Lara Lewington’s Your Body of Evidence

How much can your fitness tracker actually tell you about your health, and can it spot a serious condition before you do?

In this episode of Your Body Of Evidence, Lara Lewington is joined by a very special guest: her husband, Martin Lewis (Money Saving Expert). While Martin is widely known for his consumer advice and legendary daily step counts (averaging over 26,000 steps a day!), his fitness tracker ended up revealing something far more critical: an irregular heart rhythm that turned out to be atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Martin shares the candid story of how his wearable alerted him to erratic heart rates spiking over 160 bpm, why that data gave him the confidence to seek medical help, and what it’s really like living with a tracking obsession.

To break down the clinical science behind wearables, Lara speaks with Professor Nicholas Peters, Consultant Cardiologist and Professor of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Imperial College London. Together, they explore:

* What smartwatches can and cannot reliably detect * Why AFib often goes unnoticed and how it links to stroke risk * The clinical difference between symptoms and silent heart conditions The real value of metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and readiness scores * What the future holds for non-invasive health sensors and early diagnosis * Whether you wear a smartwatch just to count steps or track every biomarker possible, this conversation offers an honest, expert look at where health tech genuinely helps and where its limitations lie.

Special Offer from Our Partner, Thriva Take charge of your health data. Head over to thriva.co and use code BODYOFEVIDENCE for 20% off your first test or membership.

Subscribe to Lara Lewington's Your Body Of Evidence for weekly episodes uncovering the science, data, and technology behind living healthier for longer.

#HealthTech #Wearables #MartinLewis #LaraLewington #YourBodyOfEvidence #AtrialFibrillation #HeartHealth #FitnessTracker

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What’s normal when it comes to women’s health, and when should you seek answers?

This Morning regular, NHS GP and women’s health specialist Dr Nighat Arif joins Lara Lewington to explore the health data, tests and technology that can help women understand their bodies and take charge of their health.

From period-tracking apps and menstrual cycle data to pelvic floor trainers and hormone testing, we separate useful tools from wellness hype. We also explore why pregnancy can act as a lifelong health stress test, the promising science of menstrual stem cells, and the gender research gap that has left women underrepresented in medical studies.

Lara Lewington is a technology journalist and broadcaster who presented the BBC’s Click for 15 years. She’s also the author of Hacking Humanity, about how technology is changing health.

In Your Body of Evidence, Lara and her expert guests unpack the evidence behind health data, wearable technology, at-home testing and wellness claims, helping listeners make more informed decisions about their health. Your Body of Evidence is partnered with Thriva. To get proactive about your health with at-home biomarker testing, visit https://thrive.co and use code BODYOFEVIDENCE for 20% off your first test or membership. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more deep dives into the science, tech, and data shaping our bodies.

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Lara Lewington sits down with leading Cambridge geneticist and obesity researcher Professor Giles Yeo to uncover the science, reality, and future of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro. From how these medications interact directly with hunger and reward circuits in the brain to the surprising biological truth behind muscle loss and "Ozempic face," Professor Yeo breaks down what actually happens when appetite is chemically switched off. Plus, we explore whether GLP-1s could protect against diseases beyond obesity, the reality of taking them long-term, and how continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) fit into everyday health tracking.
Special Offer: This episode is brought to you in partnership with Thrive. To take control of your health data with simple, painless at-home blood testing for blood sugar, inflammation, and more, visit https://thriva.co and use code BODYOFEVIDENCE for 20% off your first test or membership.

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