Recent study shows that eating less fiber makes the microbial populations less diverse. But, what's more important these changes can become heritable. The finding also suggests that prolonged, cross-generational damage to a gut microbe population may not be reversible with simple diet fixes. http://arstechnica.com/science/2016...ut-microbes-and-changes-can-become-heritable/
Interesting. Particularly in conjunction with the fact that e.g. clostridium difficile, a bacterium which often inhabits our intestines, doesn't cause harm in low numbers, but goes rampant if becoming the dominant species in a region of our intestines. Diversity helps to keep such bacteria at bay. Luckily fiber rich diets saw a comeback, so there is hope.
According to new research, eating a fiber-rich diet may not only protect against diabetes and heart disease, it may reduce the risk of developing lung disease. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160122145457.htm
I've been think some more about the "irreversible" loss of bacteria in the mice. Our body is made to eliminate bacteria in food, to prevent ilnness from eating rotten food (our ancestors had to eat rotten food more often to survive in bad times, so this was a benefit). Still some bacteria can pass the stomach alive. I think that one can build up a more diverse bacteria mix in the intestines, but propbaly not in a short time like during the experiment with the mice. Mice just don't live long enough. Humans live much longer and if only one good bacteria passes through the stomach every few months, over the course of some years it will build up again. The other, shocking and frightening plan is, to have poop transplants from people with a good microbiome. Yes, you take pills with someone elses (refined) poop, which are covered to pass the stomach and give you a bacteria boost. This was tested with patients suffering from chronic diarrhoe and some other bactiera related deseases. It worked surprisingly well. Last but not least, some sorts of yeast are also good to have (they are fungi rather than bactariae). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_boulardii
