Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Gut Microbiome with Dr. Suzanne Devkota

I interview Dr Suzanne Devkota on her research on the gut microbiota and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's and colitis) and the role our diet plays in fostering a healthy microbiome, and possibly reducing the incidence of IBD. We also discuss how microbial changes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Dr. Devkota is a gut microbiome researcher who has been studying the effect of diet on the gut microbiome and inflammatory diseases for the past 12 years. She is the Director of Microbiome Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and assistant professor at UCLA. She serves on several national microbiome initiatives including the American Gastroenterological Association’s Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education, as well as the Human Gut Cell Atlas, and has recently spoken on expert panels at the Nobel Prize Dialogues in Berlin and Tokyo. She is a Branco Weiss fellow, and former Lindau Nobel fellow. Dr. Devkota earned her Ph.D from The University of Chicago, and did her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Devkota and I discuss:

• how diet has changed our gut microbiome since moving to a Westernized diet
• are microbes involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• populations at risk of inflammatory bowel disease
• how diet may play a role in the prevention or management of IBD
• environmental influences on the gut microbiota + the development of IBD
• how fat influences changes in the microbiome and subsequent development of IBD
• how diets and bile acids influence your gut microbiome and may be implicated in IBD
• microbial extinction – speculations and disease development through the generations
• where is the research going to prevent negative changes in the gut microbiome
• Pre, pro and post biotics
• future research (we could touch on whatever you like, diet, FMT, etc.)
• Suzanne’s experience of intermittent fasting & how it may impact the microbiome

Want to learn more from Dr. Suzanne Devkota? Follow her on Instagram!