In this episode Layne and Holly sit down with gut microbiome expert, Professor Suzanne Devkota.

Suzanne Devkota, PhD, is an assistant professor at UCLA as well as in the Cedars-Sinai Division of Gastroenterology investigating the role of diet in shaping the community of bacteria that live in our intestines (the "gut microbiome"). Her research into the effects of dietary fat on host-microbe interactions in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) led to some of the first mechanistic insights into why "modern" diseases such as IBD, diabetes and food allergies have rapidly increased over the past 50-100 years. Her ongoing research focuses on the role of sulfur-reducing bacteria on host immune responses and on counteractive nutritional therapies. Devkota teams with Cedars-Sinai physicians to combine clinical and basic research utilizing patient samples, in vivo conventional and gnotobiotic animal models, and sequencing- and culture-based microbial methodologies to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical phenomena. Her goal is to add a powerful new dimension to diagnosis and treatment through a better understanding of gut microbial contributions to disease.

Some of the topics we hit on in this episode include:

-Her education and how she got into gut microbiome research sort of by accident

-The effects of different dietary modifications on the gut microbiome

-Why the microbiome is so important

-Probiotics vs prebiotics

-Artificial sweeteners & their effects on the gut microbiome

-The limitations in the different types of studies

-The importance of fiber & dietary fiber diversity

-Intermittent fasting

-Her opinion on "gut health" products

-Her recommendations for nutrition overall for a healthy gut

You can find Suzanne on Twitter @suzanne_devkota and at devkotalab.com

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Post-production by Jim McDonald (@thejimmcd) and David Margittai (inpostmedia.com)

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