Mysterious Microbes Found in Hadza Tribe

The Gut Microbe

A new study measured the gut microbes of some of the last hunter-gatherers on the planet and what they found was perplexing!

In western Tanzania, the Hadza tribe lives and eats much like our ancient ancestors did, surviving on a diet of wild game, tuberous root veggies, and berries.

To examine their findings, they compared the microbiome of 27 Hadza tribe members to that of 16 urban-dwelling Italians of both genders.

What was most striking was that the well-researched probiotic, bifidobacterium – which is documented to offer numerous health benefits and is considered crucial to the gut microbiome in the west – was almost totally lacking in the Hadza gut.

Meanwhile, other microbes that are considered “bad” microbes and are linked to intestinal disorders were abundant in the Hadza gut, and missing in the healthy Italian population. There were also numerous strains of microbes present in the Hadza gut that the researchers had never seen before. Clearly, they have cultivated a unique microbiome that matches and caters to their unique diet, lifestyle and environment.

Unpredictable Gut Bugs

While researchers have linked some of these bad microbes to severe maladies of the gut and digestive tract, the Hadza had none of these health concerns.

Even though the research linking certain gut microbes to certain health benefits is still brand new, there are clearly strains of microbes around the world that support health in a variety of microbiological ways.

Gut Bug Variation Among the Sexes

Another striking finding was the drastic difference in gut microbiology between men and women of the Hadza tribe. While the women had a great number of microbes that were good at breaking down fiber from tuberous veggies, the men showed a significant lack in these microbes.

Interestingly, the women who dig up roots while the men take a crack at hunting seem to eat more of what they gather, and it seems the men eat more of what they hunt. Even though at the end of the day both the men and women eat tubers and game, the difference in quantity of each food is enough to drastically affect which microbes proliferate in the gut.

Key takeaways

1. We are still in the infancy of understanding how our microbiome really works.
2. We know that there is not one perfect set of microbes that is needed to be healthy.
3. Your microbiology is largely determined by where you live, the foods you eat, and the stress you are under.
4. To take advantage of this research, we must go back to basics:
- Eat non-processed foods.
- Avoid sweets – bad microbes generally eat sweets.
- Eat more good fat and fiber, which feed the good microbes.
- Avoid cooked oils.
- Eat in a non-stressful environment – your good microbes go south with stress.
- Take probiotics that have been proven to adhere to the gut wall – also known as “starter” microbes.
- Eat small amounts of fermented foods with each meal to encourage the growth of health-promoting microbiology.