“We Do Science” Podcast Review

Reviewed by Charles Ashford MSc, CISSN, SERr

According to the New York Times, nearly one out of three people listen to at least one podcast per month in the United States. In an age where people desire information fast and with minimal effort, podcasts can actually be an excellent tool to help facilitate learning and understanding. Fortunately, the “We Do Science” podcast has the nutrition nerds covered. https://theiopn.com/podcasts/

Spearheaded by Dr. Laurent Bannock, CEO of the Institute of Performance Nutrition (IOPN), the podcast attracts world-renowned sports nutritionists, physiologists, professors and researchers to share insightful discussions, typically within their own area of expertise. The podcast which first aired in 2014, to date, has an impressive 120 episodes covering a vast array of topics relevant to the modern-day sports nutrition practitioner.

The podcast does a great job of delivering episodes on a wide array of topics. Not only are there episodes regarding mechanistic and metabolic components of sports nutrition, but the podcast also addresses topics often overlooked when discussing sports nutrition. For example, valuable conversations about working abroad in sports nutrition, critically appraising nutrition literature and how practitioners may implement some of the practical interventions discussed in the episode.

The podcast typically begins with Laurent introducing the guest who will share their personal background, education and areas of expertise before continuing on to discussing the episode’s topic. Normally the guest will lay the foundations whilst defining some key terms to get the listener up to speed. From here on, Dr. Bannock will pose questions and queries to the guest to help best divulge the information to the listener for the next 50 minutes. There are no hidden agendas or biases which allows the listener to arrive at their own conclusions at the end of the episode.

What is unique about the podcast, and especially valuable for sports nutrition practitioners, is Laurent’s relentless focus on the context and relevance of the information being delivered in the episode. (Hence his hashtag “sciencetopractice”.) Despite the wealth of information and sharp increase of sports nutrition research being published, it is important for the practitioner to understand scenarios where the information shared may or may not be relevant. This challenges the listener to be able to think critically when assessing information and how this may integrate into their own practice. Episode 111 with Dr. Graeme Close does an excellent job at discussing this very topic (translating sports nutrition research). Overall, this podcast is a must listen for both the current and aspiring sports nutrition practitioner!