EPISODE 96: Creating an Anti-Viral & Anti-Aging Gut

Episode 96: Robynne Chutkan, MD

Dr. Chutkan completed her fellowship in gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr. Chutkan has been on the faculty at Georgetown University Hospital since 1997. In 2004 she founded the Digestive Center for Wellness, an integrative gastroenterology practice dedicated to uncovering the root cause of GI disorders. Dr. Chutkan incorporates microbial optimization, nutritional therapy, mind-body techniques, and lifestyle changes into her therapeutic approach to digestive disorders.

In this latest episode of the Thrive State podcast, Dr. Chutkan joins to enlighten us on the critical role of the gut microbiome in our health. She’s also giving us some very practical tips on how to take care (and “not take too much care”) of our gut to promote a strong immune system. From prebiotics to probiotics, postbiotics, and more, she’s here to help you get an anti-viral and anti-aging gut.

Let’s break some myths around gut health only here at the Thrive State Podcast! Find out more about Dr. Chutkan at robynnechutkan.com.

Show notes

Importance of the Gut Microbiome

• Frequent antibiotics in childhood were one of the major risk factors for developing cromes later in life. An early hit to the microbiome is one of the main contributing factors to many autoimmune diseases.
• The importance of the microbiome is multifactorial. Diseases don’t just fall from the skies into our laps. They’re made, not born. We are on a path of making diseases with all these frequent and unnecessary antibiotics.

Institutions are far behind in mainstreaming microbiome and gut health to conventional medicine.

• People electing C-sections need to know the risks and the price to pay for C-section to the baby’s health. C-sections are associated with increased risks for autoimmune diseases, allergies, asthma, and obesity.
  • Now, they do vaginal seeding (getting the baby sort of dirty)
• Health is driven by the commerce of the pharmaceutical industry. What can change it is lawsuits.

What the Anti-Viral Gut book says

• The health of the host matters. It’s even more important than the potency of the pathogen. We see this in outcomes for cancer, infection, etc. It’s predictable, not random. The health of the gut microbiome can predict outcomes from Covid with 92% accuracy.
• Your gut microbiome can even be more identifiable to you than your DNA.

On being too clean

• The Hygiene Hypothesis: As countries become more industrialized and super sanitized, with food highly processed and wide use of antibiotics, we see the rise of non-communicable diseases like autoimmune diseases.
• The important discussion now is how we can rewild ourselves without going back and increase the microbial diversity and richness in and out of our bodies while still enjoying modern convenience.

Healthy Gut = Solid immune system

70-80% of the immune system lives in our gut. When there’s an imbalance in our gut, it can lead to autoimmune diseases.

What causes dysbiosis in your gut

• Antibiotics. Enormous scientific data about this is available.
• Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs. They’re good at what they’re supposed to do but also completely mess up digestion and sabotage one of your body’s main anti-viral defenses. Heartburn can be treated by diet and lifestyle for many of those taking it.
• Painkillers (NSAIDs) destroy your protective barrier.

How to keep your gut healthy

• Power to the people = putting health in people’s hands. And knowledge about how your body works and how they are integrated is real power.
• Prebiotics are food that gut bacteria eat. High fiber food, leeks, onion, garlic, high in inulin like oats, beans, and anything fibrous.
• Probiotics are live bacteria that, when ingested, confer benefits to the host. But if they don’t actually make it to the gut, it doesn’t count. So better to focus on probiotics already in the gut and help them with prebiotic foods.
• Postbiotics are the metabolites that bacteria make. Help healthy gut lining and modulate the immune system.
• Fermented food – get you pre, pro and postbiotics.
• Think about what you’re trying to treat. The different probiotic choices for different problems.

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