To optimize your gut health, take a comprehensive approach: consume a wide variety of fiber-rich foods, incorporate fermented foods daily (such as miso, without boiling it), and consider supplementing with a probiotic for daily convenience.

noli's read

The importance of fiber diversity for gut balance is solidly supported by science, notably by the observational study from the American Gut Project (McDonald et al., 2018), which shows that a wide variety of plants promotes a diverse microbiota. Similarly, the benefits of fermented foods are confirmed by a randomized clinical trial from Stanford University (Wastyk et al., 2021), which demonstrated that their regular consumption increases the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria. The tip about not boiling miso is also judicious, as heat destroys these beneficial microorganisms. Conversely, the utility of a daily probiotic supplement for healthy adults is more nuanced. A systematic review from the University of Copenhagen (Kristensen et al., 2016) suggests that the impact of probiotic supplements on the flora of individuals who are already healthy remains highly variable and not systematic. Overall diet therefore remains the most powerful lever, with supplements being a convenient but optional bonus.

the sources

1. 1Wastyk HC, Fragiadakis GK, Perelman D, et al. 2021
2. 2Liu RT, Walsh RFL, Sheehan AE 2019
3. 3McDonald D et al. (American Gut Project) 2018
4. 4Reynolds A et al. 2019