In Functional Medicine, we put a heavy emphasis on gut health. We know that a strong gut is not just essential for digesting food and absorbing nutrients, but that it plays a vital role in the immune system and affects the health of the entire body.
On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru, talks to Dr. Marvin Singh, an integrative gastroenterologist. Dr. Singh graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and completed his residency training in internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, followed by a fellowship training in Gastroenterology at Scripps Clinic and Green Hospital. Dr. Singh was also trained by Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Singh uses cutting-edge tests and personally designed protocols to develop a truly individualized plan for his patients based on their genetics, microbiome, metabolism, and lifestyle.
In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Singh talk about the cutting edge research of DNA methylation PhenoAge, which can predict things like aging, inflammation, and heart disease. They discuss how changes in the gut microbiome can impact gene expression, how our microbiome influences the dietary choices we make, and how our gut health can have a significant effect on healthy aging. They also talk about the implications of diet and the gut microbiome in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease.
In this episode, we dive into:
- How DNA methylation can predict age and age-related outcomes (2:24)
- How our gut microbiome influences our food choices (9:35)
- The gut-brain connection (13:22)
- The gut microbiome and neurodegenerative diseases (17:35)
- Dr. Singh’s personal health journey (21:51)
- Why personalization is so important when it comes to our gut health (43:29)
- Food sensitivity testing (46:56)
- Gut microbiome testing (54:05)
- Probiotics (59:49)
- How exercise impacts our gut health (1:07:12)
- Prebiotics (1:09:59)
- Digestive enzymes (1:13:05)
- Fecal transplants (1:20:33)
- Colon hydrotherapy (1:26:39)
- How social connections impact our health (1:32:19)
- Learn more about Dr. Singh and his work (1:38:16)
I know you’ll love this episode of The Broken Brain Podcast as much as I did.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
PS – For more on Dr. Marvin Singh, be sure to follow him on Instagram @DrMarvinSingh, on Facebook @DrMarvinSingh, and on Twitter @DrMarvinSingh. Check out his website https://drmarvinsingh.com, and download his FREE 4 Week Gut Reset e-book, right here. Dr. Singh was also featured in the Interconnected docu-series which you can watch here.
If you’re looking to work with an integrative practitioner you can search for one here:
- The Institute for Functional Medicine: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
- The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine: https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/alumni.html
Lastly, check out the article Dhru referenced during the interview from Anahad O’Connor: Is There an Optimal Diet for Humans?