Was the human gut healthier in ancient times?
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Tsimane women cooking breakfast in the Bolivian Amazon in an undated image.
PHOTO: MICHAEL GURVEN/NYTIMES
Carl Zimmer
- Ancient hunter-gatherers had a stable gut microbiome for thousands of years, but industrialised diets, medicine and farming changed it sharply.
- Researchers found over 600 gut bacteria in Hadza and Tsimane groups that are rare or missing in most modern societies.
- Scientists say lost microbes may affect immunity and chronic disease, but experts warn people should not try to copy ancient gut bacteria.
AI generated
NEW YORK – The human microbiome – the trillions of microbes that live in the gut – was a stable ecosystem for tens of thousands of years before rapidly changing in industrialised countries, raising possible health concerns for modern people, scientists reported on Oct 7.
In a study of Africans and South Americans, researchers identified more than 600 species of bacteria that may once have been common in the gut, but are rare or missing entirely from people in most societies today.