A closer look

You are essentially a walking meat-mech piloted by gut bacteria with incredibly expensive tastes. Microbiome-informed nutrition shows that specific strains like Akkermansia muciniphila act as the bricklayers of your gut lining. But they refuse to work without their preferred fuel: specific polyphenol antioxidants found in foods like cranberries. Starve them of these nutrients, and they let your intestinal walls degrade.