The gut microbiome (the vast and variable assembly of microorganisms that live in our gut that represent 90% of the cells in our body) has a huge impact on our health. The friendlies fight off pathogens. They digest food that humans don’t have enzymes to break down, produce beneficial chemicals and vitamins and even produce serotonin that affects our moods.
Everyone has a unique microbiome which is affected by many factors. The microbiome has long been known to have a strong impact on health.
A recent study shows that the microbiome reacts quickly to diet. “Survival of the fittest” rules the gut. Some microbes thrive on a healthy diet but can’t deal with junk food. Other microbes thrive on junk food and out-compete the others on a junk food diet.
A recent, very thorough study shows that health and BMI are closely associated with specific microbes in the microbiome. The health problems associated with the junk food loving bugs are the well-known chronic ills associated with the Standard American Diet – obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Cause and effect still aren’t clear. Do the friendly microbes that thrive on the Mediterranean diet contribute to maintaining health? (and the reverse). Or are both the microbiome and health independently associated with a diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, etc.?
One interesting result of the study is that a change in diet rapidly results in a change of microbiome balance. (Within 90 days.)
Because health has such a huge Macroeconomic impact, this is clearly on-topic. Not to mention that the processed-food giants would evaporate tomorrow if everyone followed the healthier path since they produce nothing (except bottled water) that the friendlies can eat. Bye-bye, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Frito-Lay, McDonald’s, etc.
Wendy
