Should you allow your teenager to take protein powders?

How young is too young to start using protein powders in the hope of building muscle? The twelve-year-old son of BBC health reporter Nat Wright has been asking to try it, so she has been investigating the health science behind protein powders and whether we can have too much protein - she shares her findings with our presenter, Claudia Hammond. Claudia is joined by BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby to discuss a new study which says that one in four adolescents worldwide reported having zero active days per week in 2025. On average, adolescents reported being active for just 2.7 days a week, with the World Health Organisation pointing out that in the past fifteen years there has been almost no progress in getting teenagers moving. Philippa also tells us about a new way of reducing anxiety levels in children going into surgery using virtual reality, as well as research that people who frequently startle or jolt awake while falling asleep report poorer sleep quality, greater insomnia severity and higher anxiety. And we hear about a substance that can be painted onto teeth to stop cavities without the need for drilling or injections. Margherita Fontana, dentist and Professor of Dentistry at the University of Michigan, tells us about silver diamine fluoride and how it could be particularly effective in the care of young children. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Hannah Robins