PBS Anounces New Health Series EXPLORATION WEDNESDAYS, Beg 4/3

PBS announced today the addition of a series of health-focused specials to its smart and popular EXPLORATION WEDNESDAYS science programming block on Wednesday evenings. The specials follow best-selling British author, journalist and popular TV personality Dr. Michael Mosley as he conducts experiments on himself to improve his health and discovers how the human body works. The three-part series follows Nature and NOVA on Wednesdays, April 3-17, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET on PBS.

"I have always been interested in self-experimentation as a research device because so many of the most important discoveries came from scientists and doctors who used themselves as test subjects," Mosley says, "but I had never before performed a series of trials on my own health." He says that when routine blood work last year revealed troubling signs - including borderline diabetes and high cholesterol - his doctor recommended medications. "But I chose instead to seek out doctors and scientists doing cutting-edge research into these problems, which so many others face as well, and use these specials to demonstrate the journey I took to find those solutions."

"Dr. Michael Mosley's three specials give the PBS audience an opportunity to understand the real science behind diet, exercise and the human digestive system in a surprisingly up-close and personal way," said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. "We're very pleased to offer our viewers a fresh, accessible approach as we bring more great science programming to Wednesday nights."

With cameras in tow for the series, Mosley traveled across the U.S. to collaborate with researchers doing extraordinary work in a variety of health-related fields. Among them: Dr. Mark Mattson, Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences for the National Institute on Aging and Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Valter Longo, Director of the Longevity Institute and Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California; and Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago. With these researchers' help, Mosley discovered revolutionary research that enabled him to test a new science-based dietary program that is easy to incorporate into normal life. The program had profound effects on his body. In the series, Mosley also tests an extraordinary claim that three minutes of exercise a week can produce benefits and discovers a genetic test to help predict a person's potential benefit from exercise. In the series' third episode, he voluntarily swallows a "camera pill" that takes viewers on a tour of his internal system, sparking some surprising revelations.

Episodes in the series include:

EAT, FAST AND LIVE LONGER WITH Michael Mosley
Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Michael Mosley sets an ambitious goal: to become healthier and lose weight while making as few changes as possible to his life. In working toward these goals, Mosley discovers a powerful new science behind the old idea of fasting, a program that still allows him to enjoy his favorite foods. He takes a road trip across the U.S. to investigate how a little hunger can turn on the body's "repair genes" and, of course, tries the new science himself. Mosley learns that a diet based on feast and famine has powerful effects on the body, reducing the risks of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The diet seems to pack the anti-aging clout of calorie restriction while still allowing for a taste of the good life. And it turns out to be not only good for the body; it may also be good for the brain.

THE TRUTH ABOUT EXERCISE WITH Michael Mosley
Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
We have always been told that regular exercise is one of the keys to a healthy, happy life, and, broadly speaking, the more exercise the better. But new research suggests that short bursts of intense exercise may be as effective as, if not better than, long periods of moderate exercise. Mosley investigates, using himself as the guinea pig, whether humans can get exercise benefits from working out just three minutes a week. He also discovers that a one-size-fits-all approach to maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle is no longer the best that science can offer. With advances in genetic testing, scientists are uncovering new, surprising truths about what exercise really does to our bodies and why we all respond to it differently. In THE TRUTH ABOUT EXERCISE, Mosley discovers a complex interplay between genes and environment. He also finds that to get the most out of exercise, people need to perform the right types of exercise, at the right time and in the right place.

GUTS WITH Michael Mosley
Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Michael Mosley scrutinizes his own digestive system to reveal what he - and most humans - look like inside. He explores The Miracles and mysteries of the digestive system, revealing a complexity and intelligence in the human gut that science is just beginning to uncover. Using the latest in medical imagery and a tiny state-of-the-art "camera pill" he swallows at the start of the film, Mosley takes viewers on a remarkable journey, revealing his innards as they digest his food. At each stage, he talks to medical experts and explains the amazing functions that occur without conscious effort. Among the discoveries is an intricate "second brain," present in the intestines, that comprises millions of neurons to orchestrate digestion and may explain the concept of "a gut feeling." Mosley also learns how fecal transplants increasingly are being used to treat serious stomach and bowel disorders, and visits a gastroenterologist to discover a fascinating relationship between personality types and pain responses.

A new book, The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, which was written after Mosley filmed this special, will be available on February 26 from Atria Books. After broadcast, the book also will be available at ShopPBS.org or 800-PLAY-PBS.

These specials are part of "PBS Exploration Wednesdays," the weekly programming block that unites some of PBS' most-loved shows for millions of science-loving viewers each week. By encouraging viewers to explore more about our world, PBS has made Wednesday the smartest night on television. Science-based videos on a variety of topics, and selected full episodes of shows from "PBS Exploration Wednesdays," are available online anytime at pbs.org.

About PBS

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