

New study suggests the microbes in humans' intestines may influence food choices - dctoedt
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/your-gut-bacteria-want-you-to-eat-a-cupcake/378702/

======
johndavi
There is so much yet to come from studying the microbiome and its influence
over "us" (the brain part, that is).

For a good overview of how much there is still to uncover, see the 2012 New
Yorker article "Germs Are Us":
[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/22/germs-are-
us](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/22/germs-are-us)

For a lighter-still take on the gut-brain connection, Radiolab had a segment a
couple of years ago on the vagus nerve (mentioned as a possible culprit in the
linked article/study): [http://www.radiolab.org/story/197242-gut-
feelings/](http://www.radiolab.org/story/197242-gut-feelings/)

Emily Deans routinely blogs about the gut-brain connection:
[http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-
psychiatry/...](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-
psychiatry/201406/human-microbiota-and-depression)

------
charlieflowers
If anyone knows a legal way around the paywall, I'd love to hear about it. I
wonder if they go into detail about probiotics that are actually "proven" to
reduce fat or improve mood, among other things. Also, did they actually
demonstrate a correlation between gut bacteria and mood/cravings, or do they
merely discuss "possible" ways such a connection might exist?

~~~
eugeneyev
On a related topic, is there a reasonably priced option to actually get access
to all of these journals (instead of subscribing to a single one or buying
individual articles) .

Something like Factiva or EbscoHost, etc - but offering individual
subscriptions (and not limited to just a single journal/publisher).

~~~
briandh
It's a little pricey and I've never used it, but I think DeepDyve is what
you're looking for.

~~~
eugeneyev
Interesting, yes DeepDyve looks exactly like what I had in mind. Thank you,
will give it a try.

The other reply (no longer visible for some reason) mentioned the university
library through the alumni association. I've gotten in touch with the library
and received the following reply: "Due to licensing restrictions, we are
unable to provide remote access to Research Port databases to alumni. Complete
access to all of the Libraries' databases is still available through computers
at any of our eight branches." . So it seems like the policy varies from
university to university.

Haven't heard back from my local library yet - might stop by there tomorrow
and find out.

------
dm2
It's amazing how important organisms that live in our intestines (and other
parts of our body) are to our health, mood, immune system, and even our
offspring.

Related:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Microbiome_Project](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Microbiome_Project)

[http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp/overview](http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp/overview)

------
S_A_P
So I still don't buy it. It seems to me that someone who eats a lot of a
certain type of food would naturally increase the type of bacteria that thrive
on that type of food. I dont eat a lot of Thai food, not because I dont enjoy
the flavor, but because my gut bacteria seems to want to cast it out in as
painful a manner as possible. I bet if I were to eat Thai food every day for a
year, things would change and my guts flora would reflect that. Bacteria cant
think for you...

~~~
stephenr
Ok now I'm curious (as a westerner living in thailand) - are you talking about
vomiting, or the other end?

In either case, I can't work out how specifically thai food would make you do
either consistently.

~~~
dkhar
In my experience, the Thai restaurants around me (East coast US) like to make
their sauces very oil/butter heavy, which contributes to the second phenomenon
you alluded to. I've never been to Thailand, so I don't know if this is an
exclusively American phenomenon or not.

I personally really like a good Lat na, but what I'm served is often noodles
in a thick, chicken flavored grease (rather than stock or gravy).

~~~
stephenr
Yeah ok sounds like a local "adaption" of the menu.

Even with a Thai owner and/or chef, it seems in most countries, there is some
degree of adapting each dish to the local environment. This may be because of
available ingredients or because of local tastes.

Thai people do _love_ to fry things (both shallow and deep), but in my
experience that doesn't necessarily translate into particularly oily sauces.
In my time here I've once had a green curry that actually had a visible layer
of oil (about 1cm thick) floating on top of the sauce itself, but that is
definitely not the norm!

In terms of butter, that is very surprising to me. The only thing I've ever
seen butter used for here is to fry fresh roti (which are then served with
condensed milk and banana or chocolate or sugar or whatever you want)..

