The latest science suggests that eating a healthy diet has nothing to do with cutting out food groups or forking out on trendy ingredients. There are some creatures you need to know about – trillions of them, in fact. They’re called gut microbes, and Professor Tim Spector explains why it’s vital to look after them
Choosing a so-called healthy diet isn’t easy. We’re bombarded with contradictory messages from nutrition experts, doctors, food manufacturers and the government about what we should be eating and what we should be avoiding. Is it sugar that’s the culprit this month? Or is it fat… or carbs? Meanwhile, obesity and diabetes are on the rise.
But there IS an answer. It inhabits the lower gut, weighs some 1.8kg, contains 100 trillion microbes and is called the gut microbiome. Each of us possesses a unique set of microbes, which vastly outnumber our cells and genes, and their function is to help digest food and keep us alive and healthy. Now, cutting-edge research and technology are allowing scientists to discover how, by changing our diets, we can have a positive effect on our future health.