ZOE Science & Nutrition

Is your gut microbiome preventing weight loss? | Dr. Suzanne Devkota and Prof. Tim Spector

09 Jan 2025

Audio

Description

Belly fat is more than just stubborn weight – it plays a complex role in our health, interacting with the immune system and gut bacteria. But could gut microbes hold the key to understanding and managing belly fat? In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Devkota, Director of the Microbiome Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai, shares groundbreaking findings on how gut bacteria interact with belly fat. Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology and scientific co-founder at ZOE, also joins the conversation to explain how the diversity of your gut bacteria affects weight and overall health. Together, our guests share surprising ways the microbiome influences fat storage and offer practical tips for supporting gut health. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 The risks of internal fat 01:45 Quickfire questions 03:12 What is belly fat? 04:30 How dangerous is internal fat? 05:44 How our body uses belly fat 16:20 Groundbreaking study on gut bacteria 21:05 These gut bacteria live in your fat tissue 24:50 Gut health and your immune system 31:58 Why microbes are essential to survive 38:30 Why gut health starts at birth 46:40 The importance of sampling your gut microbes 50:50 Two changes you can make right now 53:02 Easy fermented eating tips 55:10 Why not all pickles are fermented 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Mentioned in today's episode Translocation of Viable Gut Microbiota to Mesenteric Adipose Drives Formation of Creeping Fat in Humans (2020), published in Cell Our extended microbiome: The human-relevant metabolites and biology of fermented foods (2024), published in Cell Metabolism Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial (2024), published in Nature Heritable components of the human fecal microbiome are associated with visceral fat (2016) published in Genome Biology Dissecting the role of the gut microbiota and diet on visceral fat mass accumulation (2019), published in Scientific Reports Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Other episodes from ZOE Science & Nutrition

Transcribed and ready to explore now

4 lifestyle changes that lower high blood pressure | Dr Sanjay Gupta

29 Jan 2026

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Recap: Fat: The full story | Sarah Berry

27 Jan 2026

ZOE Science & Nutrition

4 foods that heal your gut and reduce inflammation (in as little as 24 hours!) | Dr Will Bulsiewisz

22 Jan 2026

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Recap: How to maintain new habits in the New Year | Tara Swart & Sarah Berry

20 Jan 2026

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE Science & Nutrition

Is your gut microbiome preventing weight loss? | Dr. Suzanne Devkota and Prof. Tim Spector

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from ZOE Science & Nutrition

4 lifestyle changes that lower high blood pressure | Dr Sanjay Gupta

Recap: Fat: The full story | Sarah Berry

4 foods that heal your gut and reduce inflammation (in as little as 24 hours!) | Dr Will Bulsiewisz

Recap: How to maintain new habits in the New Year | Tara Swart & Sarah Berry

Recap: How your gut microbes could fight disease | Suzanne Devkota & Tim Spector

How to drink alcohol without destroying your health | Prof. David Nutt

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment