World-leading psychiatrist: Doctors are wrong! The 5 hidden causes of brain inflammation & low mood

Could inflammation be causing low mood, anxiety, depression, or even affecting your risk of dementia? Emerging science suggests that inflammation in the body may change how the brain works. In this episode, Ed Bullmore, a Professor of Psychiatry at King's College London and a leading voice in brain research, explores why feeling low, emotionally flat, foggy or exhausted may not always be “all in your head”. Ed explores emerging science suggesting that inflammation in the body may alter how the brain works. He explains how inflammation can influence the brain and discusses why obesity, gut health, gum disease, menopause, ageing and stress may all play a role. He also examines why medicine has traditionally separated physical and mental health, and what this may mean for understanding the root causes of low mood. By the end of the episode, you’ll have some practical ways to support both brain and body health. Ed shares the evidence behind which exercise and diet matter most, and why discussing mental and physical health together may help you get closer to the causes of your symptoms. If your mood, energy and brain health are shaped by more than what’s happening in your mind, what might your body be trying to tell you? 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30: https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=d30 Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE: https://zoe.com/buymembership?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=BAU Follow ZOE on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Timecodes 00:00 Can inflammation cause depression and anxiety? 03:00 Why we hide low mood and stress 04:06 Why mental health is not just mental 10:11 Are antidepressants missing the root cause? 11:36 Why psychiatry treats symptoms, not causes 14:30 Can gum disease change your mood? 16:34 Why inflammation affects your whole body 19:17 What inflammation really does in the body 22:26 Why your brain is not sealed off 25:10 How inflammation gets into your brain 26:30 Why inflammation can look like depression 30:10 Why anxiety and depression are rising 32:02 Why 30% of severe depression may be inflammatory 33:46 The 5 hidden causes of brain inflammation 35:07 How gut health changes your mood 37:57 Why your gums matter for brain health 39:20 The gum disease and dementia link 40:12 How menopause may affect mood and inflammation 42:38 Why ageing increases inflammation 43:26 Can inflammation speed up Alzheimer’s? 45:02 How to reduce brain inflammation and improve mood 46:42 The diet linked to lower inflammation 47:45 How stress changes your immune system 51:10 What to ask your doctor if you feel low 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook | https://amzn.to/4amfIMX Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati | https://amzn.to/4blJsLg Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4amZinu Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4hU1Df5 Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4l9oXat Free resources from ZOE: Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint | https://ZOE.com/brainhealth?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=betterbrainhealth How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health | https://zoe.com/2026?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=How to eat in 2026 Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition | https://zoe.com/freeguide?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=freeguide Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks | https://zoe.com/gutguide?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=gutguide Better Breakfast Guide | https://zoe.com/breakfastguide?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=breakfastguide Mentioned in today's episode The Inflamed Mind: A radical new approach to depression by Prof Edward Bullmore | https://amzn.to/4uoUKY1 How Inflammation Affects the Brain in Depression, JCN (2021) | https://www.thejcn.com/DOIx.php?id=10.3988/jcn.2021.17.4.503 ZOE menopause study | https://zoe.com/learn/menopause-metabolism-study Fitness and mental health, BMC Medicine (2020) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12916-020-01782-9 Inflammatory models of depression in rodents and humans, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2026) | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12908409/ Stress, behavior, and immunity, General Hospital Psychiatry (1982) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0163834382900287 Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion Episode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts