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Chris Damman, MD 🍓

@gutbitesmd.bsky.social
878 followers 465 following 68 posts

Gastroenterologist | UW Professor | Gates Foundation Alumnus | CMO & CSO | Scientific Advisory Board | Nutrition, Mitochondria & Gut Microbiome | gutbites.org

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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We engineered foods that make us want more. Now we've engineered drugs that help us want less. What does that say about the world we've built? New article ↓ sub.gutbites.org/p/have-we-en... #GLP1 #UltraProcessedFoods #NutritionScience
sub.gutbites.org
Have We Engineered Hunger?
For decades, ultra-processed foods were engineered to make us eat more. Now GLP-1 drugs are helping us want less.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
GLP-1 feels like a miracle. That may say as much about our environment as the drug itself. When appetite, satiety, and metabolism become disconnected, restoring one signal can feel transformative. But why did the system need rescuing in the first place? sub.gutbites.org/p/glp-1-feel...
sub.gutbites.org
GLP-1 Feels Like a Miracle
That Might Say More About Our Health Than the Drug
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
newsroom.uw.edu/video-librar...
newsroom.uw.edu
GLP-1s reduce appetite, but not nutritional needs - UW Medicine | Newsroom
News and information for journalists
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Whole foods can “hide” calories inside intact plant structures. Processing breaks these barriers, making energy easier to absorb. Why food structure matters: sub.gutbites.org/p/why-whole-... #GutHealth #NutritionScience #FoodScience
sub.gutbites.org
Why Whole Foods “Hide” Calories
How food structure and processing shape the calories we absorb
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
We didn’t miss the microbiome because it was small. We missed it because it was resilient. Now that resilience is fading, we’re seeing what it did all along. It’s not one nutrient or one fix. It’s the system. sub.gutbites.org/p/how-did-we... #Microbiome #GutHealth #Nutrition #MetabolicHealth
sub.gutbites.org
How Did We Miss the Microbiome in Nutrition?
What we overlooked in a system built on single nutrients
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
What you eat matters, but what you eat together may matter more. Meals, not foods, drive biology. sub.gutbites.org/p/the-biolog...
sub.gutbites.org
The Biology of Food Pairing
Why What You Eat Together Matters More Than You Think
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Moving beyond diet camps: a microbiome-centered view of nutrition. Food quality shapes metabolism, appetite, and long-term health more than labels like low-carb or plant-based. sub.gutbites.org/p/why-diet-w...
sub.gutbites.org
Why Diet Wars Miss the Point
Your Personal Microbiome May Be Deciding Which Foods are Best For You
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
www.news-medical.net/news/2026012... Gut microbes shape cancer outcomes by regulating dietary asparagine. Bacteria that degrade this amino acid may limit immune cell function and weaken anti-tumor responses, while greater asparagine availability appears to support stronger cancer-fighting immunity.
news-medical.net
Gut microbiome may be a central player in the body's response to cancer
A new study reveals how bacteria in the gut can help determine whether the amino acid asparagine from the diet will feed tumor growth or activate immune cells against the cancer​, according to researc...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
A new study shows that binge drinking can damage the gut barrier, allowing bacteria and toxins to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation. The injury is driven by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the small intestine, and blocking NETs reduced damage. news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu
Binge drinking triggers gut damage, finds new study — Harvard Gazette
Research suggests even brief episodes of heavy alcohol consumption can injure small intestine.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...
pbs.org
New research shows eating less ultraprocessed food supports healthier aging
A new study found older adults whose diets consisted of only 15% ultraprocessed foods – rather than the usual 50% – had lower weight, insulin and cholesterol.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Timely article from Alice Callahan @NYT. #guthealth #nutrition #microbiome #ultraprocessedfood www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/w...
nytimes.com
How Do Ultraprocessed Foods Affect the Gut?
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Nothing to Bok at there. : )
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Reposted by Chris Damman, MD 🍓
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 21/11/2025
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other. Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Research on GLP-1's that target "food noise" in the brain without the GI side effects? www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
Brain scientists are seeking weight-loss drugs without the nausea
Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound often cause nausea and other side effects. Brain scientists are looking for ways to solve this problem.
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Reposted by Chris Damman, MD 🍓
Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Editorial about the ultraprocessed food oligopoly putting profit before health www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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Reposted by Chris Damman, MD 🍓
UW Medicine Newsroom @uwmnewsroom.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
A new study finds that eating yogurt regularly may reduce the risk of colon cancer. The findings are in line with prior studies that have linked yogurt intake to a lower risk of #coloncancer, says Dr. Chris Damman, a @uwmedicine.bsky.social gastroenterologist. @gutbitesmd.bsky.social
npr.org
Eating yogurt regularly may reduce the risk of colon cancer, a study finds
Humans have been eating yogurt for millennia. Ancient texts reference its health-promoting properties. Now a new study finds yogurt may reduce the risk of certain types of colon cancer.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
This is great news to see shift toward earlier prevention. Now if only we could take it the next step and keep the atheromas from occuring in the first place.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
I can confirm that's almost certainly upper endoscopy. I suppose all good art provides foreshadowing, but this is next level. : )
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Yum! Looks delicious. And bet it scores super high on NCS. gutbites.org/nutrient-con...
gutbites.org
Smart Bites App — Food Quality Scanner — For Microbiome & Metabolic Health - Gut Bites MD
Smart Bites is a research-based, public good smart app that assesses food quality to best feed your microbiome & fuel your metabolism. Scan product barcodes for 1-100 scores, find Smarter Bite swaps, ...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
And they receive a perfect 100 NCS score. Who has a good soup recipe?
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Can never see reference to capybara’s without mind going to ROS in The Princess Bride. Had my children unintentionally terrified when mentioning ROS were real while watching Westley protect Buttercup from the creatures.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
A good experiment in how to make health care more expensive.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Good paper. Imagine you've seen this one too? www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Effect of the mitophagy inducer urolithin A on age-related immune decline: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial - Nature Aging
Immune aging fosters multimorbidity and compromises control of infection and cancer. In a phase 1 randomized controlled trial in middle-aged adults, Denk and colleagues administer the mitophagy induce...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Noting, too, that you increased your PUFAs and MUFAs with olive oil. The saturated fat in coconut isn’t inherently bad — we just tend not to eat it in balanced amounts alongside unsaturated fats, which is what drives hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease. Smooth move! :)
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
A paper to suggest ketogenic diet may increase butyrate production via Akkermansia.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Great work!
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Important work, and wonder the degree to which urolithin A is the tip of the iceburg in regard to the metabolic, immunologic, and neurologic value of microbiome metabolites? Butyrate, many B-vitamins, conjugated linoleic acid are a few other notable examples.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Thanks for sharing Eric! Wonder the degree to which ultraprocessed foods increase CRC risk via the gut microbiome? There is a growing literature in this area. gutbites.org/2025/11/02/w...
gutbites.org
Why Colorectal Cancer is Rising–The Microbiome, Diet & How to Lower Your Risk - Gut Bites MD
Colorectal cancer is rising in young adults. Learn how diet, lifestyle, and the gut microbiome influence risk—and what you can do to prevent it.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Love this article! Thanks for covering. Nutrient ratios might help define what is 'off' with ultraprocessed foods. Adding back what's MISSING (fiber, polyphenols, micronutrients...) equal in importance to decreasing what's CONCENTRATED (sugar, additives, salt...) gutbites.org/2025/11/12/u...
gutbites.org
Ultra-Processed Foods: What the Media & Consumers are Missing - Gut Bites MD
Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Editor-in-Chief of Gut Bites MD. Ultra-processed foods have received quite a lot of press, an...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Yes. Very much agree. Noting FDA had a call for comment to better define. www.fda.gov/food/nutriti...
fda.gov
Ultra-Processed Foods
The FDA is committed to taking action on foods that may be considered ultra-processed to help consumers improve their dietary patterns and reduce the prevalence of diet-related chronic disease.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Great article! And not all processed foods are equal—what’s missing (fiber, polyphenols, healthy fats, micronutrients) is as important as what’s concentrated (sugar, additives, saturated fat, sodium). Food quality can be captured by ratio balances (e.g. carb-to-fiber). gutbites.org/2025/11/12/u...
gutbites.org
Ultra-Processed Foods: What the Media & Consumers are Missing - Gut Bites MD
Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Editor-in-Chief of Gut Bites MD. Ultra-processed foods have received quite a lot of press, an...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Ultraprocessed food consumption linked to 45% higher risk of early onset (before age 50) precancerous polyps. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... #ultraprocessedfood #nutrition
jamanetwork.com
Ultraprocessed Food and Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Precursors Among Women
This study evaluates the association of the consumption of ultraprocessed foods and the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (<50 years) in participants of the Nurses’ Health Study II.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
45 is the new 50. #colonncancer #microbiome gutbites.org/2025/11/02/w...
gutbites.org
Why Colorectal Cancer is Rising–The Microbiome, Diet & How to Lower Your Risk - Gut Bites MD
Colorectal cancer is rising in young adults. Learn how diet, lifestyle, and the gut microbiome influence risk—and what you can do to prevent it.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
A microbiome-derived metabolite of polyphenols called urolithin A (UA), produced from foods like walnuts and pomegranates, has been shown to expand and rejuvenate cancer- and virus-fighting CD8⁺ T cells while also modulating inflammatory cytokines. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Effect of the mitophagy inducer urolithin A on age-related immune decline: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial - Nature Aging
Immune aging fosters multimorbidity and compromises control of infection and cancer. In a phase 1 randomized controlled trial in middle-aged adults, Denk and colleagues administer the mitophagy induce...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Developed by a physician and parent, SmartBites is a best-in-class food rating app—powered by cutting-edge nutrition & microbiome science—that simply scans products, suggests smarter versions, and shows how foods combine to better fuel your energy and health. gutbites.org/2025/09/10/f...
gutbites.org
A Smarter Way to Shop, Eat & Cook — SmartBites by GutBites MD - Gut Bites MD
Developed by a physician and parent, SmartBites is a best-in-class food rating app that gives you and your family options to eat smarter on the go, without giving up the foods you love. Powered by cut...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
New randomized cross over study in Nature Medicine showing that minimally processed vs. ultraprocessed foods contribute to significantly greater weight loss and body fat composition change. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Ultraprocessed or minimally processed diets following healthy dietary guidelines on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, crossover trial - Nature Medicine
A free-living trial in people with overweight or obesity found that minimally processed diets led to greater weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements than ultraprocessed diets following UK healthy...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Metformin may work, in part, by stimulating the excretion of glucose into the intestine. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Metformin-regulated glucose flux from the circulation to the intestinal lumen - Communications Medicine
Sakaguchi, Sugawara, Hosokawa, Ito, Morita, et al. quantify the effect of metformin on intestinal glucose excretion using fluorodeoxyglucose PET-MRI based bioimaging in individuals with type 2 diabete...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
With age, the microbiome becomes less robust, producing a less diverse metabolome that is otherwise key for healthy host functions. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Metabolic modelling reveals the aging-associated decline of host–microbiome metabolic interactions in mice - Nature Microbiology
A multi-omics approach reveals host–microbiome interactions in aging in mice.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39948771/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Metabolically unhealthy adipose tissue is characterized by reductions in mitochondrial size and function - PubMed
We conclude that targeting mitochondrial fusion processes would be a rational strategy to improve metabolic health, independent of total fat mass.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
Eating yogurt regularly may reduce the risk of colon cancer, a study finds
Humans have been eating yogurt for millennia. Ancient texts reference its health-promoting properties. Now a new study finds yogurt may reduce the risk of certain types of colon cancer.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
gutbites.org/carb-fiber-r...
gutbites.org
Nutrient Consume Score: Color-Coding Foods to Fuel Your Microbiome & Metabolic Health
Evidence-based Carb To Fiber and other nutrient ratios help you choose the healthiest foods to maximize health.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
The #microbiome metabolites of #fiber, #butyrate, and #propionate play a dual role in colon cancer. They suppress cancer development through epigenetic regulation but can further dysregulate oncogenic pathways in existing cancer cells. Nature Metabolism www.nature.com/articles/s42...
nature.com
Short-chain fatty acid metabolites propionate and butyrate are unique epigenetic regulatory elements linking diet, metabolism and gene expression - Nature Metabolism
Nshanian et al. investigate the differential effects of the short-chain fatty acids propionate and butyrate on chromatin remodelling and gain insight into the mechanisms that drive selective histone a...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Gut microbiome signatures compared across vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diets. withttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01870-z
nature.com
Gut microbiome signatures of vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diets and associated health outcomes across 21,561 individuals - Nature Microbiology
Using 21,561 individuals, the authors present a cross-sectional study of how gut microbiome signatures are associated with dietary intake patterns and with host health outcomes.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Eating a wide array of plant-based foods is more important than whether or not you eat meat in determining the composition of a healthy microbiome. www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
Hey, meat eaters. Your gut health can rival a vegan's. Here's how
Our guts are home to trillions of microbes that influence our health. A new study finds the key to a healthy microbiome is the variety of plant-based food in your diet, even if you eat meat.
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
Sharing a public good project I’ve been working on to help guide healthy & balanced eating much like Nutri-Score in Europe and Health Star in Australia. App in beta test and paper in peer review. gutbites.org/nutrient-con...
gutbites.org
NCS App: Your Pocket Guide to Balanced Gut Healthy Eating - Gut Bites MD
Introducing a smart, evidence-based food quality app that helps users make more balanced dietary choices. By analyzing nutrient ratios and microbiome-friendly bioactive factors, it generates a simple ...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Urolithin A, a microbiome-derived metabolite of the polyphenol ellagitannin, improves strength and endurance in a randomized controlled trial of resistance-trained athletes. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Assessment of Urolithin A effects on muscle endurance, strength, inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein metabolism in male athletes with resistance training: an 8-week randomized, double-blind, p...
This study aimed to investigate the impact of Urolithin A (UA) on muscle endurance, muscle strength, inflammatory levels, oxidative stress, and protein metabolism status in resistance-trained male ...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Beyond mitochondria, endosymbionts discovered to exists in other realms of nature. Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Editorial: phys.org/news/2024-12...
nature.com
Genetic potential for aerobic respiration and denitrification in globally distributed respiratory endosymbionts - Nature Communications
In this study, the authors report and analyze four complete genomes of respiratory endosymbionts to show that they carry the potential to breathe both oxygen and nitrogen oxides providing energy to th...
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...
medpagetoday.com
Dietary Intervention Shows Promise in Blood Cancers
High-fiber diets tied to improved outcomes in stem-cell transplants, slowing myeloma precursors
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Chris Damman, MD 🍓 @gutbitesmd.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Polyphenols effect gut microbiome and inflammatory markers in overweight and obesity. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
tandfonline.com
Effects of polyphenols on gut microbiota and inflammatory markers in individuals with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Polyphenols are potent antioxidants with anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and prebiotic effects. However, no meta-analysis of human studies has confirmed these properties in individuals with over...
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