Feeding your gut microbiome has protective effects against many gut illnesses, but also positive effects on brain health and your general health. Fiber (and low sugar fermented foods) have both been shown beneficial. Chris Thompson, MD on Huberman Lab Podcast.

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Absolutely. One of the simplest ways to support the microbiome is to consistently feed it what it uses: diverse sources of fiber, along with fermented foods when tolerated.

@MetabolicEndo In the Stanford trial that tested both head to head, 36 adults for 10 weeks, the fermented foods arm raised gut diversity and lowered 19 inflammation markers. The high fiber arm did neither in that window, and the authors suspect a depleted gut needs longer to respond.

@MetabolicEndo The jar of fermented food sat unopened for a week. Fiber only counts when it leaves the fridge.

@MetabolicEndo Fiber is easy to ignore because it doesn’t get much attention. But getting enough from everyday foods can do a lot more than help with fullness. It can affect digestion, blood sugar and even how you feel throughout the day.

@MetabolicEndo Fiber is not flashy. It just makes the deficit easier to hold because meals actually fill you.

The best thing I ever did for my gut health was get more direct sunlight on my skin, mainly in the morning and at midday. That sounds strange if you think gut health begins and ends with food. But your gut has a daily schedule, and sunlight helps your body keep it. Morning outdoor light reaches your eyes and helps set your body clock. That clock helps coordinate when your gut moves food along, releases digestive juices, and repairs its lining. So getting outside in the morning gives those processes a clearer signal about when the day has begun. Then midday brings something morning light often cannot: enough UVB to reach your skin, depending on the season and where you live. UVB starts vitamin D production in the skin, and vitamin D signaling helps the cells lining your gut stay joined together as a barrier. There is also an interesting connection between skin exposure and the microbes inside the gut. Researchers have found that UVB exposure on skin can change the mix of gut bacteria, even though the light never touches the intestine. We are still learning exactly how that signal travels, but it makes the point hard to ignore: what reaches your skin can affect what happens in your gut.

@MetabolicEndo Well that’s gonna live in my head now 😂

@MetabolicEndo gut later. sleep first.

@MetabolicEndo I love my pickles and sauerkraut, great snacks. I didn’t know about the brain benefits. Good to know.

@MetabolicEndo The practical win is reducing decision load: keep a default breakfast with fiber and fermented foods so the healthy choice is automatic, not a daily debate.

@MetabolicEndo That's super interesting! Gut health really does seem to impact everything. Good to know.