Essentials: How to Build, Maintain & Repair Gut Health | Dr. Justin Sonnenburg

In this ⁠Huberman Lab Essentials⁠ episode, my guest is Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University.

We discuss how microbes in our gut impact our mental and physical health and how diet and the environment affect the gut microbiome. We explain how lifestyle factors such as antibiotics and Western-style diets (high fat, low fiber and rich in processed foods) can damage gut diversity and whether prebiotics or probiotics are useful tools. Throughout the episode, we highlight evidence-based dietary and lifestyle strategies for improving gut health.

Articles

• Structure, function and diversity of the healthy human microbiome (Nature)
• Diet-induced extinctions in the gut microbiota compound over generations (Nature)
• Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota (Nature)
• Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome (Nature)
• Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status (Cell)
• US Immigration Westernizes the Human Gut Microbiome (Cell)
• Dysregulated Microbial Fermentation of Soluble Fiber Induces Cholestatic Liver Cancer (Cell)

Books

• The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health
• The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life

Other Resources

• Human Microbiome Project
• The Center for Human Microbiome Studies
• Sonnenburg Lab