The No.1 Poo & Gut Scientist: If Your Poo Looks Like This Go To A Doctor! Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Intro

• Dr. Will Bulsiewicz stresses the importance of gut health for overall well-being.
• Gut microbes play a critical role in controlling physical and mental health.

Why Is The Gut Microbiome So Important?

• Gut health is currently an epidemic.
• A healthy gut microbiome is essential for overall health.
• Dr. Bulsiewicz is a gastroenterologist and has extensive experience in clinical research.

What Are Gut Microbes?

• The gut microbiome includes 38 trillion microorganisms, mostly bacteria, in the colon.
• Microbes are acquired during childbirth and play essential roles in digestion, immune system training, metabolism, mood, cognition, and hormone regulation.

Everyone's Microbes Are Different.

• The microbiome is unique to each individual, even twins with similar genetics.
• A significant percentage of diseases can be linked back to the gut microbiome, impacting conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, depression, and autoimmune diseases.

Link Between The Immune System And The Gut

• 70% of the immune system is in the gut
• The walls of the intestine are home to the immune system
• The gut is where the body decides whether to absorb substances or reject them
• The epithelial layer forms a barrier in the intestines
• Chronic inflammation can result from a broken gut barrier
• Gut microbes are essential for repairing the gut barrier

Foods To Improve Gut Health

• Consuming an average of 1.3 kg of food per day equates to about 36,300 kilos of food during a lifetime
• A study showed that food choices have an immediate effect on the microbiome
• The gut is forgiving, and it's about creating a disproportionate consumption of high-quality foods
• Eating a variety of plants, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes, is essential for a healthy gut microbiome
• The goal is to consume 30 different plants per week to support gut health
• Realistic goals should be set for improving dietary quality, aiming for gradual increases in plant consumption
• The average person in the Western world consumes around 10 to 15 different plants per week
• Adding fermented foods to the diet can increase the diversity within the gut microbiome
• Examples of fermented foods include kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha

Fermented And Prebiotic Foods

• All life on Earth has a microbiome, including apples with about 100 million microbes on each apple.
• Fermentation involves shaping and controlling the process to empower certain microbes to protect food from spoilage and transform it.
• Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles contain high levels of probiotics and prebiotics, which support gut health.
• Prebiotics are the food for microbes, probiotics are the microbes themselves, and postbiotics are the compounds produced by the microbes.

The Relationship Between Our Gut & Metabolism

• The gut microbiome plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar, blood fat response, cholesterol levels, and fat storage.
• Short chain fatty acids, produced by the gut microbes, have the ability to activate certain receptors and cells to enhance insulin sensitivity and fat burning.

What Your Poo Says About Your Health

• Poop can provide insights into gut health, as 60% of it is microbial in origin.
• The gut Transit time, the time it takes for food to pass through the intestines, can provide information about gut health, cardiovascular risk, and visceral fat.
• Poop consistency and frequency can be indicators of gut health, with a gut Transit time around 24 hours generally considered normal.

How Fiber Affects Your Gut

• Increasing fiber can be difficult for those with low fiber consumption
• People may feel unwell if they increase fiber too quickly
• Gut microbes are essential for digesting fiber
• A damaged microbiome may struggle to digest fiber
• Method for slowly increasing fiber intake
• Fecal transplants have been used for treating C diff infections
• Studies on using fecal transplants for other conditions are ongoing
• Specific donors may be effective for treating certain diseases

How A Poo Transplant Could Improve Health Conditions

• Methods for administering fecal transplants include colonoscopy and capsule form
• New technology allows for drying out stool and putting it into capsules
• The potential for daily consumption of fecal transplants
• Concerns and challenges regarding regulation and identification of proper donors
• Collection of fecal samples from primitive tribal people for potential future use
• Importance of whole grains and legumes in the diet for gut health

The Impact of Microbiome on Health

• Transfer of human poop into mice can affect body type, diabetes, immune response, and mood
• The microbiome impacts the body's metabolism and production of short-chain fatty acids
• The effects of short-chain fatty acids can affect various bodily functions
• Studies suggest that microbiome plays a central role in various health conditions

Calorie Counting

• Calorie counting is not the only factor in determining weight loss; dietary quality is crucial.
• Reduced caloric intake leads to weight loss, but the body compensates by slowing down metabolism, making it unsustainable in the long term.
• A high prebiotic diet can naturally regulate satiety signals, allowing individuals to eat until full without overeating.

Medicine For Losing Weight: Pros & Cons.

• Medications like semaglutide (Ozempic) can help with weight loss but come with digestive symptoms and potential long-term risks.
• Increasing fiber intake through plant-based foods can lead to weight loss and reduce the risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
• Rather than relying on drugs, addressing the root cause of conditions like diabetes through sustainable lifestyle changes is recommended.

What Your Poo Should Look Like

• 60% of stool weight is microbial in origin
• The Bristol stool scale categorizes poop types from 1 to 7, indicating different health conditions
• Studies show associations between poop types and gut microbiome health
• Ideal poop types are 3, 4, and 5 on the Bristol stool scale, with 4 being optimal for gut health

How To Have A Healthy Gut

• Consuming more fiber from legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is associated with a number 4 on the Bristol stool scale
• Constipation is associated with a higher fat diet and more animal products consumption
• Diarrhea is associated with consuming more plant-based foods
• Short chain fatty acids from fiber act as lubricants for poop
• Gut transit time affects the type of poop, with slow transit time leading to constipation and fast transit time leading to diarrhea

Different Poo Colours And Health Conditions

• Bile produces brown poop by aiding in fat digestion
• White poop indicates a blockage preventing bile from mixing in the intestines
• Yellow poop suggests struggles in fat digestion, possibly due to pancreas issues
• Green poop can result from diarrhea or excessive consumption of green food such as smoothies
• Blue poop can be caused by consuming blueberries
• Red stool could indicate blood, possibly from colon cancer
• Shifting diet and microbiome changes may contribute to the prevalence of colon cancer in younger people
• Fiber consumption is associated with reduced risk of colon cancer
• Red stool can also occur after eating beets
• Black stool can be caused by medications like Pepto-Bismol or a slow gastrointestinal bleed
• Black stool from a bleed will smell unpleasant and resemble tar

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Is The Gut Microbiome Inherited?

• Newborns closely resemble their mother's gut microbiome, especially after traditional vaginal delivery and breastfeeding
• Disruptions like cesarean delivery, bottle feeding, and antibiotics can increase the risk of obesity, allergies, autoimmune conditions
• Sharing of microbes continues throughout life, influenced by human connections and relationships
• Couples with closer and healthier relationships tend to share more gut microbes, emphasizing the importance of human connection

Stress Will Affect Your Gut

• Mental and emotional states impact gut health
• Stress, especially chronic stress, can manifest as digestive issues
• Childhood trauma can increase the likelihood of developing gut-related issues
• Healing emotional trauma can lead to improvements in gut health
• Some individuals may not see improvement in gut health despite healthy habits due to underlying emotional trauma

How Alcohol Affects Your Gut

• Alcohol consumption can damage the gut and microbiome
• Hangovers may be due to damage to the microbiome
• Alcohol consumption can lead to inflammation and other health issues
• Even minimal alcohol consumption can potentially harm gut microbes

The Brain Gut Connection

• Gut and brain communicate with each other
• Gut produces neurotransmitters, including 95% of the body's serotonin
• Gut-brain connection is facilitated by the Vagus nerve
• Short chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria can influence mood, focus, and immune system

How To Heal Your Gut

• Short chain fatty acids from fiber are anti-inflammatory and healing
• Gut microbiome communicates with the body through short chain fatty acids
• Fiber diversity is important for training the gut
• Soluble fiber feeds microbes, while insoluble fiber aids bowel transit and cholesterol control
• Every plant contains unique forms of fiber that feed specific groups of gut microbes

The Best Diets

• Recommends the F goals diet which includes fruits, fermented foods, greens, grains, omega-3 seeds, aromatics, legumes, mushrooms, seaweed, and sprouts
• Emphasizes adding a variety of gut-healthy foods rather than quick restriction
• Highlights the benefits of each category of food for gut health, longevity, and disease prevention
• Discusses the transfer of microbiome from mother to child and the impact of diet on microbial diversity over generations

The Link Between Good Sex And Your Gut

• Explores the link between the gut microbiome and sexual health, libido, and hormonal balance
• Discusses how the gut microbiome can impact estrogen and testosterone levels, affecting sexual desire and function
• Suggests that attraction, pheromones, and compatibility may be influenced by the gut microbiome
• Connects physical attractiveness and health, implying that good health can make a person more attractive

The Best Supplements For Your Gut

• 38 Tera is a supplement with 38 trillion microbes meant to improve gut microbiome, bowel movements, and digestive symptoms
• Available as a powder, with positive feedback on taste
• Available on the 38 Tera website, launching in the US and Australia, with potential availability in the UK based on demand

Key Takeaways

• Eat a wide variety of plants, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes
• Include fermented foods in your diet
• Exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and prioritize human connection