The Ultimate Human Podcast with Gary Brecka

Episode 233: Anders Courbet – Crafting Your Gut Microbiome, Probiotics, Leaky Gut & Hormone Optimization
Date: January 6, 2026
Guest: Anders Courbet
Host: Gary Brecka

Overview

In this episode, Gary Brecka dives deeply into the world of the gut microbiome with Anders Courbet, a world-class rower turned pioneering microbiome researcher and founder of Kraft Microbiome. They discuss the revolutionary concept of “architecting” or “crafting” one's own gut bacteria to optimize health, performance, recovery, and even alleviate or prevent disease states. The conversation spans elite athletic enhancement, hormone regulation, gut-driven mood and cognition, the individualized future of probiotics, and practical steps anyone can take today.

Key Discussion Points

Anders Courbet’s Journey: From Athlete to Microbiome Innovator

• Rowing to Research: Anders describes his early career as a world-class rower and his transition from sports to science. After realizing he didn’t want to invest another four years aiming for the Olympics, he moved to Boston, folded shirts at Brooks Brothers, and joined MIT’s iGEM synthetic biology team (05:49).
• Unexpected Opportunity: A chance encounter with geneticist George Church propelled Anders into Harvard Medical School, where he began pioneering work on gene editing and the gut microbiome (07:26).

“Put yourself in places you don't belong, because that's where you learn the most.”
—George Church (as recalled by Anders) [07:26]

How Gut Bacteria Impacts Human Performance

• Transformation through Microbes: Anders shared data on livestock and human trials, including gaining 25 lbs of muscle in a month using probiotic formulations ([03:30]-[04:00]).
• The “Poop Doping” Era: His work, featured on ESPN, demonstrated that manipulating microbiota can improve performance legally and naturally ([04:15]).
• The Mouse Study: Anders explained a milestone study where transferring gut bacteria from malnourished humans into mice induced similar malnutrition—even with identical diets. Giving a single key bacterium restored normal growth ([11:13]-[12:19]).

“It’s almost like a dial—dial up certain bacteria, and you get one result, dial down, you get something else.”
—Gary Brecka [12:19]

Targeted Probiotics for Recovery, Hormones, and Health

• Bacterial “Menus”: Anders creates customized lists of strains for individual clients, aiming to solve personal health or performance goals—ranging from improving testosterone to enhancing recovery ([16:29], [18:41]).
• Testosterone and Lyme Disease Case: After a friend lost a leg to misdiagnosed Lyme and years of antibiotics, a targeted probiotic protocol elevated his testosterone from suboptimal to 800-900 (nmol/L)—with lasting improvement ([18:41]-[20:40]).

“I imagine these bacteria as factories that go into your body and turn on as a factory.”
—Anders Courbet [22:40]

• Banking and Restoring Your Biome: Kraft Microbiome banks clients’ unique bacteria, allowing restoration after events like antibiotic use or surgery ([24:16]-[24:45]).

“You could give me back my own bacteria after antibiotics—that’s fascinating to me.”
—Gary Brecka [24:16]

Performance Insights from Elite Athletes

• Profiling Olympians and Fighters: Bacterial strains like cyanobacteria (for oxygen usage) are abundant in elite swimmers. Some bacteria correlate with post-competition exhaustion or are missing after hard training ([27:29]-[29:17]).
• Working with LeBron James: Kraft Microbiome adapted the process for NBA players, targeting bacteria to boost recovery and sleep quality amid grueling travel ([30:52]-[32:12]).

“For him, it’s specifically for recovery.”
—Anders Courbet [31:37]

Practical Implications for Everyday People

• Customized Probiotics: Anders routinely restores essential strains for average clients—especially Bifidobacterium infantis, the first-responder bacteria important for overall gut stability ([40:29]-[40:49]).
• Rapid Improvement: Many clients with IBS or other inflammatory conditions report feeling better within days ([42:08]-[42:24]).

“You should be able to feel better within a few days.”
—Anders Courbet [42:08]

• Food Sensitivities and Bacterial Choice: Selection of strains is tailored—a person who can’t tolerate garlic/onion or suffers from allergies will receive different probiotics than someone else ([46:03]-[46:16]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Biological Frontier:

  “We're only at the beginning. There's a lot to learn.”
  —Anders Courbet [15:06]

• Voices on Root Causes and Modern Medicine:

  “We diagnose a lot of things as idiopathic ... but when you think about the gut microbiome as the root cause—this seems like something we could address.”
  —Gary Brecka [13:07]

• On Athlete Recovery:

  “Villanella bacteria sits between the blood and gut barrier, pulls lactate out of the blood and consumes it ... overloading [it] would help recovery.”
  —Anders Courbet [32:55]

• Economic Potential:

  “That's my whole business.” (in response to summarizing how bacteria remove metabolic byproducts to boost performance)
  —Anders Courbet [34:41]

• On hopes for the future:

  “The dream is an app that knows your day ... and tells you which probiotic capsule from your box to take at each time.”
  —Anders Courbet [68:51]

• Personalized Medicine Philosophy:

  “I always say ... there’s no better hormone or bacteria than the one the body produces itself.”
  —Gary Brecka [25:09]

• Ethical & Regulatory Caution:

  “I'm not intended to treat, cure, prevent a disease, and I don't want you to make a medical claim, but… people need information.”
  —Gary Brecka [58:37]

Deep Dive: Gut Microbiome and Chronic Illness

• Link Before Symptoms: Subtle shifts in the microbiome can occur years before symptoms of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and many autoimmune diseases surface. Long-term monitoring and banking “youthful” bacteria now could become essential prevention ([65:45]-[67:23]).
• Inflammatory Diseases: In issues like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, eczema, and psoriasis, Anders targets benign, inflammation-reducing strains as a starting point, e.g., bifidobacteria, and gradually builds a more complete ecosystem ([44:46]-[45:07], [54:38]-[55:12]).
• Success Story: A client with persistent inflammation and hair loss saw hair regrowth and regained her role as an actress after a regimen of anti-inflammatory, self-derived probiotics ([54:38]-[55:39]).

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [05:49] — Anders’ transition from elite athlete to biologist (Rowing to Harvard, George Church advice)
• [11:13] — The animal study that revealed resource partitioning by gut bacteria
• [16:29] — How Kraft creates a “bacterial menu” for clients
• [18:41] — Lyme disease case study and hormone optimization
• [27:29] — Bacteria profiles in Olympians and professional athletes
• [31:37] — LeBron James and athlete recovery
• [40:29] — First-bacteria restoration and stepwise improvement for “average” people
• [54:38] — Actress case: reversing persistent inflammation
• [65:45] — Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and preventive sequencing of the microbiome
• [68:51] — Anders’ dream for the future (the “probiotic app”)

Actions for Listeners

For Health, Mood, or Performance Enhancement

• Consider personalized microbiome profiling. Kraft Microbiome can isolate, store, and create custom formulations using your own bacteria.
• Sequence and store when healthy. Banking a healthy sample enables restoration after illness, antibiotics, or future gut dysbiosis.
• Leverage “benign” probiotics to start. For gut inflammation (IBS, IBD, eczema, etc.), start with strains like Bifidobacterium infantis.
• Monitor changes over time. The microbiome is dynamic; periodic testing can preempt chronic or neurodegenerative disease ([67:10]).

Final Reflection: The Meaning of “Ultimate Human”

“I'm still athlete-driven. I want to continue competing at an elite level in as many sports as I can … I want to be able to do that every year, to win, to share that part of life with my family and friends—as long as possible.”
—Anders Courbet [85:02]

Gary wraps by emphasizing the ultimate gift of health: the ability to remain pain-free, active, and deeply connected with loved ones across all ages.

Resources

• Learn more about Anders Courbet and Kraft Microbiome: kraftmicrobiome.com (URL not provided in transcript)
• Connect with Gary Brecka and his work: https://link.me/garybrecka
• For interest in Kraft’s services or participation in pilot studies, reach out to info@theultimatehuman.com

This summary preserves the dynamic, engaging tone of the episode, highlighting practical takeaways for listeners ranging from elite athletes to those suffering everyday gut issues—and offering hope for a healthier, more resilient human future built from the inside out.