The secret to maintaining a healthy weight and positively impacting various medical conditions lies in the health of your gut microbiome, according to Dr Annie Gupta. The Assistant Professor at UCLA’s Centre for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience in the Division of Digestive Diseases suggests that we can support the beneficial bacteria in our gut by consuming a diverse range of fruits and vegetables.
She advises us to follow the ABC rule: “Always be counting – not calories, but always be counting the number of fruits and vegetables that you have per week. Between 20 and 30 is usually considered good.”
In the new Netflix documentary ‘Hack Your Health – The Secrets Of Your Gut’, she consults with a woman named Kimmie who has consistently struggled with her weight. Dr Gupta reveals that Kimmie’s weight issues are largely due to the lack of a specific gut bacterium known as Prevotella Copri.
Dr Annie Gupta says that a lack of Prevotella in your gut can make it very hard to lose weight
(Image: UCLA)
She told Kimmie: “When we looked at your microbiome, we saw that you had a less diverse microbiome. In particular, we noticed the specific type of bacteria known as Prevotella Copri. You had zero.
“People who have that pattern of no Prevotella have a hard time losing weight.”
Annie added that Kimmie also had very low levels of certain other important bacteria in her gut –including Eubacterium biforme and Bacteroides thetaiotamicron: “They’re associated with the production of a specific type of gut hormone that makes you feel full,” she explained.
Her colleague Eran Segal emphasised the complexity of the gut microbiome: “No bacterium acts alone,” he explained. “So you really need to understand how they act within an ecosystem, which is why we analysed the microbiome as a whole,” reports Surrey Live.
Expert Eran Segal explains that your gut bacteria work in concert, and it’s important to test them as a whole ecosystem
(Image: https://www.weizmann.ac.il/)
Kimmie had benefitted from personalised testing through a simple stool sample, which can inform individuals about the most beneficial and detrimental foods for their diet.
Kimmie, a participant in their study, was impressed by the insights provided, exclaiming that it’s amazing how much the scientists could discern about her “simply from testing poop.”
According to Eran, Kimmie’s path to health involves altering her diet to foster “good bacteria” in her digestive system. Despite the challenges she faces as a single mother and caregiver, Kimmie is resolute in her mission to create meals that cater to her family’s diverse needs, saying: “That’s my project.”