The Most Diverse Gut Microbiota

Researchers have recently discovered a unique microbial community lingering in the guts of African hunter-gatherers. This study began by means to show the difference in gut microbiomes based on location and diet. Researchers took stool samples from Hadza hunter-gatherers, Malawi people, Italians, and people from the USA.  The Hadza people had the most diverse micro biome of them all.

Many of the bacteria found in the gut of the Hadza people had never been seen before by researchers. Some of the bacteria found were in fact associated with diseases that would harm most people, but had no negative impact on the Hadza. The Hadza people mainly eat a diet of roots, berries, and game. Researchers found that the women happened to have more gut bacteria than the men, specific for breaking down roots. The men spend their days hunting, and though they eat the same diet, their gut microbiota still differ slightly. However, in general, these African hunter-gatherers have the most diverse microbiome among other people in the world.

The author of this article, Nick Stockton, presented it very well. Through the use of ethos, Nick backed up all of his information with scientific fact and research. He interviewed the researchers working on this study, including a nutritional anthropologist. He brings up a good point through the voice of a dietary ecologist, stating that we shouldn’t be eating like the Hadza people. The reason for this is because even if we do start eating just roots, berries, and game, our microbiome won’t adjust properly unless we lived in the same environment as the Hadza people.

http://www.wired.com/2014/04/hadza-hunter-gatherer-gut-microbiome/