Our Micobiome and the Word of Wisdom
Let me begin by saying I firmly believe the Word of God is our foundation for all truth. I believe we must hold up everything to the standard of God’s Word. We can confidently accept the Word of God as truth over any wisdom of man, including scientific research. Research can be flawed and lead to skewed or false conclusions. Scientific understanding has and will continue to change dramatically over time, yet the Word of God stands firm and constant.
With that foundation, l would like to introduce you to one of the hottest current topics in scientific and medical research: our human microbiome. In recent years, there has been an explosion of new research in this area. Our microbiome is the community of diverse, dynamic, and individualized microorganisms (such as fungi, bacteria and viruses) that exists in and on every part of our bodies, from our skin, to our mouths, to our gastrointestinal tracts.
When most of us hear the words “yeast, bacteria, and viruses,” we think of bad microbes—the ones that make us sick. But there are also millions of good yeast, bacteria, and viruses that we need for health. We cannot live without them. These good microbes are not invaders, but rather beneficial colonizers in our body.
We now understand there are more microbes in our human bodies than there are cells. It is estimated there are 38 trillion microbes in our large intestine alone. To put this in perspective, there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy. That means we would need 380 galaxies worth of stars to match the number of microbes just in our large intestine.
Scientists now say that 70 to even 80% of our immune system is in our gut. In other words, those trillions of microbes in your large intestine, along with the ones in your small intestine and stomach, have a huge influence on your immunity to disease.
We are learning that these microorganisms literally influence every aspect of our health and well-being. Besides immune response, our microbiome influence mental health, asthma, obesity, inflammatory diseases (like heart disease and diabetes), cancer, and more.
One recent study looked at dietary fiber in the diets of people with melanoma cancer.1 The patients were divided into high fiber and low fiber diet groups. The cut off for the high fiber group was 20 grams of fiber, which is less than the recommended daily allowance of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Seventy-one percent of the people in the study didn’t even hit 20 grams of fiber daily. The 29% in the high fiber group had a greatly improved rate of survival. For every five grams that daily fiber increased, the survival rate increased by an astounding 30%!
Because of the influence of our gut microbiome on our immune response, it’s not surprising to find a connection between our gut microbiome, fiber, and COVID 19. A study was done with hospital workers from six countries, looking at dietary patterns and health outcomes.2 The study did not ask exactly what they were eating, but asked them to choose one of the listed categories that they felt described their diets.
Those who said they were eating a whole foods, plant-based, or vegetarian diet were put together in one category. Persons in this category were 73% less likely to have a moderate to severe case of COVID 19! It also appeared this group had less likelihood of getting COVID in the first place, but that part of the study was nonconclusive. This study was done before COVID vaccines were released, so no one was vaccinated. People who fared the worst were those eating low carb and high protein diets. They were 3.8 times more likely to develop moderate to severe COVID.
Next let’s talk about genetics. Scientists used to believe that our genetic code was set. You were born with a certain code and that was it. Now, they are discovering that our genetic code is more like a series of switches that can be turned on or off, and it appears that our gut microbiome controls the switches. A healthy microbiome can apparently keep dormant undesirable genetic tendencies toward disease. This is just one more reason we need to be passionately concerned with developing a strong gut microbiome.
Research concludes that when it comes to a healthy microbiome, diversity is the key. There are hundreds to thousands of different varieties of microbes in our bodies. The more different types of good microbes we host, the healthier we are. More diversity equals more health. It is also apparent that the way to have a diverse microbiome is to eat an abundance of fiber.
Many of us think of fiber as a distasteful supplement one takes to promote good bowel movements. As you can see, we are discovering that fiber does so much more for our bodies and that the best fiber is not consumed as a supplement, but eaten from food. What foods provide this health-giving fiber? Whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits! Fiber is only found in plants. But there is more: Not all fiber is created equal. The fiber from whole grains may offer specific health benefits that can’t be replicated with fiber from fruits or vegetables alone.3 This is undoubtedly one reason God told us grain is the staff of life.
It is good news to discover that our microbiome can be manipulated. You are not stuck with the microbiome with which you are born. Have you heard the story about the two wolves inside us? The old Native American story goes like this: There are two wolves battling inside us. One is good (love, joy, peace) and one is bad (anger, greed, selfishness). Which one will win? The one you feed.
This is also the story of our gut microbiome. The different kinds of microbia in our gut have different “dietary needs.” Good food choices will feed the beneficial kinds of microbia, and they will flourish and increase. Conversely, poor food choices will feed the bad microbia in our digestive system, and they will gain ground in our gut, causing havoc. If we don’t give the bad microbia what they need to live, they will die out. Just like the story about the wolves, the microbia we feed will flourish.
Interestingly, it appears that the flourishing, dominant microbes in your gut can cause cravings for more of what they need. Most of us have felt this. When we eliminate junk food from our diet, at first we have cravings for those foods. The bad microbes that thrive on these foods want to be fed! If you don’t eat the junk food for a while, the cravings subside as the bad microbes die off.
You can actually change your taste buds over time by beginning to eat small amounts of good foods that you don’t currently like. The good foods you don’t like can begin to taste delicious to you over time as your gut microbia change. You can start to love and even crave new healthy foods when the good bacteria fed by those good foods begin to rule in your gut.
When a healthy balance of the microbes in the gut is disrupted, it leads to the development of various chronic diseases with an underlying inflammatory condition. The typical American diet—high in sugar and other processed refined carbohydrates, high in meat, and low in fiber—results in dysfunctions and disruptions in our gut microbiome. This in turn contributes to the increase in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases such as intestinal bowel disease, colorectal cancer, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and obesity with its associated health problems. These diseases can, at least in part, be prevented by adequate dietary fiber.
Are you beginning to see how these new discoveries about our gut microbiome relate to the Word of Wisdom found in Section 86 of the Doctrine and Covenants? In the Word of Wisdom, God clearly tells us the following dietary information: Grains are the staff of life and wheat particularly for man. We are to eat meat sparingly. God has made all wholesome herbs (vegetables) and fruits for our use with prudence and thanksgiving, to be used in season. Not surprisingly, it turns out that this is the perfect recipe for a healthy, diverse gut microbiome!
Diets high in animal protein (meats) have been associated with an increased growth of inflammatory (bad) microbes in our guts, while diets high in whole grain, fruits, and vegetables (including legumes) have been shown to promote the growth and diversity of good microbes in our guts.
“But wait,” you say. “What about carbs and gluten being inflammatory?” Carbohydrates (carbs) have gotten an evil reputation in recent years. People think they need to avoid them to be healthy and to lose weight. Low carb diets are dangerous because they are low fiber diets. As a matter of fact, low carb diets—which are high in animal protein—have consistently been associated with increased growth of bad inflammatory microbes. If you follow the Word of Wisdom, you will not be eating a low carb diet.
It is true that we need to avoid REFINED carbs: sugar, refined grain products, high fructose corn syrup, etc. These are gut disrupting foods. Complex carbo-hydrates, on the other hand, are the foundation of a healthy diet.
Doctor Will Bulsiewicz, MD, (a board-certified, award-winning gastroenterologist) says in his research-based book Fiber Fueled, “If you want a healthy microbiota, whole grains are the foundation of building a healthy gut.” But you don’t have to take Dr. Bulsiewicz’s word for it. It’s what God says in the Word of Wisdom: Grain is the staff of life, and wheat for man. We need to believe this! Whole grains are a healthy complex carbohydrate and an excellent source of prebiotic fiber which feeds the good microbes in our guts. We need to stop being afraid to eat generous amounts of whole grains!
Scientific research backs this up. A meta-analysis combining results from studies conducted in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Scandinavian countries (which included health information from over 786,000 individuals), found that people who ate 70 grams per day of whole grains—compared with those who ate little or no whole grains—had a 22% lower risk of total mortality, a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, and a 20% lower risk of cancer mortality.4
An analysis of six studies including nearly 250,000 people showed that those who were eating the most whole grains had a 14% lower risk of stroke from those who were eating the fewest whole grains.5
One study showed a 20% reduction of the risk of colorectal cancer for every three servings of whole grains eaten per day. The risk was reduced even more in those eating more than three servings of whole grains per day.6
In a large study of nearly 200,000 U.S. adults, those eating whole grains most frequently had a 29% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes across the approximately 30-year study period than those who rarely or never eat whole grains, even after adjusting for other lifestyle factors.7
Eating three servings of whole grains each day is linked to lower body mass and less belly fat.8 (So don’t believe that book about a wheat belly.)
Eating whole grains even appears to help our mental health! An analysis of twenty-three studies shows that people who eat more whole grains are more likely to have better mood, less depression, and less anxiety.9
Studies consistently show that whole grains are not inflammatory, but in fact are anti-inflammatory and that swapping out refined grains for whole grains greatly improves our overall health, (at least in part by improving our gut microbiome).
What about gluten? If you have celiac disease, by all means, avoid gluten carefully. But if not, gluten is not the villain it has been portrayed to be. If gluten was inflammatory and caused gut issues that should be shown in research studies of the gut—but it is not. Quite the opposite has been found. After healthy subjects spent a month on a gluten-free diet, researchers found lower levels of healthy gut bacteria and higher counts of E. coli and other unhealthy gut bacteria.10 Other studies have confirmed these findings. Eating whole wheat improved intestinal integrity and reduced intestinal permeability (leaky gut).
Research debunks the idea that gluten causes “brain fog” also. In a study of 13,494 women without celiac disease, there was absolutely no relationship between gluten and cognitive function.11
Food intolerances, including gluten intolerance, are a deeper subject than there is room to address in this article, but training your gut microbiome is the basis for healing in this area also.
What does it look like to make grain the staff of life within a plant-based diet? The American Heart Association says we should eat at least six servings of whole grains every day. I think this is a great goal. If we do this, I believe we can say we are using grain as our staff of life. To eat six or more servings, you need to eat whole grains at every meal and for snacks, too.
Six servings of whole grains mixed into a plant-based diet might look like this:
Breakfast— ½ cup of cooked oatmeal, with blueberries and walnuts. I like to add flax and chia to my oatmeal as well. (1 serving)
Lunch—An almond butter sandwich on two slices of (homemade) whole wheat bread, plus veggies with hummus. (2 servings)
Snack—A whole wheat homemade muffin, plus an apple. (1 serving)
Dinner—Chili with a small amount of meat and plenty of beans, plus added whole barley, with homemade whole grain cornbread, and a green salad sprinkled with cooked millet. (2 to 2.5 servings)
This is just one menu example. The variations are endless!
Finally, remember the best way to change to a healthier diet is slowly. Increasing fiber in your diet slowly will give your gut microbiome time to adjust. Also be sure you are drinking enough water to help your body use that extra fiber.
I find it exciting to learn more about fiber and our gut microbiome, because it adds a deeper and fuller understanding to why God has given us the principles of the Word of Wisdom and why it is SO important that we apply them to our lives.
Pray for a deeper understanding of the Word of Wisdom as part of God’s Word. Pray over the changes you want to make to your diet. God will help us. He will give us guidance and strength to keep the Word of Wisdom.
References
1) Dietary fiber and probiotics influence the gut microbiome and melanoma immunotherapy response
Science; Vol. 374, No. 6575, pp. 1632-1640
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34941392/
2) Nutrition for Hospital Workers During a Crisis: Effect of a Plant-Based Dietary Intervention on Cardiometabolic Outcomes and Quality of Life in Healthcare Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022 May-Jun; 16(3): 399–407
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9184832/
3) Whole Grain Fiber Linked with Lower Inflammation. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Mar 1;5(3):e225012.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35357453/
4) Whole Grain Intake and Mortality From All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer:
A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies
Circulation. 2016 Jun 14;133(24):2370-80.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27297341/
5) Association between whole grain intake and stroke risk: evidence from a meta-analysis
Int J Clin Exp Med
2015 Sep 15;8(9):16978-83.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26629253/
6) Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal
cancer: systematic review and dose-response
meta-analysis of prospective studies
BMJ 2011;343:d6617
Published 10 November 2011
https://wholegrainscouncil.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2011_BMJ_Aune.pdf
7) Intake of whole grain foods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies
BMJ 2020 Jul 8;370:m2206.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32641435/
8) Whole- and Refined-Grain Consumption and Longitudinal Changes in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in the Framingham Offspring Cohort
J Nutr. 2021 Sep 4;151(9):2790-2799.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34255848/
See also
Whole-grain intake as a marker of healthy body weight and adiposity
Public Health Nutr 2008 Jun;11(6):554-63.
Epub 2007 Nov 16.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18005489/
9) The relationship between whole-grain intake and measures of cognitive decline, mood, and anxiety -a systematic review
Adv Nutr. 2023 Apr 19; S2161-8313(23)00288-0.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37085091/
10) Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects
Br J Nutr. 2009 Oct;102(8):1154-60.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19445821/
11) Long-term Intake of Gluten and Cognitive Function Among US Women
JAMA Netw Open. 2021 May 3;4(5):e2113020.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34019084/
