Gut Microbiome

[Atheria]

I'm not here a lot, but I am currently OBSESSED with gut microbiome and how it seems to affect everything! This is a super interesting (long) article about it. The important takeaway is...eat a whole foods, high fiber, plant based/vegan diet!

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how- ... -evolution

Fiberly,
Atheria

[AnnetteW]

Have you read the new "Fiber Fueled" book? I've really enjoyed listening to Dr. B on the PlantProof Podcast.

[michaelswarm]

More detail on how a whole food plant based diet works, from a mechanical or biological view. Confirms what Dr McDougall and his colleagues have been saying for 40 years. I agree that Dr B is great, especially on gut and microbiome. He has been on quite a few podcasts since his book Fiber Fueled came out. I think the microbiome researcher Justin Sonnenburg wrote an endorsement of Dr B's new book. Nice to see at least a few gastroenterologists coming on board. Dr B does not have the years of experience of Dr McDougall, but a promising young doctor in the next generation. There is a small community of plant based cardiologists. Since gut is front and center in eating, will be nice to see similar community of plant based gastroenterologists. It's embarrassing that most gut specialist doctors don't know and practice this stuff.

[hazelrah]

Rich Roll has a great videocast that really helped me understand the way our lifestyles are affecting our microbiome:

https://youtu.be/jWgnkgYtqnw

Glyphosate is insidious and worse than I even thought it was.


Mark

[michaelswarm]

Rich Roll has a great videocast that really helped me understand the way our lifestyles are affecting our microbiome:

https://youtu.be/jWgnkgYtqnw

Glyphosate is insidious and worse than I even thought it was.
Mark

Dr Zach Bush is very intelligent and well spoken, and promotes whole food plant based eating. And I don’t doubt that glyphosate is very bad for us.

His message as I understand it is essentially: Roundup = Glyphosate = Antibiotic = Bad For Microbiome and Human Health, which I agree with.

However, 3 points stand out to me, that cause me some doubt.
1. Cancer began it’s increase in 1800s, and was already top 10 killer in US by 1900, and every decade since, long before glyphosate.
2. Dr Bush has stated that 1/3 of patients do not experience results even with 100% compliance. I have not heard that he had conversations with or consulted pioneers like Dr Ornish, Dr Esselstyn and Dr McDougall to understand why. If there were true, the McDougall 10-Day Program would definitely see this, no?
3. Dr Bush sells expensive supplements.

I keep an open mind and look for more confirmation and replication of his non-glyphosate information, but so far no.

[Ltldogg]

"Dr. B" and his Fiber Fueled book should not be followed. He cherry picks small bits from studies and uses a lot of conjecture to create an over-simplified narrative that everything is easily solved if one just follows his advice; all to sell you a book and also push supplements. He is a snake oil salesman with his well honed pitches on YouTube blogs, but his methodology of using others' science is absolutely wrong and corrupt.

[michaelswarm]

Just to be clear, Dr Zach Bush (Roundup-Glyphosate and Farmers Footprint documentary), and Dr Will Bulsiewicz, gastroenterologist (Fiber Fueled) are different doctors, and not to be confused. Dr Zach Bush sells supplements, Dr Will Bulsiewicz does not.

[Ltldogg]

Just to be clear, Dr Zach Bush (Roundup-Glyphosate and Farmers Footprint documentary), and Dr Will Bulsiewicz, gastroenterologist (Fiber Fueled) are different doctors, and not to be confused. Dr Zach Bush sells supplements, Dr Will Bulsiewicz does not.

I am talking Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, author of Fiber Fueled. He is partnered with Genuine Health (https://www.genuinehealth.com/en-us/), a supplement company. He has a page on their site, https://www.genuinehealth.com/en-ca/aut ... ulsiewicz/ in which several videos are linked of him discussing gut issues at the end of which he is promoting Genuine Health supplements, like in this one: https://www.genuinehealth.com/en-ca/gen ... in-health/ (go to the 7:40 minute mark).

~Scott

EDIT to note that Dr. Bulsiewicz himself freely disclaims (in several YouTube videos that he is interviewed in) that he is partnered with Genuine Health for the supplements he recommends and they sell.

2nd EDIT to clean up my post so it doesn't come off sounding so angry.

[QubitBob]

Thank you, Atheria, for posting this very informative article. I, too, have become very interested in the current scientific findings about the importance of the gut microbiome. It seems like hardly a month goes by without some major new finding being published.

I first heard about the Sonnenburgs when I read a special section entitled Innovations in the Microbiome in the March 2015 issue of Scientific American magazine. Part of this section is online here: https://tinyurl.com/hvrogrp . In particular, this article feature a wonderful "infographic" which helps explain the concept of how the microbes ferment fiber and how this helps regulate the immune system. This infographic is online here: https://tinyurl.com/zdlc37t .

Speaking of the relationship between fiber and the immune system. Here's a link ( https://tinyurl.com/yaemf4sm ) to an article about some really nifty research that was conducted by some Swiss scientists. They found that they could control the severity of allergic asthma in laboratory animals by adjusting the amount of fiber in their diet. They traced this directly to the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids circulating in their system.

Finally, for a medical anecdote which is way out there: Here's a link ( https://tinyurl.com/y9w6pv5k ) to a transcript of a story I heard on Freakonomics Radio on NBR. This is a story of how a man in Australia was seemingly cured of MS by receiving a fecal transplant. Those of us who follow Dr. McDougall know that he has gone to great lengths to communicate that there is solid evidence that a whole-food, plant-based diet can help many people with MS. This radio story suggests one mechanism which may play a role in this: changing the makeup of the gut microbiome.

[human vegetable]

Great links, thanks to all the previous posters!

In the one about high fiber against asthma, it is specifically stressed to focus on fermentable (rather than non-fermentable) fiber. As far as I know, many common sources of fiber (such as bran and psyllium) are mostly non-fermentable. Therefore, a high fiber count just by itself is still no guarantee that one's diet will suppress asthma (and hopefully, other auto-immune diseases as well).

Is there any comprehensive table listing the content of fermentable fiber for most common foods? That would be a great resource for planning one's nutrition accordingly.

[JeffN]

Is there any comprehensive table listing the content of fermentable fiber for most common foods? That would be a great resource for planning one's nutrition accordingly.

Just another rabbit hole.

In the end, all plant foods contain a variety of fibers, including soluble and insoluble, fermentable and non-fermentable, gums, pectins, gels, inulin, resistant starch, prebiotics, probiotics, etc. Sure, some may be a little higher in one type than another but they all have differing benefits.

When soluble was first linked to lower blood sugar and cholesterol, that became the rage.

Problem was, any whole natural food that had fiber, had both types. Sure, some had a little more soluble and some a little less, but both types are important.

Then when resistant starch was linked with lower blood sugar and weight, it became the rage.

Now its fermentable fibers.

The initial results alsways seem promising, only to eventually fade or wind up as a pharmaceutical. Just check out my post about The Lifecycle of the Typical Nutrient/Supplement

So what foods are sources of fermentable and prebiotic fiber?

Fermentable fiber is present in virtually all fruits, vegetables and legumes. It’s also in nuts and seeds and whole grains.

● Vegetables:
Allium bulbs: garlic, leeks, onions, scallions, shallots
Crucifers: cauliflower, Savoy cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens
Roots and tubers: Jerusalem artichoke, beets, burdock, cassava, chicory and dandelion roots, jicama, potato starch, sweet potatoes, taro, yacon, yams (but watch the sugars in those starchy veggies by limiting your portion size)
Others: Globe artichoke, asparagus, bamboo shoots, butternut squash, celery, dandelion, green peas, mushrooms, okra, salsify, snow and sugar snap peas, spinach, etc

● Fruits:
apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, guava, kiwi, pears, persimmons, pomegranate, stone fruits (apricots, peaches, dark plums, nectarines), watermelon, grapes, etc

● Grains:
amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, couscous, freekah, oats, brown rice, rye, spelt, whole wheat, etc

● Legumes:
all dried beans, peas, lentils; fresh peas; etc

● Nuts and seeds, raw:
almonds, cashews, chestnuts, flaxseed, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc

Sounds like the Mcdougall program

More detail on how a whole food plant based diet works, from a mechanical or biological view. Confirms what Dr McDougall and his colleagues have been saying for 40 years.

Exactly! And don't forget Dr Burkitt!

Problem is, surveys have consistently shown that less than 1% of Americans follow any resemblance of a healthy diet. The latest number was .3%. And in regard to fiber, the average intake has been about 12-15 grams for decades. More proof people don't eat healthy as fiber is only found in minimally processed plants (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans and nuts/seeds.) to be at 12-15 ones diet must be made up of highly refined plant foods and animal foods. The minimum recommendation is 35 grams. On our program you easily get 35-50 and many will get over 75.

We know that when someone eating the typical highly processed, refined, high fat, high salt, high sugar diet, and then switch over to a diet like ours, their whole microbiome shifts to a healthy one in as little as 2 weeks.

Sure, people have individual sensitives and they best way to find those out is to do an elimination diet. Slow and tedious but the most effective.


In Health
Jeff

[human vegetable]

Thanks Jeff. Once more, I'm sweating the small stuff.