In this podcast, Stephanie Schnorr, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, talks about the power of the gut microbiome.

Schnorr is a biological anthropologist who is interested in digestion, our diets in general (currently and historically), and the gut microbiome. Much of her research seeks to answer the question of how humans have quite large brains. Her research has led her to study dietary behavior and various physiological adaptations and how they relate to passing human environments.

Schnorr talks about her particular interest in sports performance, metabolism, and muscle function, that motivated her to ask deeper scientific questions about how the human organism is sustained. She wanted to know more about human specialization, but ultimately she reached the conclusion that humans are actually not very specialized; we are simply malleable and adapt.

Schnorr provides more information on the elements that impact us, such as the quality of our sleep, metabolism, antibiotics, sanitation, stress, and much more, and how it all impacts the gut microbiome as well, and our sensitivities to the environments in which we live. She expounds upon the benefits of a nutritious diet and how a high nutrition content in our diet can help our bodies to manage changes and combat allergies and other issues. She talks about the microbial community within us, and how it is our immune system’s job to keep it in line.

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