THE MORNING SHOW
with

Patrick Timpone

Jeff Leach

Founder of Human Food Project

Pass the Microbes Please! Creating Microbial Diversity In the Gut

Jeff’s interest in modern diet and the gut microbiome began almost a decade ago when his daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. As with other autoimmune diseases, an underlying genetic susceptibility must exist for type 1 diabetes to manifest but an environmental component (trigger) is necessary. With advances in metagenomics and huge government initiatives like the recently completed Human Microbiome Project, its becoming increasingly clear that the gut microbiome plays a significant if not causal role in the development of type 1 diabetes, other autoimmune diseases, and modern (ecological) diseases in general.

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.

Research interests include the impact of acculturation on the gut microbiome among traditional groups in Africa, public health policy, ethnography, indigenous rights, hot-rock technology, site formation processes, foraging and pastoral societies, and evolution of the human microbiome from our Mio-Pliocene ancestors to modern primates and humans.

Show Highlights:

-Jeff leach tells us about the hunter-gatherer tribes he studies; he collects their poo and studies the microbes to understand their gut better

-Is what ails us the drop in our gut bacteria? Is it really a good idea to be to clean?

-Why plants are important to eat to maintain a healthy gut

-The importance of diversity in the diet; each plant carries different microbes which will increase the diversity of gut bacteria

-Are these Hadza hunter-gatherers more healthy than us? If a Hadza child can reach 5yrs old, they have a pretty good shot of living to old age

-If you’re not going [to the bathroom], you’re not growing [good bacteria]

-Dialing the pH down will create better bacteria; Americans are too alkaline

-If Jeff only had one food to eat he would choose leeks and explains why

-What have the antibiotics in the meats done to our microbiome?

and so much more!!!

Visit The Human Food Project

jeff leach and microbes in the gut and how to get more good actors, october 20, 2015