Michael Mosley used science communication to promote health and well-being. We can learn a lot from your approach

Overnight we learned of the tragic passing of Michael Mosley, who went missing last week whilst on holiday on the Greek island of Symi.

The famous British doctor was a household name in many countries, including Australia. Mosley was known for his television programs, documentaries, books and columns on healthy eating, weight management, physical activity and sleep.

During the days he was missing and as soon as his death was confirmed, the media recognized Mosley’s professional achievements. He is being celebrated for his connection with diverse audiences and his relentless focus on science as the best guide to our daily habits.

From medicine to media

Mosley was born in India in 1957 and was sent to England at the age of seven to attend boarding school. He later studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. After a brief stint in investment banking, Mosley chose to train in medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Rather than pursue a career in clinical practice, Mosley began working at the BBC in 1985 as a trainee production assistant. In the decades that followed, Mosley continued to work with the BBC as a producer and presenter.

Mosley became a popular public figure by applying his medical training to journalism to examine a wide range of health and wellness topics. In 1995, after his documentary about Helicobacter pyloria bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, the British Medical Association named him medical journalist of the year.

His other television work on diet, weight management, exercise and sleep has earned him nominations for Emmy, BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and Royal Television Society awards.

Over the past decade, Mosley has published several books on exercise, healthy eating, intermittent fasting, sleep, and behavior change. He has sold millions of copies of his books around the world, including at least a million in Australia and New Zealand.

Alongside his wife, Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley, he recently embarked on a live theater tour, yet another vehicle to bring his key messages to the public.

A trusted voice

Mosley has become a trusted voice for health and wellness throughout his journalism career. His television show, Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, drew on his medical qualifications to credibly discuss health and wellness on a public platform. Her medical training also inferred credibility in examining the scientific literature supporting the themes she communicated.

At the same time, Mosley used simple terminology that captured the attention of diverse audiences.

For many of Mosley’s productions, he used himself as an example. For example, in his Just One Thing podcast series and accompanying book, Mosley tested a series of evidence-based behavioral habits (while also interviewing subject matter experts), covering topics such as eating slowly, yoga, listening to music, cooking, gardening and drinking green tea.

His focus on intermittent fasting and high-intensity training was fueled by his type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and his work on sleep health was based on his experience with chronic insomnia.

On the more extreme end of the spectrum, Mosley infested himself with tapeworms in an attempt to explore their effects on the human body.

By using himself as a human guinea pig, he fostered a connection with his audience, showing the power of personal anecdotes.

Some controversies along the way

Despite his notable professional achievements, Mosley received continued criticism of his work due to differing opinions in the medical and scientific communities.

One of the main concerns revolved around the promotion of potentially risky diets such as intermittent fasting and other restrictive diets, including the 5:2 diet and low-carb diets. Although some evidence supports intermittent fasting as a way to improve metabolic health and enable weight management, Mosley has been criticized for not fully recognizing the potential risks of these diets, such as the potential to lead to disordered eating habits.

His promotion of low-carb diets also raised concerns that his work contributed to a diet-centered culture war, ultimately to the detriment of many people’s relationship with food and their bodies.

More broadly, in his efforts to make scientific concepts simple and accessible to the general public, Mosley was sometimes criticized for overgeneralizing science. The concern was that it did not adequately discuss the nuances and tensions inherent in scientific evidence, thus providing an incomplete synthesis of the evidence.

For example, Mosley conceptualized the blood sugar diet (a low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet), which has been criticized for not having a solid basis in scientific evidence. Likewise, associating his name with e-cigarettes may have drawn unnecessary attention to the issue, regardless of the underlying details.

What can we learn from Mosley?

Overall, Mosley has been objectively successful in communicating scientific concepts to large, engaged audiences. Mosley showed us that people want to consume scientific information, whether through news media, social media, podcasts or books.

His passion and persistence in using science to promote health and well-being likely supported public health efforts around the world.