Hunter-Gatherer Gut Microbes Show What We're Missing

Living in your gut are trillions of microscopic squatters, mostly bacteria. There are likely thousands of different kinds of them, and they started moving in soon after you were born. The bacteria may not be a part of your body like your brain or heart, but they nevertheless play a major role in shaping who you are. These microbes, known as the gut microbiome, help digest your food, set your metabolism rate, regulate your weight and moderate your immune system.

But in recent years, scientists have wondered whether the wrong balance of microbial populations — brought about by an unhealthy, Western-style diet — might be responsible, at least in part, for the rise in some modern chronic diseases, such as obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. So, a group of scientists led by microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg of Stanford University decided to study the gut microbiome in its most natural, preindustrial setting: by examining the Hadza people of Tanzania.

The Hadza comprise one of the last groups of humans living a traditional, nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, as all humans once did just a few tens of thousands of years ago. Despite having no access to modern health care, the Hadza are largely free from the chronic diseases that plague Americans. What the scientists found is that the Hadza have a far more diverse gut microbiome compared to Americans. What's more, the types of gut bacteria vary greatly in number as the Hadza alter their diet from season to season.

The new study, published Aug. 25 in the journal Science, suggests that a person's diet strongly dictates the diversity of the gut microbiome, and that those people living in the industrialized world have a far less vibrant gut microbiome that may adversely affect their health.


https://www.livescience.com/60248-hunter-gatherer-microbes-seasonal-variation.html


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You are what you eat.