or see gestures might
0:25:49 > 0:25:52allow you to pull that person's voice out of a sound mixture,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54out of the noise, more effectively.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58So the effectiveness of your hearing is dependent on your sight
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and your processing as well?
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Yes, so we know that as people age, their processing speeds slow down.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- Yes.- And that can really impact upon not just your ability to listen
0:26:08 > 0:26:10to someone in a noisy situation,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13but actually how much effort it takes to do that.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16So it might be that you CAN hear people, but it's exhausting.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And so any little extra piece of information that you can get,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22for example through vision, will really help you to
0:26:22 > 0:26:24both communicate more effectively
0:26:24 > 0:26:27but also to find that process less effortful.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So to help you hear better in a noisy situation,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33it helps if you can see better too.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37If you're with other people, place yourself in the middle of the group.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Have the light behind you to help you see the other person clearly.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Ask people to face you when they're talking to you
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and not cover their mouths.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And there's something else you can try.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I've got a little exercise for you to do.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Have a look in your mirrors and say the word "fast".
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Lip reading.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Many of the people in this class suffer from age-related hearing loss.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12I find it very difficult at dinner parties and other noisy environments
0:27:12 > 0:27:16to hear, because everything is just competing for my attention.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19You don't feel like you're with everybody in the same room.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Molly Berry runs the lip-reading class
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and is chair of the Association Of Teachers Of Lip-reading To Adults.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31It's not just that you are learning a skill that's going to help you,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34it is giving you brain training,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38training your brain to look and listen at the same time
0:27:38 > 0:27:42and get the gist of everything that's happening,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46which helps you not to get the cognitive decline
0:27:46 > 0:27:50that can be associated with hearing loss.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Now, I feel confident in talking to someone and focusing on their face.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I was in depression for a little while,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00but went to a lip-reading class and
0:28:00 > 0:28:03just realised there was another way of coping.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07So although there's no cure for age-related hearing loss,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10there's plenty you can do to help improve things.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12The important message here is
0:28:12 > 0:28:15if you think you're hearing's deteriorating, don't delay.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Get help from your GP who'll be able to rule out any
0:28:18 > 0:28:22temporary causes and refer you for a hearing test if you need it.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31That's it from us.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Next time we're in Guildford,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36where we will find out which is healthier -
0:28:36 > 0:28:39carbs for dinner or carbs for breakfast.