This is Good Sh*t: What Every Dental Professional Should Know

Episode #301 with Dr. Uche Odiatu

Two apples a day could keep the doctor away! But very few North Americans — including dentists — consume the recommended amount of fiber and other nutrients. For a lesson on nutrition and its effects on the gut microbiome, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu to talk about how a healthy gut can lead to a better and longer life. It can also help you stay ahead of the curve in dentistry! For advice on becoming healthier and starting the health conversation with your patients, listen to Episode 301 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

All disease begins in the gut.

Understand gut health to get ahead of the curve in dentistry.

Learn about gut health, and overall health and wellness will become effortless.

You can begin to change or improve your gut microbiome in a day.

Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and caloric restriction are ways to extend life.

Get healthy yourself before giving your patients health advice.

Enjoy food mindfully, and let food be your medicine!

Quotes:

“People often have heard about gut health, but they're not really sure how to apply it. You can tell they're not applying it because they show up sometimes tired. They're often not sure why they have brain fog. They're not at the weight they want. If you're literally not at the weight you want, you don't understand gut health, because when you understand gut health at a deep level, weight becomes effortless.” (06:06—06:27)

“If you're one of the 50 million Americans suffering from [low] energy level, to immune system issues, to not ideal weight, to poor sleep, to brain fog, to accelerated aging — if you actually look like your driver’s license picture — you need to know more about gut health. Because when you understand it, health becomes effortless.” (06:54—07:12)

“Total health is where to go. Patients are starving for healthcare providers that look at all of them and not just your little area, your little silo. That little silo is great, but you start with total health — medical history, anything new, how are you sleeping, are you tired, do you exercise, how are you eating lately. That’s how all my appointments start. Start with the bigger picture, then you go into the smaller picture.” (09:38—10:03)

“The gut microbiome is an amazing modulator of gene expression. The whole idea is your genes load your gun; your lifestyle pulls the trigger. So, genes are basically just a blueprint.” (11:30—11:43)

“A way to manipulate genes is to have the healthiest microbiome possible. In order to do that, you've got to look at a number of different things. The microbiome — a very esoteric subject. And people don't realize, you tweak it a bit, you could end up completely different. In how long? 24 hours. What you eat today, you can tweak your microbiome. In three days of junk food eating, you can actually lose 40% of your resident gut bacteria, which decimates you. And sure, you can get them back by having some good, healthy days. But some people lose species, and they lose them forever.” (12:13—12:48)

“We have 100 trillion single-celled organisms in our bodies, and they outnumber the human cells, the cells of human origin, 10:1. So, 98% of them are in the GI tract. About 2% of them are on your skin, under armpits, hair, nose, etc. But they are a powerful manipulator of your genes. They also train your immune system, because 80% of your immune system lies in the 26 feet of your digestive tract. So, people with poor digestive health often have immune system problems.” (13:24—13:53)

“If you have gut issues, digestive issues, from constipation to reflux to Crohn’s colitis, if you have a disrupted gut microbiome, it’s a precursor to prediabetes and diabetes. So, that being...