In Search of the Perfect Peach
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Much of my research now focuses on the gut microbiome – the trillions of microorganisms that live in our gut. Just a few decades ago, we thought these microbes helped us to digest food, gave us food poisoning and did little else of interest.Now, we know so much more. Te links between the gut microbiome and almost any health condition you can think of are clear. Tis is because gut bacteria heavily influence our immune system by ‘training’ it, regulating inflammation and allergies, reducing ageing and cancer, and ensuring we can thrive. Tey even play key roles in our mood and mental health. A key measure of the health status of the gut microbiome is diversity. Te Hadza people in anzania have some of the most diverse gut microbiomes on the planet and the fewest diseases. I was lucky to spend some time with these wonderful people. After just three days following their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, my gut microbial diversity increased by an incredible 20 per cent. Te foods I ate and the way they were grown no doubt had a huge influence, but the act of foraging itself and being exposed to microbes in the environment was equally important. In the Western world, there is far too much focus on sterility: we have created environments that are rich in plastics, pesticides and other chemicals that we expose ourselves to through our skin and lungs, especially in cities. No longer do we live in harmony with the natural world and all its wonderfully diverse microbial forms of life. Only around 1 per cent of bacteria cause disease, while the rest are safe or actively beneficial. Sadly, just a few days after my anzanian experience, my microbiome returned to baseline. Tis demonstrates both the incredible flexibility of the gut microbiome and its sensitiv-ity to environmental and dietary changes. In the Western world, diversity is declining. As there is on a macro level on our planet, there is a mass extinction event going on in our