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2025 was really the year that the world found out about the importance of the gut microbiome in human health. Many influencers and researchers have been sounding the alarm for years that what happens in the gut affects the rest of the body.
However, it was only last year that it really went mainstream. Now, many men are wondering how they can leverage this fact to their own benefit. What can they do in terms of their diet to boost their overall health and get the results they want?
The key seems to come down to prebiotics. These are different from classic probiotics, which is literally the bacteria that colonize the gut themselves. Historically, people would take pills or eat fermented foods to get more of these bacteria into their guts so they had a healthier ecosystem. At least, that was the idea.
Prebiotics
However, prebiotics are different. These are the materials found in food that healthy bacteria feed on once they get down to the colon. Most of these prebiotics are fibers and resistant starches found in intact whole grains and legumes, leading to a transformative shift in consumer eating patterns.
Prebiotics are believed to be more sustainable when it comes to gut health compared to probiotics because they provide the basis for the bacteria themselves to grow. With probiotics, there is no guarantee that bacteria can be viable once they get down to the colon, but with prebiotics, the substances that the bacteria eats are already there, so it creates a more welcoming ecosystem.
“The role of prebiotics is now better understood,” says JM Nutrition, a platform that connects people living in Canada to nutritionists and dietitians. “Things have changed significantly in recent years as science has finally caught up to what biology is really doing in the gut. When people eat high fibre foods, they are doing more than just providing their bodies with roughage; instead, they’re feeding the very bacteria in their colons that provide many of the metabolic health benefits that a healthy diet offers. It’s not necessarily the quality of the diet that matters as much as what the bacteria in the gut are doing with it. If people can improve the overall health of their microbiome, then the health benefits can spread throughout the rest of their bodies.”
Changing Attitudes
Previously, functional food advocates and the food as medicine movement were seen as adjacent to the scientific method or at worst pseudo-scientific. However, research in mainstream science has now validated these approaches and shown that the gut microbiome is indeed important to individual health.
Previously, cultures across the world had consumed probiotics like kefir, kimchi, and yogurt. They had also combined these with natural prebiotics, the non-digestible fibers in legumes and grains and fruits and vegetables like garlic, bananas, and onions. When consumed together in a balanced diet, these components appear to improve dietary health and immune system function. Many people report that they feel much better when they are on a high-fiber diet primarily because the health of the gut transmits to the rest of the body, including the brain.
Research shows that people who have unhealthy guts or leaky guts (where the lining of the gut begins to disintegrate because of unwanted immune responses) often experience inflammation that can reach the brain and, when it does, it can pass a blood-brain barrier and change mood and cognitive function. However, individuals who stick with high-fiber diets above around 50g per day and include probiotics in their consumption as well often have much healthier microbiome ecosystems.
The primary issues in the modern world when it comes to microbiome health are:
- The consumption of refined flours and sugar
- High animal protein foods
The combination of these leads to the growth of different types of bacteria that can produce harmful chemicals, such as putrescine, to activate the immune system.
Food Advice
Most health authorities now recommend that individuals avoid high consumption of these foods. That’s why the majority of food guidance across the world outside of America emphasises whole grains, beans and vegetables as the base of the diet, with fruit, nuts and seeds as extra secondary constituents.
Even the recommendation to consume milk is now becoming obsolete. A lot of authorities going into 2026 believe that milk is no longer an essential staple of the diet, instead many countries are recommending alternatives like soy-based milks or simply using water on cereal. The trends that we’re seeing now align with broader dietary evolution, according to commentators in the space.
There is a growing knowledge that nutrient density and timing are becoming more important, and that working with one’s circadian rhythm is essential. Research shows that eating large amounts of whole grains and beans earlier in the day is often better than having a large dinner later in the day. Whether a healthy diet is still acceptable later in the day or causes metabolic damage is unknown, however the pattern from the general population is clear.
The real-world evidence for the changes that we’re seeing in dietary advice are becoming more palpable. For example, a Gut Microbiology study that had more than 10,000 participants showed that those consuming more pre-biotics than post-biotics had higher mental clarity than controls. This meant that they were able to think more clearly in their jobs and produce better output. It also meant that they were able to have better relationships with other people because they could remember more of what was being said. Health organisations are also taking up positions on this subject. For example, many are pivoting to whole and fermented options and also looking for natural GLP-1 weight loss analogues that function the same as mainstream drugs.
“At JM Nutrition, we’re very interested in this development because it provides hope to people who have been struggling with weight loss for a long time. It means that it’s possible to get the best of both worlds: a healthy body and a healthy gut, and improve cognitive function. People who eat more probiotics are more likely to have glucose stability.”
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