#013 How The Gut Microbiota Affects Our Health with Dr. Erica & Dr. Justin Sonnenburg

Dr. Justin Sonnenburg

Dr. Justin Sonnenburg is an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford and Dr. Erica Sonnenburg is a senior research scientist in the Sonnenburg lab where they research many aspects the interaction between diet with the 100 trillion or so bacteria in the gut (specifically the colon) and how this impacts the health of the host (which in this case is a laboratory research mouse).

In this episode, we discuss... 

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:50) What is the gut microbiota?
• (08:10) A lack of dietary fiber starves the gut microbiota
• (16:13) The close interplay of our gut and immune system
• (17:58) Connecting the dots between the gut, immune system, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases
• (20:45) A diet with a variety of fibers promotes microbiome diversity and health 
• (25:30) Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota
• (29:00) Individualized responses to repeated antibiotic perturbation
• (30:27) The risks of antibiotic overuse
• (32:10) Probiotics can support a healthy microbiota following antibiotics
• (38:05) Factors during birth and infancy that influence microbiome development

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

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