Your Gut Microbiome: The Most Important Organ You’ve Never Heard Of | Erika Ebbel Angle | TEDxFargo
Summary
TLDRIn this talk, a biochemist entrepreneur emphasizes the significance of gut health, linking it to overall well-being, including mental clarity and emotional health. They discuss the role of the gut microbiome and its trillions of microorganisms, highlighting the importance of dietary intake in producing essential molecules like serotonin and melatonin. The speaker warns against poor diet, stress, and overuse of antibiotics, which can harm the microbiome. They conclude with actionable advice for improving gut health through diet, stress management, exercise, and targeted supplementation.
Takeaways
- 🧬 Gut microbiome is crucial for overall health, affecting energy levels, sickness frequency, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
- 🌱 A healthy gut is linked to a diverse range of bacteria, which is essential for digesting food and producing necessary nutrients.
- 🍽️ Diet plays a significant role in gut health; poor dietary choices can lead to nutrient deficiencies and alter gut composition.
- 🥗 Consuming tryptophan-rich foods like turkey, eggs, and chia seeds is vital for the production of serotonin and melatonin, which regulate mood and sleep.
- 🏃♂️ Regular exercise can improve gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and reducing stress.
- 🍠 Tyrosine, found in almonds, lentils, and seeds, is converted into dopamine and epinephrine, which are essential for motivation and the fight-or-flight response.
- 🥬 Indole-3 lactic acids, found in fermented foods, are converted by gut bacteria into antioxidants that protect against cell damage and diseases.
- 🚫 Unhealthy lifestyle choices like consuming processed foods, using antibiotics, and living in aseptic environments can harm the gut microbiome.
- 🔄 It is possible to restore a damaged gut microbiome, but it may require time, effort, and sometimes supplementation.
- 💊 Targeted supplementation can help improve gut health, but it should be based on individual needs and not involve excessive use of different supplements.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the speaker's life and work?
-The speaker has dedicated their life to studying the gut and the gut microbiome, and they have even started a company to address issues related to gut health.
How is gut health related to athletic performance?
-Gut health is intimately related to athletic performance as it can increase performance, decrease sickness, and improve recovery time.
What is the gut microbiome and why is diversity within it important?
-The gut microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and cells that live from the mouth to the colon. Diversity is important because it contributes to long-term health, including energy levels, frequency of sickness, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
What are some potential health issues related to an unhealthy gut?
-An unhealthy gut has been linked to autoimmune conditions, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, and emotional issues such as anxiety and depression.
What is the significance of the phrase 'you are what you eat' in the context of this talk?
-The phrase 'you are what you eat' is used to emphasize that eating poorly can prevent the absorption of necessary nutrients and alter the gut's composition, affecting its ability to digest food and create necessary nutrients.
What is tryptophan and why is it important?
-Tryptophan is an amino acid found in foods like turkey, eggs, and chia seeds. It's important because the body converts it into serotonin, which contributes to happiness, and melatonin, which helps with sleep.
How does the consumption of tyrosine affect the body?
-Tyrosine, found in foods like almonds, lentils, and seeds, is converted into important compounds like dopamine, which motivates action, and epinephrine (adrenaline), which is involved in the fight-or-flight response.
What is indole-3 lactic acid and why is it significant for gut health?
-Indole-3 lactic acid is found in fermented foods and is significant because certain gut bacteria convert it into indole丙酸, a potent antioxidant that helps protect against cell damage caused by free radicals.
How can an unhealthy diet affect the gut microbiome?
-An unhealthy diet high in fat can lead to an imbalance in gut bacteria, with certain types out-competing others due to a lack of diversity in the foods consumed.
What are some factors that can damage the gut microbiome?
-Factors that can damage the gut microbiome include consumption of unhealthy foods, use of antibiotics, stress, and living in an overly sanitized environment.
What are some strategies the speaker suggests to improve gut health?
-The speaker suggests improving gut health through dietary changes, stress management techniques, regular exercise, and targeted supplementation when necessary.
Outlines
🌟 The Gut Microbiome: Our Internal Ecosystem
The speaker, a biochemist and entrepreneur, emphasizes the importance of the gut microbiome for overall health. They discuss the gut's role in energy, sickness resistance, mental clarity, and emotional well-being, drawing connections to conditions like autoimmune diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and mental health issues. The speaker highlights the impact of diet on gut health, explaining how certain nutrients like tryptophan, tyrosine, and indole-3 lactic acids are essential for producing mood-regulating and health-sustaining molecules. The talk underscores the significance of a diverse gut microbiome for proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
🍽️ Diet and Lifestyle: Shaping Your Microbiome
This section delves into how dietary choices can influence the gut microbiome's composition. The speaker warns against a diet high in fats, which can lead to an imbalance in gut bacteria, potentially causing health issues. They explain that a healthy microbiome requires a variety of bacteria to process different types of food effectively. The speaker also touches on how external factors like antibiotics, stress, and a lack of exposure to diverse bacteria can negatively impact the microbiome. The paragraph concludes with the idea that despite these challenges, it's possible to restore and maintain a healthy gut environment.
💪 Improving Gut Health: Strategies for a Healthier You
The final paragraph focuses on practical steps to improve gut health. The speaker suggests dietary changes, stress management through mindfulness and exercise, and targeted supplementation as ways to enhance the gut's functionality. They introduce the concept of 'internal fitness' and the role of their company in measuring and improving the gut's functional state. The speaker concludes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to pay attention to their gut's signals for clues about their health and well-being.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Gut microbiome
💡Tryptophan
💡Serotonin
💡Melatonin
💡Tyrosine
💡Dopamine
💡Indole-3 lactic acids (ILA)
💡Antioxidants
💡Diversity
💡Stress
💡Supplementation
Highlights
The gut microbiome is crucial for long-term health, affecting energy, immunity, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
A healthy gut can prevent autoimmune conditions, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and emotional issues like anxiety and depression.
The saying 'you are what you eat' is scientifically accurate, as diet directly impacts gut health and overall well-being.
Tryptophan, found in turkey, eggs, and chia seeds, is converted into serotonin for happiness and melatonin for sleep.
Tyrosine, present in almonds, lentils, and seeds, is converted into dopamine for motivation and epinephrine for the fight-or-flight response.
Indole-3 lactic acids from fermented foods are converted into IPA, a potent antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and promotes health.
A diverse gut microbiome is essential for the conversion processes that produce vital health molecules.
An unhealthy diet can skew the balance of gut bacteria, leading to a less diverse and unhealthy gut.
It is possible, though challenging, to reverse an unhealthy gut microbiome through diet and lifestyle changes.
Stress has a detrimental impact on the gut microbiome, with the brain and gut being intimately connected.
Modern aseptic living decreases gut bacteria diversity, potentially linking to diseases like autism and ADHD.
Improving gut health involves changing diet, managing stress, exercising, and possibly targeted supplementation.
The speaker's company measures the functional state of the gut and creates interventions to improve it, termed 'improving your internal fitness'.
Incorporating mindfulness, meditation, and breathing exercises can help manage stress and improve gut health.
Regular exercise, such as a daily walk, promotes regularity, mitigates stress, and supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
Targeted supplementation should be considered when certain nutrients are lacking and cannot be sufficiently obtained through diet alone.
Listening to your gut can provide insights into lethargy or frequent illnesses, indicating the need for improved gut health.
Transcripts
[Music]
so I am here today to talk to you about
the importance of listening to your gut
brief hello I'm a 38 year old
entrepreneur biochemist went to MIT bu
School of Medicine and I have decided to
dedicate my life to studying the gut and
the gut microbiome six years ago I even
started a company to address this issue
and I'm a routine contributor some of
the publications that you see here as a
specialist in gut health I've been
really fortunate over the last few years
to have worked with professional
athletes and professional athletic teams
to try to improve their gut health
because it's so intimately related to
things like increasing performance
decreasing sickness and improving
recovery time so why am I here today
well I'm here to talk to you about what
I think is the most important organ and
that is the gut microbiome so for those
of you who don't know what the gut
microbiome is it's everything from your
mouth to your colon from entry to exit
all the bits in between so your stomach
your small intestine your large
intestine and all of the little critters
that live in there so bacteria fungi
viruses and cells there are trillions of
these little critters that are living in
there and we'll talk about this a little
bit more later but diversity is so
important in the gut so why is it
important to have a healthy gut well
it's really important for long-term
health so if you have a healthy gut
you're gonna feel more energetic you're
gonna get sick less often you're gonna
have better mental clarity and
ultimately have better emotional
well-being versus if you don't have a
healthy gut a lot of research is showing
that this is related to things like
autoimmune conditions diabetes
neurodegenerative disorders like
Alzheimer's and even emotional issues
like anxiety and depression so our theme
for today is you are what you eat so
you're probably sitting there thinking
yeah you know as a kid
my parents always used to tell me you
are what you eat as they tried to foist
broccoli off on me or if you were really
really lucky Brussels sprouts and other
things like that but the reality is
they're actually right
eating poorly can do really two things
so the first one it can prevent you from
getting the nutrients that you need to
stay healthy and second it can actually
damage and change the entire composition
of your gut which will render it unable
to digest things properly and create the
nutrients that you need to function so
today we're gonna look at three
molecules that you get from dietary
intake you have to eat these things so
the first is something called tryptophan
you've probably heard of this
Thanksgiving comes everybody talks about
the tryptophan induced coma that happens
after you have your food it's found in
Turkey but it's also found in things
like eggs and chia seeds so your body
takes tryptophan and converts it into a
lot of other really important molecules
two of which we're gonna talk about
today so one called serotonin serotonin
is something that makes you happy super
important and something called melatonin
which actually helps you to sleep so
imagine if you don't have any tryptophan
or you're not consuming enough
tryptophan well no matter how many roses
or diamonds or chocolates your
significant other brings you it's just
not gonna make you happy and that's kind
of sad also you won't be able to sleep
so you won't be able to count sheep at
night another example is a compound
called tyrosine so tyrosine another
amino acid is found in foods like
almonds but it's also found in lentils
and seeds and edamame tyrosine is
converted to a variety of really
important things as well so we'll talk
about dopamine dopamine is a compound
that you may have heard of and it's
essentially it motivates you to do stuff
so it's this initiative oriented
behavior that it helps to propel an
epinephrine which is also known as
adrenaline the fight-or-flight molecule
which is really helpful when you're up
on this stage so you know imagine if you
don't have these things what would
happen well here's what would happen one
you'd be drooling on your couch
or worse yet if you were being chased by
a mountain lion which I'm sure you know
who knows may happen at some point in
everybody's life the emoji being you
know huh
you don't want this to happen right you
need a body to respond to these types of
situations third we're gonna talk about
something called indole-3 lactic acids
so it's really important found in
fermented foods things like pickles
sauerkraut kimchi kefir ila is super
important because your body takes it in
and there's certain bacteria in the guts
that actually convert the ILA into
something called IPA
indle Pro prion ik acid that into
appropriate ik acid is actually one of
the strongest antioxidants in the body
and again you guys might have heard of
what you know this word antioxidant but
I'll explain what it does so in your
body you have a variety of different
chemical processes that happen and they
many of them create things called free
radicals these are bad they're reactive
species that go and damage your cells
they damage DNA and then ultimately can
lead to things like cancer so these
antioxidants come in and actually break
down your free radicals keeping you
healthy longer IPA very important so
clearly eating certain types of foods is
really necessary to keep you healthy but
it's not sufficient a healthy microbiome
is needed to be able to execute these
conversion processes that we're talking
about to take things in to digest them
and to spit out other molecules that are
really important to your health so let's
talk a little bit about what makes a
healthy microbiome so I've tried to
simplify this a bit but essentially each
emoji is a type of bacteria you have
different ones right so you've got some
that digest veggies some that digest
meats and breads and oils and your gut
is populated by many many different
types of things so in a healthy gut you
have very diverse species in there now
let's say you decide that you are just
going to eat foods that are really high
in fat things like hotdogs and ice cream
and and pizza
although Pizza sounds really good right
now if you train your systems to do this
your guts going to start
using more and more of the type of
bacteria that are used to seeing the
kinds of foods that you eat and
eventually you're going to skew the
ratios those bacteria are going to
out-compete the other types that are
there because they're just not being
used and then you'll end up with a
situation where you can have a very
unhealthy not diverse set of bacteria in
your gut now you might ask can you
reverse that yes but it often takes a
lot of time and energy to do sometimes
you actually can't sometimes you just
you know once those bacteria are gone
it's really tough to bring them back so
what's really interesting is the body
tries to actually generate the right
building blocks even if you've damaged
your gut so again on the bottom right
hand side you can see there's a
silhouette you can see the little emojis
down at the bottom they've taken in food
but you don't have a diverse set of
bacteria in there they've taken in your
food and they're trying to create these
compounds to keep you healthy but
there's just not enough of them they're
not working the right way whereas on the
other side you've got a silhouette where
the person has lots of diversity lots of
different bacteria emojis and they're
being able to take in the food digest it
and spit out many things that are really
important to keep you healthy now here's
the sad part many of the things that we
do in our life are in fact completely
lethal to the microbiome I love chips
sadly you don't find a lot of healthy
stuff in most chips you're not gonna
find tiresome tryptophan or ILA here
antibiotics medicines helpful but they
kill bacteria and they don't just kill
bad bacteria they kill all bacteria and
so oftentimes after you've gone through
a course of antibiotics you kill off
your microbiome sometimes it never
rebuilds properly again stress you know
you hear this stress kills kills thing
stress is bad we could have a whole 30
minute talk on the impact of stress on
the microbiome stress is in fact
extremely bad for the microbiome your
central nervous system your brain is
intimately connected
to your gun the two talk back and forth
to each other think about it when you're
stressed have a headache you feel
terrible you often feel that stress in
your stomach butterflies in your stomach
anxiety sometimes you have to go to the
bathroom more it's the to talk to each
other all the time they're intimately
connected and so the more stressed you
are the more likely it is that you will
damage your microbiome and then lastly
you know we live in a very aseptic
society and this is bad
decreases the diversity of bacteria in
the gut one of my favorite examples is
you know back many years ago kids would
play in the dirt and they'd be exposed
to all kinds of different things now
kids come inside they watch TV they play
on their phones and a lot of diseases
are actually being connected to the lack
of diversity in the gut things like
autism ADHD so super important to get
outside so what can we do about this
well the good news is not all is lost
it is possible to improve your gut and
this is one of the things that I get to
do every day and I'm so fortunate in my
job my company actually is trying to
measure the functional state of the gut
define what that is and then to create
interventions to improve it we call this
improving your internal fitness so what
are some simple things that you can do
to help improve your gut well one we've
talked about changing your diet two
we've talked about stress management
techniques incorporating mindfulness
meditation breathing exercises to
minimize your stress or exercise is
great fifteen twenty minutes of walking
a day can help to you know keep you
regular it can you know we talked about
that in front of the group that's what
we do it can help to you know mitigate
your stress and it can actually help to
promote the growth of certain types of
bacteria and then lastly targeted
supplementation
I'm not saying to take lots of different
supplements I'm saying if there's
certain things that your body needs you
might actually take a supplement yeah
sometimes there's a lot of fish that you
have to eat in order to get the
equivalency of one pill but make sure
it's what you need so the next time that
you're lying on the couch feeling
lethargic and not sure why or you're
sick
the fifth time in a year listen to your
gut thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
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