Miguel Toribio-Mateas is our Director of Research and is not just our resident gut health expert, he is also a Nutritionist and a Neuroscientist, as well as one of my advisors for my Research.
Neuroscientist, researcher, nutritionist, communicator…Miguel is a multifaceted professional working to bridge the gap between research and practice. His professional interests span the fields of nutrition, biotechnology, microbiology and neuroscience. He has been able to bring these together while working as a Research Fellow at the School of Applied Sciences of London South Bank University. Miguel is the lead investigator in clinical trials looking to further develop our understanding of the relationship between food, gut bacteria and mental well-being.
Research papers that Miguel refers to in his tutorial:
- Sourdough Fermented Breads are More Digestible than Those Started with Baker’s Yeast Alone: An In Vivo Challenge Dissecting Distinct Gastrointestinal Responses
- Microbial Metabolic Networks at the Mucus Layer Lead to Diet-Independent Butyrate and Vitamin B12 Production by Intestinal Symbionts
- Crohn’s Disease Remission with a Plant-Based Diet: A Case Report
- IBS and IBD and a gradual change to wholegrain (Sourdough Club article)
- The Effects of Stress and Diet on the “Brain–Gut” and “Gut–Brain” Pathways in Animal Models of Stress and Depression
Questions asked by students in advance:
Q/ Regarding digestion of sourdough, does the digestive process place additional work or less work on organs, such as the gall bladder? – Julianne
Q/ Is it normal for gut microbes to consume vitamins as Akkermansia consumes Vitamin B12, and how does the result effect the gut? Do we lack B12 in the body thereafter or benefit from propionate? – Julianne
Q/ Hi Miguel, can you discuss prebiotics in relation to IBS and Crohn’s disease with reference to consuming wholegrains which some people say you should Not consume with these conditions.
Could you also mention the anxiety/mood affects that can arise as a result of these chronic diseases.
Many thanks, Chris
Q/ If we sprout our own grains, are we increasing inulin since we should be releasing the seed’s nutrients in this process? Does home sprouting make a difference from purchasing sprouted grains? – Julianne
Q/ In the lecture, the Hadza tribe of Tanzania was mentioned. Their digestion of roughage is aided with Prevotella, with some good guys and not-so-good guys in their guts. In a previous lecture by Dan Saladino, the same tribe was mentioned for collecting a particular type of honey. Is it possible the honey and its bacteria aids in this digestion as well? Their environment has created their gut microbes, and they survive on this. After generations of this diet, the tribe has managed to survive on what we know would be difficult for our gut systems to process. It is different, but it works for them. But are they healthy?
With this in mind, is it possible that after generations of consuming processed foods, there are certain people who have developed and cultivated good and bad gut microbes to easily process these foods without weight repercussions, barring Christensenella? Are there individuals with this background who find a change to the Mediterranean diet, for example, simply disrupting to their gut microbes? – Julianne
