(NaturalPath) According to an article published online in Science Magazine, those who eat a poor diet could be harming the gut of their offspring, all the way down to their grandchildren. The all-important microbiome, as new research continues to tell us, depends on dietary fiber to thrive and give us energy. When the fiber declines, so does the range of bacteria in your gut.
A new mice study indicates that this correlation between low fiber intake and microbiotic diversity even extends to other generations in a negative way. This helps us understand the rise in many Western diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity due to our contemporary diet of refined foods.
A long time ago, daily fiber intake was likely three to four times the officially recommended amount today and several times greater than the average American consumes. This results in about a 30 percent less diverse microbiome.
For more information, read the full study.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/your-poor-diet-might-hurt-your-grandchildren-s-guts
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.