3 gut bacteria that protect your heart–and what to feed them | Prof. Tim Spector & Prof Nicola Segata

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE

Nutrition, Science, Health & Fitness, Education

4.6 • 5.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There's an unseen world inside you, teeming with trillions of tiny inhabitants. Just like any ecosystem, some bugs inside your gut microbiome are beneficial, while others wreak havoc, quietly disrupting your health. What if these disruptive "invasive species" are silently driving the rise of cardiometabolic diseases, the leading cause of illness and death in Western countries? This episode reveals groundbreaking new ZOE research, soon to be published in Nature, that maps this hidden world. We’re joined by Professor Nicola Segata, the study’s co-author and a pioneer of this new technology, alongside ZOE's scientific Co-Founder, Professor Tim Spector, one of the world's top 100 most-cited scientists. Together, they reveal the top-ranked gut bacteria – both good and bad – that influence your health. Discover three powerful "good bugs" and how feeding them can suppress the "bad," transforming your gut ecosystem and paving the way for better health and potential therapeutic breakthroughs. Learn actionable tips for boosting your beneficial bacteria, starving the detrimental ones, and why gut testing is forever changed. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Introduction 01:05 The most common misconception about gut health 04:04 Your gut bacteria are like mini pharmacists 08:12 Why your gut microbes are as unique as your DNA 14:23 How ZOE is revolutionising health with a new research model 19:39 Groundbreaking research that featured in Nature 22:21 The new, simpler way to measure your gut health 24:25 Meet newly discovered good bugs 28:06 The microbe that thrives when you eat nuts and seeds 32:40 Why only eating kale won't make you healthy 34:25 The 'ancient' gut bug discovered in mummies (and one of our scientists!) 36:37 The future of probiotics 39:17 The shocking truth about store-bought probiotics 42:17 What makes a 'bad' bug bad for your health? 43:45 Could your gut microbes be making you crave junk food? 46:29 The diet your bad bugs love the most 49:10 The future of personalised nutrition for your gut 52:22 How to 'pivot your ' to feed your good bugs 53:55 Is it okay to eat occasionally? 55:53 Tim Spector's simple 'fridge raid ferment' 📚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 Ferment 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 Better Breakfast Guide Mentioned in today's episode Gut microbiome species indicative of cardiometabolic health are modulated by diet in large and interventional cohorts of over 34,000 individuals, forthcoming in Nature, (2025) Gut microbiome species indicative of cardiometabolic health are modulated by diet in large and interventional cohorts of over 34,000 individuals, Published in Nature Microbiology (2025) [3] Research progress of gut microbiota and obesity caused by high-fat diet, Published in Fronteirs in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2023) Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.Episode transcripts are available here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to Zoe Science and Nutrition, where world-leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health.
0:07.0	Deep inside your large intestine exists another world, teeming with life. Trillions of bacteria crawling
0:23.4	around your gut, form the complex ecosystem known as your gut microbiome. And just
0:28.7	like in the world where you and I live, some inhabitants help their environment while
0:32.7	others harm it. Some gut bacteria support the immune system, create anti-inflammatory compounds and help maintain the gut lining.
0:40.3	Others, meanwhile, are more like invasive species, disrupting their ecosystem with nasty chemicals.
0:47.3	If these disruptive bugs grow too numerous, they can significantly increase our risk of getting the most serious conditions,
0:55.0	like heart disease and diabetes.
0:58.0	So, is it possible to understand how our ecosystem is balanced?
1:02.0	So we can start to tip the balance in our favor and stop these diseases before they start?
1:09.0	Today, we reveal groundbreaking new research that dramatically advances our understanding of what bugs live in our gut.
1:16.6	This research, a collaboration between the University of Trento and Zoe, and recently published in the Science Journal Nature, has taken us much further to map out this hidden world.
1:26.6	Identify more of the bugs helping us,
1:29.3	and more of those that are causing us harm,
1:31.3	so we can better nurture our microbiome,
1:34.3	with the right foods and improve our health.
1:37.3	In today's episode, we're joined by Professor Nicholas Agata,
1:40.3	co-author of Zoe's new study.
1:43.3	His lab uses world-leading technology to map and
1:46.1	analyse the trillions of microbes living inside us. He's joined by another pioneer in microbiome research,
1:52.6	Professor Tim Specter. Tim is one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists, professor of
1:58.0	epidemiology at King's College London and my scientific co-founder at Zoe.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from ZOE, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of ZOE and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.