#625: Does Changing the Microbiome Actually Improve Health? – Prof. Harry Sokol

Claims about "improving the gut microbiome" are widespread, but what would improvement actually mean? How do we establish which microbial changes contribute to disease, and which simply reflect it?

Research on bacterial metabolism of medications raises questions about how the microbiome might influence treatment efficacy and toxicity. What would it take to translate these findings into reliable tests and effective therapies?

In this episode, gastroenterologist and researcher Prof. Harry Sokol examines these questions, discusses the development of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii as an investigational treatment, and considers what current evidence can tell us about dietary advice and commercial microbiome testing.

• [02:50] Harry Sokol's work

• [04:36] Defining healthy microbiome

• [06:48] Do we have causal evidence?

• [11:05] FMT evidence

• [15:29] Diet-microbiome claims

• [20:45] Emulsifiers & IBD research

• [22:54] Microbiome-drug interactions

• [30:23] Bacteria as a drug?

• [38:09] Microbiome testing

• [44:36] Key ideas segment (Premium-only)

Claims about "improving the gut microbiome" are widespread, but what would improvement actually mean? How do we establish which microbial changes contribute to disease, and which simply reflect it?

Research on bacterial metabolism of medications raises questions about how the microbiome might influence treatment efficacy and toxicity. What would it take to translate these findings into reliable tests and effective therapies?

In this episode, gastroenterologist and researcher Prof. Harry Sokol examines these questions, discusses the development of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii as an investigational treatment, and considers what current evidence can tell us about dietary advice and commercial microbiome testing.

• [02:50] Harry Sokol's work

• [04:36] Defining healthy microbiome

• [06:48] Do we have causal evidence?

• [11:05] FMT evidence

• [15:29] Diet-microbiome claims

• [20:45] Emulsifiers & IBD research

• [22:54] Microbiome-drug interactions

• [30:23] Bacteria as a drug?

• [38:09] Microbiome testing

• [44:36] Key ideas segment (Premium-only)

• Host: Danny Lennon
• Guest: Prof. Harry Sokol

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