A nutrition expert has revealed a specific type of food that could help protect the body against cancer. The food not only benefits the gut microbiome and immune system but could also aid recovery from deadly diseases. According to Professor Tim Spector, the founder of Zoe Health, fermented foods could act as a “secret weapon” for the body. These are any foods or drinks that have undergone a controlled process of microbial growth and include yoghurt, kimchi and kombucha.
Speaking on a new episode of the Liz Moody Podcast, he explained more about the benefits of fermented foods. He referenced a study he started in 1992 with King’s College London. This revealed that people with healthier gut microbiomes were more likely to recover from cancer. “I studied twins for 30 years, identical twins, and very often one would get one of these cancers, and the other one wouldn’t,” he said.
“Their gut microbes, even in identical twins, are very different. So that made me think that the gut microbes are really the key to a lot of these problems. “People with end-stage melanoma, skin cancer, whether they lived or died, the main difference between them was the state of their gut microbes when they started treatment.” Podcast host Liz then asked: “Is there like a crash course we can do in rebuilding our gut microbiome?”.
In response, Tim said: “Fermented foods for me are the secret weapon for many people. So, whichever ones you like, you know, there are at least a dozen of them and get as many different probiotic microbes into your system, which we know helps the immune system.”.
