Paleo Diets Solve Gut Issues
For the past few years, we’ve been hearing about more and more research into human gut bacteria.
But we’re still only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Here’s a paper that adds to the depth of our understanding:
Modern Folks Eat Too Many Simple Carbs
This is not a study, per se, but rather an investigation into the correlation between ancestral (Paleo) diets and health.
Obviously, there are many benefits to a Paleo diet, including increased nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and decreased toxins (gluten).
However, there may be a much larger benefit.
Most importantly, modern diets tend to create an incredibly inflammatory set of gut bacteria.
And Ian Spreadbury, a researcher at Queens’ University, hypothesizes (with excellent proof) that this is largely due to increased consumption of “acellular carbohydrates” such as refined sugar and grains.
In his estimation, this is the reason why low carb diets tend to work so well and why groups of people who follow ancestral diets tend to be free from obesity and modern diseases of civilization.
Processed sugars and grains cause the bacteria in our guts to change in ways that lead to inflammation, illness, increased hunger, and eventually obesity.
Refined Grains are the Worst, Literally
Grains aren’t very nutritious to begin with, but it’s pretty clear (as we’ve suspected for a while), that refined grains are even worse.
In both cases, gut bacteria is disrupted and other, more nutrient-dense foods are displaced.
But in the case of refined grains, the overload of dense, acellular carbohydrates appears to wreak havoc on our gut bacteria in a very quick and comprehensive way.
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