2781: Your Gut Bacteria Doesn’t Like Junk Food - Even If You Do by Tim Spector with Blue Zones on Microbiome Diversity

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[00:00:57] This is Optimal Health Daily. Your gut bacteria don't like junk food, even if you do. By Tim Spector with BlueZones.com. And I'm Dr. Neil.

[00:01:08] Hey there, happy Saturday. Thank you so much for being here and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I act as your narrator of the best health and fitness blogs, all for free. And always with my commentary at the end.

[00:01:20] For now, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:29] Your gut bacteria don't like junk food, even if you do. By Tim Spector with BlueZones.com.

[00:01:37] When Morgan Spurlock famously spent a month eating large portions of McDonald's for the purposes of his documentary, Supersize Me, he gained weight, damaged his liver, and claimed to have suffered addictive withdrawal symptoms.

[00:01:51] This was attributed to the toxic mix of carbs and fat plus the added chemicals and preservatives in junk foods.

[00:01:58] But, could there be another explanation?

[00:02:01] We may have forgotten others who really don't enjoy fast food.

[00:02:05] These are the poor creatures that live in the dark in our guts.

[00:02:08] These are the hundred trillion microbes that outnumber our total human cells 10 to 1,

[00:02:14] and digest our food, provide many vitamins and nutrients, and keep us healthy.

[00:02:19] Until recently, we have viewed them as harmful.

[00:02:22] But those harmful bacteria, like salmonella, are a tiny minority, and most are essential for us.

[00:02:30] Studies in lab mice have shown that when fed an intensive, high-fat diet, their microbes change dramatically, and for the worse.

[00:02:38] This can be partly prevented by using probiotics.

[00:02:41] But there are obvious differences between us and lab mice, as well as our natural microbes.

[00:02:47] Researchers recently studied those who ate a traditional African diet, high in beans and vegetables,

[00:02:53] and swapped their diet with one resembling a U.S. diet, one high in fat and animal proteins, and low in dietary fiber.

[00:03:01] They also had African Americans eat the more traditional African diet.

[00:03:06] They found that Africans fared worse on American-style food.

[00:03:11] Their metabolisms changed to a diabetic and unhealthy profile within just two weeks.

[00:03:17] The African Americans, instead, had lower markers for colon cancer risk.

[00:03:22] Tests of both groups showed very different microbiomes, the populations of microbes in their guts.

[00:03:28] Home testing.

[00:03:30] Surprisingly, no one has specifically investigated the effect of junk food on Westerners from the perspective of the microbiome.

[00:03:37] For the sake of science and research for my book, The Diet Myth,

[00:03:41] I have been experimenting with several unusual diets and recorded their effects on my gut microbes.

[00:03:46] These include fasting, a colonoscopy diet, and an intensive, unpasteurized French cheese diet.

[00:03:54] My son, Tom, a final year student of genetics at the University of Iberisdwith,

[00:03:59] suggested an additional crucial experiment.

[00:04:01] To track the microbes as they changed from an average Western diet to an intensive fast food diet for over a week.

[00:04:08] I wasn't the ideal subject since I was no longer on an average diet.

[00:04:13] But Tom, who like most students enjoyed his fast food, was.

[00:04:17] So, he agreed to be the guinea pig on the basis that I paid for all his meals and he could analyze and write up his results for his dissertation.

[00:04:25] The plan was to eat all his meals at the local McDonald's for 10 days.

[00:04:29] He was able to eat either a Big Mac or chicken nuggets, plus fries and a Coke.

[00:04:34] For extra vitamins, he was allowed beer and crisps in the evening.

[00:04:38] He would collect fecal samples before, during, and after his diet and send them to three different labs to check consistency.

[00:04:46] Tom started in high spirits and many of his fellow students were jealous of his unlimited junk food budget.

[00:04:52] As he put it,

[00:04:54] quote,

[00:04:54] I felt good for three days.

[00:04:56] Then, slowly went downhill.

[00:04:58] I became more lethargic.

[00:05:00] And by a week, my friends thought I had gone a strange gray color.

[00:05:04] The last few days were a real struggle.

[00:05:06] I felt really unwell, but definitely had no addictive withdrawal symptoms.

[00:05:10] And, when I finally finished, I rushed, uncharacteristically, to the shops to get some salad and fruit.

[00:05:18] End quote.

[00:05:19] While it was clear the intensive diet had made him feel temporarily unwell,

[00:05:23] we had to wait a few months for the results to come back.

[00:05:26] The results came from Cornell University in the U.S.

[00:05:29] and the crowdfunded British Gut Project,

[00:05:32] which allows people to get their microbiome tested with the results shared on the web for anyone to analyze.

[00:05:38] They all told the same story.

[00:05:39] In the history, Tom's community of gut microbes, called the microbiome, had been devastated.

[00:05:45] Tom's gut had seen massive shifts in his common microbe groups for reasons that are still unclear.

[00:05:51] Formicutes were replaced with bacteroidetes as the dominant type,

[00:05:55] while friendly bifidobacteria that suppress inflammation were halved.

[00:06:00] However, the clearest marker of an unhealthy gut is losing species diversity.

[00:06:05] And, after just a few days, Tom had lost an estimated 1,400 species, nearly 40% of his total.

[00:06:13] The changes persisted, and even two weeks after the diet, his microbes had not recovered.

[00:06:19] Loss of diversity is a universal sign of ill health in the guts of obese and those that are diabetic,

[00:06:24] and triggers a range of immunity problems in lab mice.

[00:06:28] That junk food is bad for you is not news,

[00:06:30] but knowing that it decimates our gut microbes to such an extent and so quickly is worrying.

[00:06:36] Many people eat fast food on a regular basis,

[00:06:39] and even if they don't get fat from the calories,

[00:06:41] the body's metabolism and immune system are suffering via the effects on the microbes.

[00:06:47] We rely on our bacteria to produce much of our essential nutrients and vitamins,

[00:06:52] while they rely on us eating plants and fruits to provide them with energy

[00:06:57] and to produce healthy chemicals which keep our immune system working normally.

[00:07:01] We are unlikely to stop people eating fast food,

[00:07:04] but the devastating effects on our microbes and our long-term health

[00:07:08] could possibly be mitigated if we also eat foods which our microbes love,

[00:07:13] like probiotics, think yogurt, root vegetables, nuts, olives, and high-fiber foods.

[00:07:20] What they seem to crave, above all else, is food diversity,

[00:07:23] and a slice of tomato on the burger just isn't enough.

[00:07:31] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:33] Your Gut Bacteria Don't Like Junk Food, Even If You Do,

[00:07:37] by Tim Spector with BlueZones.com.

[00:07:39] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:08:46] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:08:48] I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question.

[00:08:51] How can I reset my gut microbiome?

[00:08:54] Meaning, how can I replace the good bacteria in my intestines

[00:08:58] and help make sure that I have a diverse set of bacteria in my intestines?

[00:09:03] My answer is always the same.

[00:09:06] Eat more dietary fiber.

[00:09:07] Eat foods like berries, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.

[00:09:12] Why?

[00:09:13] It's because after our bodies break down these food sources of dietary fiber,

[00:09:17] what's left acts as fuel for our good bacteria.

[00:09:20] They use these leftovers to grow and create more diverse species of good bacteria.

[00:09:25] This is what we want to have happen.

[00:09:27] Remember at the beginning of the post,

[00:09:29] Tim said that when mice were given a high-fat diet,

[00:09:31] it changed their gut microbiome for the worse?

[00:09:34] Well, human studies are showing similar results.

[00:09:37] In fact, this is something I worry about

[00:09:40] when people follow the ketogenic diet just for fun.

[00:09:42] The ketogenic diet requires that folks consume

[00:09:45] about 70% of their calories from fat.

[00:09:48] A potential side effect to this could be

[00:09:50] fewer numbers of and less diverse good bacteria in the intestines.

[00:09:55] This is, in fact, what some studies are finding.

[00:09:58] So if you want a healthy microbiome,

[00:10:00] think about adding some food sources of dietary fiber into your diet.

[00:10:05] For those that identify as female,

[00:10:07] aim for about 25 grams of dietary fiber from food each day.

[00:10:11] For those that identify as male,

[00:10:13] aim for about 35 grams of dietary fiber from food each day.

[00:10:17] This is likely the most effective way

[00:10:19] to keep your gut microbiome healthy.

[00:10:23] All right, that'll do it from me for today.

[00:10:25] I hope you have a wonderful weekend if you're listening in real time,

[00:10:27] and I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Sunday show

[00:10:30] and where your optimal life awaits.