I meet people all the time who either tell me that they’re having problems with their gut/digestion and/or who exhibit phenotypic signs to that effect. Typically, if I get to talking with these people and they indicate that they’re looking for noncomplicated ways to make their digestive troubles go away, I recommend that they try […]
Microbiome
Why I Avoid Foods Rich in Resistant Starch: The Evolutionary Rationale for Less Nutritional Resistance
If you’re someone who’s been involved in the evolutionary nutrition community for some time, then you’re undoubtedly familiar with Resistant Starch (RS), which is a special type of starch that we humans are incapable of digesting without the help of the bacteria that dwell in our bowels. RS rose to fame some years back, spurred […]
A Healthy Partner: The Best Probiotic There Is
The probiotic market is flooded with useless – and in many instances harmful – products. Instead of turning to that marketplace for microbial solutions in the form of new materials to add to your microbiome, you may be better off exploring the vast pool of microbial life in which we humans bathe. Like you, the […]
‘Natural Selection, The Microbiome, and Public Health’: A Superb, “Must-Read” Article That Demystifies the Microbiome via Darwinian Means
The human microbiome is all the rage in this day and age. It’s at the forefront of modern science and medicine and features prominently in newspaper articles, health & wellness magazines, and diet books. But despite being so visible and scrutinized, the microbiome is frequently perceived as being a mystery – something that it’s difficult […]
New Research Suggests That Probiotics May Do More Harm Than Good
In my previous article here on Darwinian-Medicine.com, I made the case that certain current implementations of the probiotic concept are pernicious. That post is the last in what has now become a fairly sizeable list of articles I’ve written about the potential downsides of probiotic supplementation; all of which are built on a similar line […]
My Beef with Probiotics: Why You Should Trust Your Gut, Not the Recommendations of Probiotic Manufacturers
Probiotics are high on the list of things I’ve written the most about here on Darwinian-Medicine.com. The principle reason why I’ve devoted so much time and space to the probiotic industry and its promotion and sale of supplements and nutritional products containing live bacteria is that I’m of the belief that the probiotic enterprise is […]
Does the Key to a Robust Microbiota & Immune System Lie in Our Evolutionary Past? 10 Questions with Dr. Graham Rook
It’s difficult to overestimate the role that microbes and immune processes play in shaping the human physiology. Over the past couple of decades, it has become increasingly clear that the microbiome is at the center of human health and well-being, in the sense that our health status is largely determined by the composition and workings […]
How Fermented Vegetables Can Help You Safely Get Through the Holidays
The Christmas season is something a lot of people look forward to and enjoy. It’s not all bliss and prosperity though. As everyone who celebrates Christmas knows, the festivities come with side effects, many of which are related to our health and well-being. Christmas is notorious for being hard on our bodies! It’s difficult to […]
Ask Eirik: Did Our Hunter-Gatherer Forebears Eat Fermented Foods?
In several of my articles on fermented foods, I’ve stated that our preagricultural ancestors consumed primarily fresh foods, as opposed to fermented ones, and that I think we would be wise to follow in their footsteps. I strongly believe that people who harbor a dysbiotic gut microbiota can benefit from consuming small-moderate quantities of certain […]
The First Ever Clinical Study on Fermented Vegetables and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
I came up with the idea for, and was in charge of planning and conducting, what is to my knowledge the first ever clinical research study that has looked into the efficacy of fermented vegetables in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The study, which was recently published in the journal Food & Function, […]