Inside Matters

In episode 20 we chat with Kristina Campbell, microbiome science communicator, educator and author.

In this episode, I had a fascinating chat with Kristina Campbell, a science writer who specialises in tiny things. In other words, all the microorganisms that live on and inside of our bodies. It was our first remote podcast with a guest, and I'm really grateful for Kristina joining me and helping me produce such amazing content for all of our listeners.

We talked about what makes a good probiotic “good” and what makes a bad one “bad”. If you're somebody who consumes probiotics or is thinking about taking probiotics, you should tune into this episode because we really dig into where the field is and what are some of the key quality criteria that you should be looking for if you want to embark on a probiotics journey.

We also talked about where we see the field going in the next five years and even further on from that talked about some of the recent drug approvals as well, which we're all really excited about, plus some tips for parents who want their children to health a gut-healthy diet. This was the first remote recording that we did and it went really well.

As always, I would encourage you, if you're enjoying this podcast, to like and subscribe, the best thing you can possibly do to support Inside Matters is to hover your finger over the five-star reviews and kindly give us five stars. This helps bump us up the algorithm, helping the podcast reach more people who will ultimately benefit from the no-cost scientific information that we're delivering to you, the listener.

Timestamps:

00:00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:01:20 - Kristina introduces herself and outlines her background

00:05:13:09 - Kristina shares some of her own health journey

00:07:18:06 - Why the interest in probiotics?

00:11:32:01 - What to look for when considering a probiotic

00:14:33:24 - Probiotics vs life beneficial microbes

00:23:09:21 - Role of microorganisms and our digestion

00:32:24:02 - Microorganisms and new drug developments

00:35:13:01 - Fecal transplantation derivatives

00:37:24:09 - Developing bugs as drugs

00:40:10:22 - Should everyone take a probiotic?

00:43:00:18 - Kristina’s books

00:47:50:08 - What about prebiotics?

00:51:58:01 - Can a dead microorganism confer a health benefit

00:53:06:15 - The future of microorganism therapeutics

00:58:15:23 - Pioneers of the microbiome space

01:01:30:15 - Distilling the best information

01:08:31:21 - What’s next for Kristina?

01:11:30:15 - Tips for parents

In this Biome Bite, Dr James McIlroy examines the findings of studies that show the potential role of microorganisms to treat cancer along with looking at the question of whether FMT can play a part.

Be sure to get the Inside Matters Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts, and as always please leave a positive review.

As always, you can get in touch with Dr McIlroy via insidematters.health, and it would be appreciated if you could leave a positive review wherever you listen to the podcast if you're enjoying it.

If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider leaving a 5-star review wherever you listen to it.

Megan walked us through her journey from PhD and potential academia, to transition into the UK Civil Service and the work she does with the Office for Life Sciences. She told us about her journey to becoming the senior policy adviser and dementia mission lead on everything that entails.

More generally, the Mission aims to develop novel precision medicine tools that help boost the number and speed of clinical trials in dementia neurodegeneration. This is a much-needed and highly impactful endeavour. We all know somebody who is suffering from or who has suffered from dementia. It is devastating and still has massive unmet clinical needs and is a huge cost and burden to society that is a burden that is getting bigger because of an ageing population.

Megan talked about some interesting scientific and commercial developments in this field, including the approval of two drugs to slow the progression of dementia. We spoke about cures for Alzheimer's disease and how close and how far away we are. We also spoke about psychedelics, exercise, the mind-body connection and burnout.

As always, I would encourage you, if you're enjoying this podcast, to like and subscribe, the best thing you can possibly do to support Inside Matters is to hover your finger over the five star reviews and to kindly give us five stars. This helps bump us up the algorithm, helping the podcast reach more people that will ultimately benefit from the no-cost scientific information that we're delivering to you, the listener.

Timestamps:

00:00:00:00 -Intro

00:01:51:04 - Dr McIlroy’s neurodegenerative family history

00:04:01:20 - Dutch care home designed for dementia

00:04:43:02 - Japanese robotic seal

00:06:35:06 - Pet dogs and our microbiome

00:07:41:10 - Link between microbiome and depression

00:09:17:07 - Mice research

00:11:44:02 - Can the microbiome cure depression longterm?

00:13:30:01 - How habits are formed

00:15:22:27 - Addictions and their cure

00:19:15:28 - Fight or flight responses

00:25:41:01 - Building resilience

00:27:57:24 - Choosing a career path

00:30:36:20 - Undertaking a physiology degree

00:33:03:02 - Unknown unknowns

00:35:50:08 - The cell fate in the retina

00:37:55:24 - Intelligent design?

00:41:55:10 - Micro-dosing

00:49:33:11 - Understanding the retina

00:55:10:29 - Starting a career in the civil service

00:59:13:24 - Scientists working for the government

01:04:59:23 - Centre for Science and Policy

01:08:59:15 - Role as lead at Office for Life Sciences

01:14:46:09 - Focus on biomarkers

01:17:52:04 - Drugs approval for treating dimensia

01:20:10:10 - Understanding the disease pathway

01:24:51:08 - Funding research

01:26:44:21 - Our Future Health

01:34:28:01 - Sharing IP with competitors

01:39:45:24 - CSF testing

01:41:51:12 - Inflammation and the disease pathway

01:43:13:15 - Vaccine for cognitive disease?

01:46:19:27 - Conclusion

In episode 9 of Inside Matters, Biome Bites Dr James McIlroy dives into the huge world of dietary supplements. He tackles whether, if your diet is good enough, supplements are really needed, and highlights some instances where supplementing our diet could be essential for good health.

He also points out some caveats and helps us understand how to plan a supplement regimen based on our health and lifestyle goals, and how to identify supplements that will actually work.

As always, you can get in touch with Dr McIlroy via insidematters.health, and it would be appreciated if you could leave a positive review wherever you listen to the podcast if you're enjoying it.

What are the potential gut health benefits of drinking red wine? Is it recommended to start drinking red wine based on studies that propose gut health benefits?

"This is one of the largest ever studies to explore the effects of red wine in the guts of nearly three thousand people in three different countries and provides insights that the high levels of polyphenols in the grape skin could be responsible for much of the controversial health benefits when used in moderation."

But if alcohol is often considered a toxin, where does the balance lie between the potential benefits of red wine in particular for a healthy gut?

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Learn more about this episode's guest and the topics discussed - https://insidematters.health/

As it’s been a few weeks since the last episode of the podcast, Dr James McIlroy gets in front of the microphone again to explain what he’s been up to with EnteroBiotix and what the plans are for the podcast in the coming months, including some inside into the exciting guests who’ll be joining him to discuss all things gut health, fitness and personal improvement.

Listen to Inside Matters: https://insidematters.health/biome-bites

In this episode, Dr James McIlroy discusses diet tips to improve and fortify the gut microbiome. Touching upon topics such as the controversial argument surrounding artificial sugars, fermented foods and whole foods, and why some researchers believe that red wine can help to promote a healthy gut microbiome.

Just as a garden can be populated with weeds if the right conditions exist, so too can your gut microbiome with unhelpful habits and cravings. The broader picture goes back to:

- Reducing the number of harmful organisms in your system.

- Replacing lost microorganisms that are beneficial to your microbiome.

- And continuing to nourish the microbiome with a minimally processed diverse diet.

Timestamps -

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:46 What is the microbiome?

00:02:18 Key Points on Why Diet is Important for Microbiome Diversity

00:04:51 The Broader Picture When it comes to Gut Microbiome and Diet

00:05:40 Avoiding Artificial Sweeteners

00:07:45 Reducing Alcohol Intake

00:10:24 The Gut-Liver Connection

00:11:31 The Impact of Smoking on the Gut Microbiome

00:12:48 Episode Recap and Important Takeaway Points

In this episode of Biome Bites, Dr James McIlroy explores some practical tips for improving your microbiome based on 3 specific areas:

• Probiotics: what they are, where to find them and whether you should spend money on supplements or not

James delves into how microbial imbalances occur within our bodies and what we can do to address these through diet and lifestyle.

James references David Sinclair’s podcast “Lifespan”, which you can learn more about here - https://www.lifespanpodcast.com/ and also Dr Hyman’s podcast “The Doctor’s Farmacy”, which you can find here - https://drhyman.com/blog/category/podcasts/

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:43 What is the microbiome?

00:01:54 You’re more microbial than human

00:02:12 Body’s microbial composition

00:02:41 How microbial imbalance occurs

00:03:23 How to achieve a healthy microbiome

00:04:56 Role of probiotics

00:05:57 Importance of probiotic foods

00:07:09 Role of prebiotics

00:10:10 You must stay hydrated!

00:10:32 The role of polyphenols

Dr James McIlroy shares some tips and tricks that keep him consistently productive throughout the day. Stacking up small wins, like pre-booking dentist appointments and haircuts months in advance to reduce stress. Investing in pill boxes for supplements and dried greens for on-the-go. With daily exercise, and the benefits this has on concentration and health that this naturally brings.

00:00:00 Introduction and welcome

00:00:21 - Batch Booking and Scheduling

00:01:53 - Buying the Essentials in Bulk

00:02:50 - Systems for Supplements

00:04:04 - Investing in a Pill Pack

00:05:00 - Sachets of Dried Greens

00:05:49 - Exercising Everday

00:08:08 - Episode Recap and Outro

Dr Laura Craven is Lead Research & Development Scientist at EnteroBiotix and has a  PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, specialising in gut microbiome modulation.

Dr Craven’s studies include research into the gut's role in auto-immune diseases like MS.

In this episode, Dr Craven joins James to discuss her journey from completing her PhD in Canada and the impact the NEMJ’s paper on Duodenal Infusion of Donor Feces for Recurrent Clostridium difficile” had on her science career, along with her own personal health diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.

They chat about the difference between FMT and IMT, leaky gut syndrome and the factors, including stress, which play a part in us developing this challenging condition. And they broach the topics of probiotics, improving gut permeability, and whether having a morning coffee is actually a good idea.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 intro

00:00:29 getting into the field of the microbiome?

00:01:45 impact of the NEMJ  paper

00:03:10 what was Dr Craven’s PhD on?

00:05:33 what’s the difference between “FMT” & “IMT”?

00:08:51 treating NAFLD with FMT

00:14:23 Enterobiotix and staff dietary provisions

00:16:18 Dr Craven discusses leaky gut syndrome

00:18:06 Wim Hof being injected with bacterial endotoxins

00:20:35 more discussion on leaky gut

00:21:22 getting a strong gut rather than a leaky one

00:22:26 How do doctors diagnose leaky gut?

00:24:06 how does FMT/IMT have an impact on leaky gut?

00:26:22 Dr Craven's study findings in relation to treating NAFLD

00:27:32 discussion around endogenous alcohol production

00:31:12 how has the public’s perception of FMT/IMT changed

00:34:14 gut permeability can be improved via FMT

00:37:41 treating MS with FMT/IMT

00:38:51 what factors cause leaky guy and what's the role of stress?

00:41:48 the connection between leaky guy and autoimmune diseases

00:44:10 what is a probiotic?

00:47:15 Dr Craven's move from Canada to Scotland

00:54:45 living with Type 1 diabetes

00:57:58 how do I improve my gut health?

01:10:32 hopes for diabetes and the role of FMT/IMT

01:20:04 is having a morning coffee a good idea?

01:21:18 where is the microbiome field heading in the future?

01:25:57 interaction between the microbiome and the host

01:26:54 what is engraftment?

01:32:13 what's FMT/IMT going to be used for next?

01:35:08 dietary challenges upon moving to Scotland

01:37:38 other scientific interests outside of the microbiome

01:39:14 the potential role of AI for health management