A Second Look: Rewilding the Gut

On today’s an episode we bring you a special presentation by Lucy Mailing Phd from the ancestral health symposium. All of our past AHS presentations can be found on our YouTube channel

Rewilding the gut: what modern microbiome science can tell us about restoring ancestral diversity - Lucy Mailing (AHS21) The gut microbiota plays essential roles in human health and has been implicated in many chronic diseases. This dense community of microbes has co-evolved with its host over million years of evolution, but in recent decades has been substantially affected by modern industrialization. According to some estimates, we’ve lost about half of our ancestral microbial diversity. In this talk, I discuss the evidence for lost microbial diversity, the effects of diet on the industrialization of the gut microbiota, and the potential benefits for a “wilder” gut microbiome. I also review several studies that highlight potential strategies to “rewild” the gut, including the removal of processed foods, the inclusion of fiber or fermented foods, exercise, time spent in natural environments, social interaction, and fecal transplants.