The "two guilds" in your gut that predict disease

The connection between gut health and overall health is now firmly established, but this study, published in Cell, takes our understanding to a new level. Researchers analyzed the gut microbiomes of thousands of people. They identified a pattern they call "two competing guilds": one beneficial guild specialized in fiber fermentation and butyrate production, the other characterized by virulence and antibiotic resistance.

This core microbiome signature successfully distinguished healthy individuals from those with disease across 15 different conditions and even predicted immunotherapy outcomes in cancer patients. The production of butyrate is a critical factor in the gut-health connection, yet few people consider it. Here's the challenge: many people do not produce sufficient amounts of butyrate, even when they eat fiber, because they lack the beneficial bacteria species that make it, or because they cannot tolerate fiber due to a disrupted gut microbiome.

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