Michael Mosley (broadcaster)

Michael Mosley (born 22 March 1957) is a British television journalist, producer and presenter who has worked for the BBC since 1985. He is probably best known as a presenter of television programmes on biology and medicine and his regular appearances on The One Show. Mosley is an intermittent fasting and low-carbohydrate diet advocate who has written books promoting the ketogenic diet.

Early life

Mosley was born in

In January 2013, he presented The Genius of Invention. In the documentary named The Truth About Personality,^[6] first aired on 10 July 2013, Mosley explores what science can tell us about optimism and pessimism and whether we can change our outlook.^[7][8]

Mosley, along with a group of medical specialists, presented a documentary series titled The Diagnostic Detectives which aired in 2020. In the series, each programme is centred around the group of doctors who choose to tackle a patient's problem.^{[citation needed][9] [10]} In 2021, Mosley presented a three-part series, Lose a Stone in 21 Days for Channel 4. On the programme Mosley asserted that people can lose a stone in 21 days by calorie restriction to only 800 calories a day. This advice is considered dangerous by medical experts and the programme received a backlash on social media platforms.^[11] Beat, a UK charity supporting those affected by eating disorders, stated that "the programme caused enough stress and anxiety to our beneficiaries that we extended our Helpline hours to support anyone affected and received 51% more contact during that time".^[12]

Intermittent fasting and low-carbohydrate diet advocacy

Mosley promotes intermittent fasting and is a low-carbohydrate diet advocate.^[13]

5:2 diet

Mosely is credited with popularising a form of intermittent fasting called the 5:2 diet though an episode of the BBC documentary series, Horizon called, Eat, Fast and Live Longer.^[14] It was through this documentary that he learned about the 5:2 from scientist Mark Mattson who published a paper on the 5:2 with Michelle Harvie and 14 other scientists in 2011.^[15][16][17] In the original trials, the 5:2 does not follow a particular food pattern, but instead focuses entirely on calorie content.^[18] It became very popular in the UK and Australia. ^{[19] [20][21][22]}

In early 2013 Mosley published The Fast Diet with Mimi Spencer.^[23][24]

The Fast 800 diet

Currently, Mosley advocates The Fast 800 Diet, a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting that follows a daily 800-calorie eating plan.^[21] His book The Fast 800 Keto combines a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting.^[25]

Mosley's The Fast 800 Keto advises a three-stage diet plan for weight loss: stage 1, a

Red Pen Reviews noted that Mosley's book The Fast 800 Keto "scored weakly for scientific accuracy" but concluded that the diet "should cause weight loss and improve health in most people who have extra weight and/or type 2 diabetes, but some aspects of the diet may be unnecessary and make it harder to follow". The review also noted that Mosley's Fast 800 Keto is not a long-term ketogenic diet and the insistence on a low-carbohydrate intake for the long-term Mediterranean diet is not necessary.[26]

Television

Awards and honours

In 1994, Ulcer Wars,

Mosley is married to Clare Bailey, a GP; they have four children.^[24][49] In a BBC documentary on sleep, Mosley revealed he has chronic insomnia.^[50] He published Fast Asleep in 2019.^[24]

Selected publications

• Mosley, Michael;
  ISBN 9781780721675
  .
• Mosley, Michael; Bee, Peta (2013). Fast exercise : the smart route to health & fitness. London:
  OCLC 862761007
  .
• Mosley, Michael;
  OCLC 922597339
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2016). The 8-week blood sugar diet : how to beat diabetes fast (and stay off medication) (First ed.). New York:
  OCLC 946536100
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2017). The Clever Gut diet (First ed.). New York:
  OCLC 1090297589
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2019). The Fast 800 diet: discover the ideal fasting formula to shed pounds, fight disease, and boost your overall health (First ed.). New York:
  OCLC 1127182027
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2020). Fast asleep : improve brain function, lose weight, boost your mood, reduce stress, and become a better sleeper (First ed.). New York:
  OCLC 1181841827
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2020). COVID-19 : everything you need to know about the Corona Virus and the race for the vaccine (First ed.). New York:
  OCLC 1156472581
  .
• Mosley, Michael (2021). The Fast 800 Keto: Eat well, burn fat, manage your weight long-term (First ed.).
  ISBN 9781780725024
  .