Sharon Elin's List: Human Gut Project - Jeff Leach

"Once you get talking to Leach and his research colleagues around the world, you quickly realize it’s not just about changing dinner-table etiquette—we may be changing how we talk about health entirely. It all centers on the trillions of bacteria living in our gut."

For a century, doctors have waged war against bacteria, using antibiotics as their weapons. But that relationship is changing as scientists become more familiar with the 100 trillion microbes that call us home — collectively known as the microbiome.

"It turns out that we are only 10 percent human: for every human cell that is intrinsic to our body, there are about 10 resident microbes — including commensals (generally harmless freeloaders) and mutualists (favor traders) and, in only a tiny number of cases, pathogens. To the extent that we are bearers of genetic information, more than 99 percent of it is microbial. And it appears increasingly likely that this “second genome,” as it is sometimes called, exerts an influence on our health as great and possibly even greater than the genes we inherit from our parents. But while your inherited genes are more or less fixed, it may be possible to reshape, even cultivate, your second genome."

"Learn how the human digestive system functions and how healthy and diverse gut flora plays a part."

" it may be possible to cultivate a healthier community of bacteria on and inside us by modifying our diets. ...Stein was advised to eat more garlic and leeks for his. But we wondered: Are there other foods that promote a healthy microbiome in most people? ...The answer, we found out, is fairly complicated. Microbiome research is still in the very early stages...."We know quite a lot about associations between food and health, we know a bunch of associations between food and microbes, and we know a bunch about associations between microbes and health," says microbiome researcher Rob Knight.... What researchers don't yet know is how to put the whole picture together."

"In an effort to raise awareness about the changes in human ecology that have given rise to diseases of the modern world, Jeff launched the Human Food Project to blur the line between the science and the general public. See also our recently launched crowd sourcing project American Gut. We hope you can join us as we look to the past to better understand why we get sick."

Anthropology of Microbes

"Here are 5 simple ways you can rekindle your microbial connections – without sacrificing basic hygiene. And yes, you still need to wash your hands."

"With their unique combination of flavonoids and sulfur-containing nutrients, the allium vegetables belong in your diet on a regular basis. There's research evidence for including at least one serving of an allium vegetable in your meal plan every day. If you're choosing leeks, make your individual portion 1/2 cup or greater, and try to include at least one cup of chopped leeks in your recipes."

"In-depth nutrient analysis"

51 Healthy Foods You Can Say "Yes" To

"In order to flourish, the bacteria in your colon need a kind of fiber called fructans, which is a type of prebiotic. Experts estimate that the average American only gets about 1 to 4 grams of these fructan-type fibers a day. ...Gut bacteria also like to feast on cellulose, an insoluble fiber that has been shown to promote good gut microbes. The parts of produce we tend to throw out are high in cellulose—the chewy stalks of broccoli, the fibrous tops of leeks, carrot peels, the bottoms of asparagus—and celery. ...How you prepare these foods also matters, since heat breaks down fibers."

"To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them."