What do our gut bacteria do? (And are we feeding them properly?)
Another futuristic session that generated a lot of debate focused on gut microbes, and featured Dr Johanna Lampe from the University of Washington; and Dr Cindy Davis from the National Institutes of Health. Here are some choice quotes:
- The highly processed western diet [lots of refined carbs, not much fiber] doesn’t leave much for our microbes to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- The availability of nutrients and bioactive substances important for health is highly dependent on our gut bacteria, which perform vital functions from producing vitamins to modulating our immune system.
- When it comes to gut bacteria, and foods to help promote the ‘friendly’ kind, diversity is good.
- When things are going well, the gut flora is in good balance. When things go bad, you get microbiome dysbiosis and disease. (The gut bacteria of sick and healthy people, and obese and lean people, is different. But is the bacteria a cause of the disease or an effect/result of it?)
Click HERE to read a guest article from Nestlé Research Center scientist Annick Mercenier on the gut microbiome.
