Do you feel like your body isn’t in peak shape? Is your quality of life compromised by an inflammation-related health problem such as irritable bowel syndrome, depression, acne vulgaris, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue, type-1 diabetes, or obesity? If so, then chances are your gut is in a sorry state and is largely to blame […]
Microbiome
How Your Microbiome Shapes Your Appetite
It’s commonly believed that our dietary preferences are fairly static, in the sense that they don’t change much, irrespective of how we live our lives. This assumption is erroneous. A person whose favorite food is doughnuts won’t necessarily crave doughnuts his whole life. By altering his lifestyle and behavior, in particular his eating behavior, he […]
It All Starts in the Gut
Most chronic health problems start in the gut. A lot of contemporary humans are overweight, chronically inflamed, tired, and metabolically deranged and have a less than stellar libido and mental health. This isn’t surprising, seeing as a lot of contemporary humans eat a species-inappropriate diet and harbor an imbalanced, unhealthy gut microbiota. Many are also […]
Are Salty Diets Proinflammatory?
This past week I’ve been taking in more salt than what I usually do. Not because I think I’m doing my body a favor by upping my intake of sodium chloride, but rather because so much of the food I’ve been served at the various social events I’ve attended during the holidays have been heavy […]
Modern Foods Drive the Development of Acne Vulgaris
Almost half a century ago, two small studies on diet and acne that would turn out to greatly influence the evolution of the field of dermatology, in particular the parts of the field that deal with acne vulgaris, a skin disorder that is today highly prevalent in westernized nations, were published (1, 2). Those studies, […]
15 Things You Should Avoid to Keep Your Microbiome From Turning Against You
The trillions of microorganisms that colonize your body shape your thoughts, behavior, and general health. Hence, it goes without saying that you would be wise to take your microbiome into account when you plan your life: what you eat, when you go to bed, how much you exercise, and so forth. It’s not just important […]
Are Non-Communicable Diseases Really Non-Communicable?
A long-standing practice in medicine has been to classify diseases as either non-communicable or communicable. Whereas conditions such as influenza, tuberculosis, and AIDS have long been known to be contagious, disorders and diseases such as colon cancer, acne vulgaris, and type-1 diabetes are generally considered to be non-communicable. Scientific research that has emerged over the […]
Does the Use of Whey Protein Supplements Negatively Affect Gut Health?
If you’re a regular reader of Darwinian-Medicine.com, you’ve undoubtedly picked up on the fact that I’m not a fan of protein supplements. In previous articles I’ve pointed out that protein supplements are evolutionarily novel food products with an abnormal nutrient composition and that the consumption of the most popular type of protein supplement on the […]
A Healthy Gut is a Prerequisite for a Healthy Brain
Much of what goes on inside your brain occurs as a consequence of what goes on inside your gut (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). If your gut is in bad shape, your brain will also be in bad shape. Conversely, if your gut is healthy and working well, then chances are your brain will also […]
10 Common Misconceptions About the Human Microbiome
The human microbiome has received a lot of attention lately, both in the scientific literature and in the mainstream press. Unfortunately though, not all of the information about gut health and human-associated microbes that is floating around is of high quality. The microbiome field is very young, and there is still a lot we don’t […]