SNR #111: Grace Liu, PhD – Probiotics, Fiber & Creating a Healthy Gut

Episode 111: Grace Liu, PhD discusses some of her work in creating a better microbiome composition in clients through diet, supplementation and testing.

Guest Bio

Grace Liu, PhD

Grace’s training includes 4 years in plant biology, bachelor degree in nutritional science and a doctorate in pharmacy.

While her expertise is in the pharmaceutical world, Grace explores the various scientific, nutritional, and pharmacological ins-and-outs of optimal health. Much of her work is focused on looking at the gut microbiome.

Grace runs TheGutInstitute.com

In this episode we discuss:

Dysbiosis
The types of bacteria that have been shown to be protective & how to get them
What signifies that a gut microbiome composition is “healthy”
Probiotic supplementation: what to look for and what to avoid
Sources and importance of prebiotic fiber
Testing – why gut sequencing may be useful but doesn’t tell the whole picture
The small intestine – the forgotten piece of the puzzle
The protective effect of REG-III

Glossary

Dysbiosis: a microbial imbalance on or inside the body. Dysbiosis is most commonly reported as a condition in the digestive tract
Prebiotic: dietary fibre (either soluable or insoluble) that undergoes fermentation in the large intestine. Fermentation is important because the gases and acids produced during the process result in significant health benefits.
Probiotic: live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.
16s analysis: gene sequencing used to identify and compare bacteria present within a given sample
Acetate: A type of short-chain fatty acid. SCFAs are a subset of fatty acids that are produced by the gut microbiota during the fermentation of fibre in the colon. They are used locally by enterocytes or transported across the gut epithelium into the bloodstream.
REG-III: Regenerating islet-derived protein 3 gamma is an antimicrobial protein that in humans is encoded by the REG3G gene. Intestinal cells produce REG3 gamma & it specifically targets Gram-positive bacteria.

Bacteria mentioned: