Probiotic Advisor

We are both contributing modules (alongside our esteemed colleagues) to the 🌿 The Herbal & Naturopathic Skills Expansion Program 🌿🌳.

The anniversary special for this course finishes this Monday. Check it out details below😍

This is a 10-week online course starting in September that is being run through Goulds Natural Medicine. On completion there are placement opportunities. Goulds Natural Medicine, established in 1881, is an Apothecary; Clinic and Herb Farm that we have had the privilege of being part of for just over 20 years now. 🌳🌿🙏🙏

One of my highlights from the final day of the congress was a talk by Associate Professor Sean Gibbons (Institute for Systems Biology; USA). The talk focused broadly on the importance of the microbiome in aging in which he highlighted some of the key microbiota characteristics associated with longevity and healthy aging:
• Greater diversity
• Greater uniqueness of the ecosystem
• Increased levels of butyrate-producing species
• Higher levels of Bifidobacterium
• Low levels of Bacteroides

He tied this in with the concept of microbiome enterotypes, which is a model that classifies one’s microbiome into one of 4 overarching types:
1) Prevotella dominant
2) Ruminococcus dominant
3) Bacteroides type 1
4) Bacteroides type 2

Unfortunately, most Westerners (due to dietary & lifestyle choices, as well as pharmaceutical medicine use) fit into the Bacteroides type 2 enterotype. This enterotype, characterised by dominance by the genus Bacteroides, a lack of species richness & diversity, and low levels of butyrate-producing microbes, is associated with increased risk of heart disease, obesity, various cancers, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
It is also associated with premature aging and increased risk of mortality. In fact, Dr Gibbons noted that it is very hard to find people aged 85+ years of age with this ecosystem enterotype, as they have all generally died by this age!

He also detailed that this enterotype had greater responses to statin medications, in terms of reductions in both total and LDL cholesterol, vs the other enterotypes. However, they were also more likely to develop statin-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Research shows, in fact, the Bacteroides type 2 enterotype to often be associated with poorer medication responses and increased medication side effects.
So, as you can surmise at this point, the Bacteroides type 2 enterotype in not the enterotype we want.