In essence, there are two basic, complementary, approaches to cultivating beneficial life in the human gut: probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics deliver particular
live microbes through pills or foods that contain them (like yoghurt or fermented
foods). Prebiotics are foods that feed particular varieties of microbes, like whole
grains and vegetables, fiber-rich foods that nourish colonic fiber fermenters. Think of
probiotics as introducing desirable microbes and prebiotics as feeding them to
maintain their presence and abundance. Seen in this light, it makes little sense to
consume probiotics if one does not follow up with a prebiotic diet to sustain those
that do manage to land and take root in the colon.
While there is tremendous potential to explore using both approaches to building
robust, self-sustaining microbial communities that support human health, there is no
room to debate the utility of modern pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics for treating
acute illnesses—they work remarkably well. Yet there remains great potential to
enhance human health through dietary shifts that support and supply a healthy gut
microbiome with nutrient-dense, phytochemical laden fodder. Our new view of the
microbial world is opening up new perspectives on what constitutes effective
preventive medicine.
12.5 A New View of Nature
The common roles that endemic microbiomes play in the parallel worlds of the
rhizosphere and gut suggest that they can be considered inside-out variations on one
another (Montgomery and Biklé 2016). In the rhizosphere, plants outsource to their
root microbiome key functions of digestion, nutrient acquisition, and chemical
signaling, whereas in the human gut, our bodies rely on our internal inhabitants
for similar functions. In agriculture and medicine, the still-emerging view of nature’s
hidden half as a rich universe of interacting microbial allies and foes shakes the
foundation of conventional practices. To varying degrees, products and practices
we’ve developed and relied upon for the past century can be replaced by or
supplemented with new ones aimed at promoting beneficial life to benefit both soil
and human health.
The striking reality remains that the health of both plants and people depend on
the community ecology of microbial partners. Thinking ecologically about their care
and feeding as central to our health reframes relationships we’re still learning to
navigate. Seeing the root zone and our gut are ecosystems influenced by diet,
disturbance, and diversity invites insights and opportunities in agriculture and
medicine based on the care and feeding of microbiomes. In particular, conservation
agriculture and regenerative grazing practices can bring life back to degraded soils
and enhance soil health (Montgomery 2017), and dietary choices better tailored to
meet the needs of our colonic stowaways can serve up preventive medicine (Montgomery and Biklé 2016).
In short, recognition of the role of microbial ecology in the health of soils, plants,
and people opens the door for revolutionary thinking across two broad areas of
12 The Revolutionary Potential of the Hidden Half of Nature in Agriculture and. . .
201
live microbes through pills or foods that contain them (like yoghurt or fermented
foods). Prebiotics are foods that feed particular varieties of microbes, like whole
grains and vegetables, fiber-rich foods that nourish colonic fiber fermenters. Think of
probiotics as introducing desirable microbes and prebiotics as feeding them to
maintain their presence and abundance. Seen in this light, it makes little sense to
consume probiotics if one does not follow up with a prebiotic diet to sustain those
that do manage to land and take root in the colon.
While there is tremendous potential to explore using both approaches to building
robust, self-sustaining microbial communities that support human health, there is no
room to debate the utility of modern pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics for treating
acute illnesses—they work remarkably well. Yet there remains great potential to
enhance human health through dietary shifts that support and supply a healthy gut
microbiome with nutrient-dense, phytochemical laden fodder. Our new view of the
microbial world is opening up new perspectives on what constitutes effective
preventive medicine.
12.5 A New View of Nature
The common roles that endemic microbiomes play in the parallel worlds of the
rhizosphere and gut suggest that they can be considered inside-out variations on one
another (Montgomery and Biklé 2016). In the rhizosphere, plants outsource to their
root microbiome key functions of digestion, nutrient acquisition, and chemical
signaling, whereas in the human gut, our bodies rely on our internal inhabitants
for similar functions. In agriculture and medicine, the still-emerging view of nature’s
hidden half as a rich universe of interacting microbial allies and foes shakes the
foundation of conventional practices. To varying degrees, products and practices
we’ve developed and relied upon for the past century can be replaced by or
supplemented with new ones aimed at promoting beneficial life to benefit both soil
and human health.
The striking reality remains that the health of both plants and people depend on
the community ecology of microbial partners. Thinking ecologically about their care
and feeding as central to our health reframes relationships we’re still learning to
navigate. Seeing the root zone and our gut are ecosystems influenced by diet,
disturbance, and diversity invites insights and opportunities in agriculture and
medicine based on the care and feeding of microbiomes. In particular, conservation
agriculture and regenerative grazing practices can bring life back to degraded soils
and enhance soil health (Montgomery 2017), and dietary choices better tailored to
meet the needs of our colonic stowaways can serve up preventive medicine (Montgomery and Biklé 2016).
In short, recognition of the role of microbial ecology in the health of soils, plants,
and people opens the door for revolutionary thinking across two broad areas of
12 The Revolutionary Potential of the Hidden Half of Nature in Agriculture and. . .
201