Episode Details

Microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg wants you to know that you – and all humans, really – are not alone. Inside each of us live uncountable bacteria without whom we could not survive. Nowhere is this symbiosis more vital, Sonnenburg says, than in the digestive tract – the gut – where trillions of bacterial collaborators help digest the foods that nourish us. Sonnenburg studies what makes this complex relationship work and how modern life is altering this important chemistry. He says the gut microbiome should be thought of as another organ. When it drifts out of balance, the effects ripple through our metabolism, our immune systems, and our nervous systems. Sonnenburg goes on to explain how dietary choices – like eating more fermented foods and fiber – can rebuild the microbiome, and why the field’s next frontier could help alleviate chronic disease. “It really is a full-body impact that our microbes are having,” Sonnenburg tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Episode Reference Links:

• Stanford Profile: Justin Sonnenburg
• Learn more about the Sonnenburg Lab

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• Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University.

(00:03:08) Path into Microbiome Research

How Sonnenburg became interested in the friendly microbes that live in and on the body.

(00:04:26) Bacteria as Partners

What are gut bacteria and how do they function in our bodies?

(00:06:23) Full-Body Effects

How gut microbes affect metabolism, immunity, and the brain.

(00:08:27) Industrialized Microbiomes

What does it mean that the gut microbiome has been “industrialized”?

(00:12:08) Feeding the Microbiome

Why is fiber important for gut health?

(00:15:59) Fiber Response

Study results from Stanford reflecting individual responses to fiber.

(00:17:14) Fermented Foods

How foods like yogurt, kimchi, saue