Certain gut bacteria metabolize fiber into short-chain fatty acids that regulate the immune system, promoting anti-inflammatory T-regulatory cells and enhancing natural killer T cells.

“Right and it's interesting that these different types of fiber, like with different types of beans and nuts, they're fueling different types of bacteria. And they make these byproducts that are literally regulating our immune system, they're regulating hematopoiesis, they're increasing the amount of t-regulatory cells to regulate autoimmunity. They're decreasing all these immune cells that are firing away... So, they're regulatory the inflammatory process.”

“Diversity, yes, it is very important. There have been there's lots of different types of bacteria and they're eating different precursors to generate a lot of these other signaling molecules, short chain fatty acids and things like that that are regulating your immune system, that are regulating literally hematopoiesis, Tregs, natural killer cells lots of...”

“And these compounds, short-chain fatty acids, are actually the bacterial waste. The bacterial feces if you will. And then we absorb these compounds and they regulate a number of different aspects of our biology in a positive way. So they increase the number T regulatory cells. These are cells that attenuate inflammation, calm the immune system.”

“Specifically, what comes into my mind is the dietary fiber that can be metabolized by certain bacteria in the gut into something called short-chain fatty acids that's like butyric acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, anything else, but...and how these short-chain fatty acids provide signals to certain immune cells to regulate their function both in a positive or also in suppressing your immune system from becoming too active.”