How to Improve Gut Health Without Supplements

The supplement market for gut health has grown enormously in the past decade. Probiotic supplements, in particular, have a role in specific clinical contexts. However, the most powerful interventions for gut microbiome health are dietary and lifestyle-based, not supplemental. Improving gut health does not require an expensive supplement routine. It requires addressing the foundational factors that determine microbiome composition and intestinal health.

The Most Effective Dietary Interventions

• Plant diversity: consuming 30 or more different plant species per week is associated with significantly greater microbiome diversity than consuming fewer. This includes vegetables, fruit, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs
• Fermented foods: yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and miso contain live cultures that temporarily add to microbiome diversity and consistently improve microbiome measures in randomised trials
• Eliminating ultra-processed foods: emulsifiers in ultra-processed foods disrupt gut barrier integrity and alter microbiome composition
• Reducing red meat: high red meat intake is associated with a less favourable microbiome profile and increased production of TMAO, a cardiovascular risk compound

Lifestyle Factors

• Exercise: aerobic exercise consistently increases microbiome diversity and promotes the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria, independent of dietary change
• Sleep: the microbiome has its own circadian rhythm and is disrupted by sleep deprivation
• Stress management: chronic psychological stress alters gut motility, intestinal permeability, and microbiome composition through the gut-brain axis
• Hydration: adequate water intake supports the mucus layer that protects the intestinal epithelium and provides the environment for bacterial metabolism