WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT TO KEEP YOUR GUT BIOME IN GOOD SHAPE?

SOME

OLD-FASHIONED ADVICE, IT TURNS OUT, MAY BE THE KEY.

It’s not hard to stumble across any number of articles and papers proclaiming the next wonder

food to improve your gut health. As scientists increasingly discover the central role that gut

bacteria play in our overall health, it’s tempting to latch on to these promises to try to revitalise

everything from your weight to mental wellbeing.

But the science has a way to go before we know exactly what nutrition is best for your gut.

BBC Future spoke to leading gut health and microbiome researchers to sift fact from fiction

on gut health "wonder foods", probiotics, prebiotics and what changes to your diet could

genuinely boost your gut health.

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The interest in how to improve your gut health is so high because recent advances have

begun to unpick how the microbiome affects many conditions beyond those affecting the

digestive system. Studies have linked gut bacteria – known collectively as the microbiome –

to changes in mood and mental health, tendency to obesity and to cardiovascular health. For

people who want to maintain a healthy weight and mental health, the goal would be a way to

"hack" their gut bacteria.

"The general belief is that a diverse gut microbiota is a synonym for health, since [these

bacteria] are helping us produce nutrients and essential substances that our cells cannot,"

says Sonia Fonseca, a researcher studying the interactions between the diet, gut,

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microbiome and brain at the Quadram Institute. "So feeding our microbes with a diverse diet

and creating a comfortable environment for them seems the right thing to do."