Rewilding the gut - Lucy Mailing (AHS21)
Channel: AncestryFoundation
Date: 2021-08-25

Full Title: 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.