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 psychologically stressed and physically inactive, something that contributes to causing gut dysfunction and disease.
Unfortunately, this is something mainstream medicine hasn’t recognized. The gut is not only not prioritized by most mainstream physicians; it’s often completely overlooked. This is extremely concerning, seeing as it’s impossible to prevent or treat the chronic ills that run rampant in modern societies if one doesn’t pay any attention to what goes on in people’s gastrointestinal systems.
If your gut is healthy, then chances are the rest of your body is in good shape as well
The list of diseases and health problems that gut health and nutrition have been shown to play a central role in is endless. It includes everything from hypertension to chronic fatigue to autism to colon cancer to heart disease to acne vulgaris to depression (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). It’s a lot more challenging to find a dozen ills that aren’t related to the gut than it is to find a dozen ones that are. This fact – that virtually all diseases are tightly linked with the gut and/or microbiome – has led some researchers to propose that it’s time for a paradigm shift in medicine (11).
When we think about it, it’s not really surprising that the gut is the ground zero for human health. Not only is most of the human immune system located in and around the gut, but the gut is also where nutrients are absorbed and where most of the cells that make up the human microbiota are found.
Unlike many other parts of the human body, the gut – in its totality – is extremely malleable. The microbial communities it harbors are in some ways the gatekeepers of the body. They help control the permeability of the intestinal wall and which compounds that are allowed to pass into the host’s circulatory system. They don’t do so out of kindness, but rather because man-microbe co-evolution has forged close, mutually beneficial relationships between man and many different microorganisms.
The societal ramifications of microbiome destruction
Seeing as so much of what goes on in the human body occurs either partly or wholly as a consequence of what happens in the gut, it’s not unthinkable that the workings of our guts greatly contribute to shaping the workings of our modern societies. By rapidly changing the conditions we live under we have altered the environment of the human gut. We’ve lost touch with old microbial allies and developed new relationships with some less-than-friendly bacteria (16, 17). This has undoubtedly contributed to causing various problems that are indirectly related to people’s health and mental functioning. It has not only contributed to driving up our society’s health care cost, but it has likely caused more crime, hate, and social injustice.
It may sound crazy, but widespread gut dysfunction and consumption of unhealthy food is likely a major underlying cause of several of the social problems that plague our modern societies. Hence, it goes without saying that it’s important that microbiome restoration and nutritional counseling become a prioritized part of modern health care.
Conventional medicine has unfortunately been slow to absorb the science on the human microbiome
A massive amount of research on the human gut as it relates to health and disease has emerged in the scientific literature over the past couple of decades. The problem patients face at the moment is that this research hasn’t yet been translated into clinical practice. Fecal microbiota transplants have indeed been incorporated into the treatment program of some illnesses; however, in general, it’s safe to say that the gut doesn’t receive the attention it deserves.
A lot of patients who frequent modern medical clinics and hospitals undoubtedly have a damaged gut and would have benefited greatly from targeting this issue via diet and lifestyle interventions. Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals – a cornerstone of conventional medicine – don’t fix people’s guts. Typically, they merely block or suppress symptoms of poor nutrition and microbiome dysfunction.
On a more positive note, it appears that more and more health professionals are acknowledging that many diseases can and should be treated through the gut. It’s becoming increasingly recognized that the longstanding practice of separating the human body into distinct parts and treating each part in isolation is fallacious. It fails to account for the fact that the human body is a complex system composed of many interconnected parts.
Many gut healing programs likely do more harm than good
One of the key messages I’m trying to get across with my writings on this site is that the gut, with all its microbes, immune cells, and circulating nutrients, is at the center of the human superorganism. It controls and directs much of what goes on in the human body.
Another thing I’m trying to get across is that the primary goal of any gut healing program should be to repair and restore normal functioning of the gut and its resident microbiota. This in turn, will contribute to enhancing the health of the whole body. I think it’s a big mistake to chronically ingest large quantities of probiotics, use a myriad of different supplements, or otherwise bombard the intestine with evolutionarily supernormal concentrations of certain bacteria, nutrients, and/or herbs.
This is where I think many gut healing regimens miss the mark. Instead of focusing on repairing the gut and the body’s built-in defense and immune systems, they involve long-term use of a variety of dietary supplements and herbs that are supposedly beneficial, gut health wise. I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about the workings of the human gut; however, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the human body is a “fine-tuned” system that was shaped over evolutionary time. It doesn’t need a constant influx of man-made nutritional products to work well. It not only doesn’t need it; it doesn’t have the experience to safely handle it.
Key takeaways
Much of what goes on in your body occurs as a consequence of what happens in your gut. If you are very overweight, feel mentally foggy, have low sex drive, are chronically fatigued, and/or suffer from a chronic illness of some sort, then chances are your gut is in a sorry state. By changing your diet and taking steps to gradually repair your microbiota, you may find that your health and well-being significantly improve.
My gut bacteria seem completely messed up from years of childhood antibiotic use and now a decade of IBS-D. If I’m extremely careful about food sensitivities, it seems I can go a week between D bouts. Do you think taking SIBO antibiotics would be good to “reset”, or should one carefully try to introduce healthier specimens like Mutaflor and Sauerkraut slowly instead?
I developed IBS-D following a course of antibiotics. It took about 5 years for my bowels to return to something approaching normal. There are still certain foods which can trigger episodes of urgency and frequency, so I don’t consider myself totally healed. I took some expensive, doctor-recommended probiotics off and on, which did help but only temporarily. As soon as I stopped taking them the problems would return, so I gave up on them. I just try stick with a healthy 80 to 90 percent Paleo diet and mostly avoid the foods that I know are aggravating to my gut. I do find that fewer foods bother me now than previously.
I’m glad you had such improvement!
Hi Aindrea,
I’m sorry for the late reply.
My advice: Don’t take antibiotics.
I think the whole SIBO thing has been blown out of proportions. Gut dysbiosis is likely the primary cause of many of the issues that people attribute to SIBO.
Well said.
Evolutionarily, the things that will help heal & support the gut are fermented foods & bone broths.
You bring to attention a great myth – most cow yogurt. A highly processed, pasteurized (heated to kill microbes), full of sugar food with little to no live cultures. I love kimchi & other fermented veggies (found in the frig section) to be eaten everyday (just a spoonful or so). I do consume unsweetened coconut milk yogurt but unsure as to how much probiotics it contains. And of course apple cider vinegar. Broccoli is another good food as contain quercetin which is know to help tighten the junctions in the intestine healing leaky gut.
I think your spot on, but the difficulty lies very much in how do we repair and heal our guts after a lifetime of wrongs? Its not just a matter of making lifestyle and diet changes! (Maybe it is for some, but there’s a bunch of us who are on it, and have literally tried everything with little to no success!) 🙁 I’ve tried preety much everything I could from researching, for two years; changed my diet completely to gut loving foods and prebiotics, fasted, tried probiotics and supplements, and done herbal microbials. I’m in a better place than I was but still suffering from constipation and migraines. Sibo comes back. For others there’s no change. You get to a point where there’s just nothing left to try! Or, the symptoms shift so your food intolerances get better, but you now have rosacea, or your digestive system improves but now you get terrible Indegestion. It’s completely RIDICULOUS! sad and frustrating!
Hi Lucy,
I’m sorry to hear about your struggles.
You’re right in that it’s not easy to fix a damaged gut that’s been abused for many years (or even decades).
Have you considered giving FMT a try?
I like the leap from gut dysfunction to societal dysfunction. Quite a fascinating premise. I wonder if there’s a research paper in there – Changes in diet correlated with social unrest… No doubt. Having read Guns Germs and Steel I believe it all makes perfect sense. I also heard a fascinating discussion on BBC radio on how agriculture could be linked to various social issues that were not present prior, how working the fields would split up the family. And while agriculture developed society as a whole, early farmers were stunted and underdeveloped. We have thousands of years of cultural “norms” to work through here…
Also agree with the milk example. I spent a long time making kefir milk and dumping a couple of glasses of that into my system every day. It was severely uncomfortable, food would just putrify and it took me ages to realise what was going on and that the fermented milk was the problem. Now the damage is done…
“I like the leap from gut dysfunction to societal dysfunction. Quite a fascinating premise. I wonder if there’s a research paper in there – Changes in diet correlated with social unrest… ”
Haha! That’s a paper I’d like to read!
I’m glad you found that angle fascinating. I definitely do as well. It’s something I’ve given quite a bit of thought.
As crazy as it may seem, I strongly believe that one of the primary reasons why there’s a lot more violence, malevolence, depression, and conflict in industrialized nations than among traditional cultures is that a lot of contemporary industrialized people harbor a dysbiotic gut microbiota, eat a species-inappropriate diet, and are chronically inflamed.
I do remember reading a paper on an experiment where they change the diet of incarcerated juveniles to a paleo diet & tracked behavior changes & found decrease in altercations, fights, all violence, etc & increase in requests for books, GED sign ups, etc.
I have also read reversal of ADD/ADHD, you mentioned autism, depression, other unwanted behaviors, schizophrenia, seizures,….all linked to diet & the gut microbiome.
I am curious about the idea of supernormal supplements use.
When it comes to the food we eat today is not most of it grown in depleted soil? I have read some discussion on how much richer the soil would have been for early man, the food he ate that grew in that soil, and the food the animals ate which he then ate. So to base a model on the diet of early man how do we know we would be getting the same level of nutrition that we are built for even if we eat the same things? Would there be some cases to consider concentrating our intake of vitamins and minerals to an evolutionarily sensible standard? I guess it’s impossible to really know how nutritious the plants and animals were that were eaten in the past?
Further to this, if a gut is dysfunctional or a human system is (for example through disease damage, genetics or toxic damage including drugs or alcohol), I assume it’s reasonable to supplement to get the level of nutrition that the body requires and would have been used to in the past. For example liver damaged alcoholics can be B1 deficient and probably won’t get enough from standard diet so a mega dose may be appropriate.
I assume it’s about balance. Focus on the key premise first, healing the gut, and see what’s missing afterwards? But many people today are missing nutrients now. I assume the main problem you are citing is when we get carried away with supplementation, and use it as a start and end point instead if looking at why we might be deficient or feeling unwell?
Great questions, Mike! I like your rational way of thinking.
You’re right in that the nutrient profile of wild foods tend to be superior to that of domesticated varieties, for a number of reasons. That said, if you eat a healthy, well-designed diet, rich in organically produced produce, then your micronutrient intake is going to approximate ancestral standards. It’s not going to be identical, but it certainly won’t be markedly different.
And even if it’s not “optimal”, from an evolutionary perspective, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you would be wise to supplement with vitamins or minerals. There are a number of reasons why I hold this belief. I won’t get into all of them here. The one thing I’d like to point out is that I think the vast majority of people overestimate the importance of vitamins and minerals in human nutrition and health. Obviously, we need micronutrients to function; however, it’s important to point out that gut microbes are capable of producing a variety of nutritional compounds, including vitamin K, and that our bodies don’t need a heck of a lot of exogenous vitamins and minerals to function correctly.
Certain caveats apply. In particular the intake of vitamin D deserves some extra considerations. Also, it’s important to point out that sick people have different nutritional requirements than healthy folks.
I know this doesn’t adequately answer your questions, but in order to avoid turning this into an article, I’ll wrap up here. Maybe I’ll get around to writing a piece on these issues in the future 🙂
Hey Erik,
Do we know approximately how many calories hunter gatherers of the past ate; specifically regionally and seasonally? By that I mean the variances of eating habits between different regions of people as well as their seasons. On the same note, what role do you think deteriorating health in the form of inflammation, stress, dysfunctional gut, etc. has in how many calories we burn. Do we require more sleep and calories because of these problems? You mention in one of your previous articles the importance of fixing the gut in order to fix the appetite, does this apply to underweight people as well such as myself; in other words, by switching to a more primal diet and fixing other problems in my life such as inactivity, stress, etc. will I naturally enter a more optimal weight range?
Hey Dennis,
– Question #1: “Do we know approximately how many calories hunter gatherers of the past ate; specifically regionally and seasonally?”
That’s a difficult question to answer. It would help if you made it a bit more specific with respects to the time period and location you’re thinking about. Are you primarily thinking about our late African Paleolithic ancestors, or are there other groups that you are interested in?
– Question #2: “What role do you think deteriorating health in the form of inflammation, stress, dysfunctional gut, etc. has in how many calories we burn. Do we require more sleep and calories because of these problems?”
Yes! Inflammation increases both sleep and calorie needs.
– Question #3: “By switching to a more primal diet and fixing other problems in my life such as inactivity, stress, etc. will I naturally enter a more optimal weight range?”
Yes, you probably will. I get the impression that your gut is in a sorry state and/or that you’re chronically inflamed. If that’s indeed the case, then chances are part of the reason why you’re underweight is that your body is in a “catabolic state”. Chronic inflammation sets the stage for muscular atrophy.
My general advice for you, based on what I glean from your comment, would be that you eat a Paleolithic-type diet rich in healthy fats (you need those to keep your weight on). If you feel like your body craves some additional carbohydrate/starch, then feel free to add in some brown rice, potatoes, and/or oats as well. Stick with whole foods.
Let me know if you have any further questions!