Bonus Episode: Nutritional Microbiology (GUT HEALTH & DIET) with Miguel Freitas and Elaine Hsiao

The microbiome is back! In 2018, we chatted with Dr. Elaine Hsiao - a UCLA microbiome researcher– and learned all about the hot cauldron of your guts. In this 2025 update bonus, we chat again with Dr. Hsiao to get updates on the last 7 years of her research. We also stop by White Plains, New York to hang out with Dr. Miguel Freitas, lead nutritional microbiologist and director of the non-profit Danone Institute North America, and ask a million questions about good vs bad microbiota, how they simulate a human gut in a lab, what exactly is a pre-biotic vs. probiotic, why are they such good friends, how diet can impact not only your gut health but also your heart and your brain — and if friendly yogurt critters are robust enough to make the journey from your mouth to your toilet.
Browse Dr. Freitas’s publications on ResearchGate (researchgate.net/profile/Miguel-Freitas-12)
Visit the Hsiao Lab at UCLA (hsiao.science) and follow Dr. Hsiao on Google Scholar (scholar.google.com/citations?user=I9cyQTQAAAAJ)
Donations went to GiveDirectly.org/ologies (givedirectly.org/ologies) and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (lafoodbank.org)
More episode sources and links (alieward.com/ologies/nutritionalmicrobiology)
Other episodes you may enjoy: Microbiology (GUT BIOME) (alieward.com/ologies/microbiology-gut-biome), Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS) (alieward.com/ologies/molecularneurobiology), Fromology (CHEESE) (alieward.com/ologies/fromology), Scatology (POOP) (alieward.com/ologies/scatology), Gustology (TASTE) (alieward.com/ologies/gustology), Cardiology (THE HEART) (alieward.com/ologies/cardiology)
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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions (maitlandaudio.com), Jake Chaffee (jecmusic.com), and Jarrett Sleeper of Mindjam Media (mindjammedia.com)
Managing Director: Susan Hale
Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth
Transcripts by Aveline Malek
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer (kellyrdwyer.com/photo)
Theme song by Nick Thorburn

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