Dr. Casey Means

That's such a great point, which is that ultimately we want the short-chain fatty acids, which is the medicine that the microbiome are making for us through the microbial fermentation process.

And we can basically do that in three ways.

One is we can eat more fiber, which is prebiotics.

We can also eat more polyphenols because we're now learning that the microbiome actually processes, they ferment polyphenols, which is basically you'll find those in colorful fruits and vegetables, spices, teas, cocoa, things like that.

So fermentation of polyphenols and fiber to short-chain fatty acids, which then we absorb.

And then, like you just said, in a fermented food, the bacteria in that food will be making short-chain fatty acids by fermenting the food in there.

And then if we drink that, we're getting the short-chain fatty acids directly.

So that's the kimchi, sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, kvass, which I'm obsessed with, which is like low-sugar kombucha.

It's like made with fermenting beets, basically.

It's such good stuff.

Miso natto.

So that's one.

That has been shown to differentiate more L-cells in the gut.

We also know that people with type 2 diabetes have much fewer L-cells in the gut.

And it's hard to know what the causality is there.

But I think a safe assumption is like if we keep our blood sugar under better control and sort of stay out of that diabetic range, it probably lends itself.

I don't know what the chicken and the egg is there, but blood sugar stability, more L-cell differentiation.

And then actually ginseng.

has been shown to improve L-cell differentiation.

So that's just one set of things.