Is it possible that autism, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, and other major health challenges might all be related to the gut?

That’s the question Dr. Sabine Hazan, a gastroenterologist and CEO of Progenabiome, has been probing for years.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of fecal transplants for research into the treatment of autism, and Dr. Hazan says this may open the door to real breakthroughs.

She hopes to compare the microbiomes of autistic children with their neurotypical siblings and see if fecal transplants can help treat autism. She’s already seen one remarkable case where restoring gut bacteria brought real improvements for a child with autism.

Can these findings be replicated on a larger scale?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she observed that people who experienced the worst bouts of COVID-19 seemed to have significantly lower counts of a key microbe: bifidobacteria.

“Bifidobacteria is important in absorbing sugar. It’s important in your metabolism. It’s important in your energy drive,” Dr. Hazan says.

There are trillions of microbes in the gut, and scientists are only just starting to discover how this delicate balance of microbes impacts people’s health, immunity, and mental wellness, Dr. Hazan says. There are “microbes that can kill us, but also microbes that can save us,” Dr. Hazan says.

“You will see, probably in 10 or 50 years from now, there will be a connection between cardiac disease and the microbiome. We will be possibly able to fix the heart by fixing the gut, because it all is connected,” Dr. Hazan says.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.