In this episode of One day with Jon Bier, Jon talks with Colleen Cutcliffe to break down the complexities of microbiome science.

Listen in as Colleen highlights the importance of replenishing and maintaining a thriving gut microbiome in a modern society that overlooks its role as a cornerstone of health and wellness. She discusses the importance of the bacterium Akkermansia and why its regulation is key to gut health. Finally, Colleen discusses signs to look for which indicate a recovering microbiome, and how to ensure that recovery following chemo or taking an antibiotic.

Colleen Cutcliffe is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Pendulum. Colleen has more than 25 years of experience leading and managing biology teams in academia, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Prior to co-founding Pendulum, Colleen was the senior manager of biology at Pacific Biosciences and a scientist at Elan Pharmaceuticals.

Powerful Quotes by Colleen

There are so many diseases that are associated with the depletion of Akkermansia that it’s emerging as this keystone strain that you simply have to have.

After you take an antibiotic, your microbiome is in its most vulnerable state. You have a blank slate, and what you decide to feed it now can make or break the playing field.

Key Highlights

A healthy microbiome “covers” us in bacteria, viruses, and fungi in order to be protected from allergens that are always present in our environment. Because of our modern focus on scrubbing ourselves clean of these bacteria, those allergens have the opportunity to directly interact with our immune system. This is why we’re experiencing an increase in allergies, asthma, immune and autoimmune responses.
Multiple studies, including one by Mayo Clinic, reveal that children who are consistently on antibiotics are systematically more prone to obesity, diabetes, celiac disease, allergies, ADHD, etc. This is all due to their microbiome being unable to recover from the prolonged administration of antibiotics.
The microbiomes of the healthiest people are composed of 3-5% Akkermansia, which is a huge number for a single strain.

Episode resources:

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Ep. 37 - Maintaining a Thriving Gut Microbiome with Colleen Cutcliffe