British BBC doctor Michael Mosley’s bestseller about the gut
Michael Mosley is a well-known medical journalist and doctor. In his bestseller The Smart Bowel Diet, he calls the gut microbes ‘our old friends’. The book has now been translated into Dutch. Health Net spoke to him about the book with the seductive subtitle: ‘Stop your sugar addiction, boost your immune system and lose weight naturally’.
Why a book on the inside of the gut?
Michael Mosley: ‘We always thought that the gut bacteria are good for bowel movements and for the production of vitamin K. But it goes much further. We recently learned that the composition of the gut bacteria (or the ‘microbiome’) is as personal as a fingerprint. The microbiome says a lot about your health and size.’
What’s up with that?
‘Gut bacteria influence hunger, obesity and diabetes. Hence, they often show whether you are overweight or not. For example, people with more Firmicutes bacteria in the gut are more likely to be overweight. Furthermore, intestinal bacteria have an influence on the immune system, and therefore on allergies and cancer. They even affect the brain. Since we can determine the microbiome quickly and cheaply, more and more discoveries are coming to light.’
Why are gut bacteria our old friends?
‘The bacteria in the gut have been living in humans for hundreds of thousands of years. We know it’s healthy to have many different types of bacteria in your gut. That’s why the bacteria in the gut are our ‘old friends’.’
What not many people know is that the gut is full of nerves. As much as in a cat’s brain, you write in your book. What do we do with this ‘gut brain’?
‘The nerves are spread out over a network in the gut. They ‘talk’ to the brain through the vagus nerve. For example, much of the neurotransmitter dopamine from the brain is produced in the gut. So there really is a ‘gut feeling’. Food and the microbiome both influence our psychological well-being. There is now a lot of research on the microbiome and sleep. A psychiatrist showed me that treating constipation often helps with depression. Many people with depression are constipated.’
What foods should you eat for a healthy gut?
‘Choose fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt or kefir, because they contain living bacteria. That makes the microbiome richer. Unfortunately, the products from the supermarket are often pasteurized. The bacteria are no longer alive. You can also ferment food yourself, my book contains recipes for that. It is also important to eat a lot of fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables and legumes. That’s how good bacteria grow.’
What should we not eat?
‘Sugar, because that kills bacteria. If you eat sugary yogurt, the good bacteria are dead. Rather put berries in your yogurt. They contain a lot of fiber and little sugar, but they still taste sweet.’
Read more?
In October the extensive interview with Michael Mosley will appear in Plus magazine. Want to read more about the bacteria in the gut? Plus interviewed Willem de Vos, one of the forerunners in this field. Read the article here.
