Pique Tea Nandaka

👇 Visit The Proof website for the full show notes and supporting studies. 👇 https://theproof.com/podcast/ Simon's personal supplement stack: https://hub.theproof.com/supplements In this episode, I sit back down with professor and epidemiologist Tim Spector, MD, to continue the conversation we started in Episode 224 - and to explore what has changed in microbiome science since. In the years between our conversations, Tim and the ZOE team have published a landmark paper in Nature analysing 34,000 gut microbiomes, identifying 22 previously unknown bacterial species linked to good health, and producing the first validated, repeatable clinical measure of gut health: the ZOE Microbiome Health Ranking 2025. They have also run a randomized controlled trial comparing personalized nutrition against USDA guidelines at 18 weeks - with significant improvements in LDL, triglycerides, body weight, and microbiome composition in the intervention group. This conversation is built for listeners who heard Episode 224 and have been implementing the basics. We pick up where we left off - on dairy, fish, protein, and snacking - and go deeper on the mechanisms that are now well enough characterized to act on. We cover the TMAO pathway and what it means for the cardiometabolic risk of red meat, why most probiotic supplements rely on bacterial strains that are 100 years out of date, and the estrobolome: the subset of gut bacteria that metabolize and recirculate estrogen. What We Cover - What the ZOE Microbiome Health Ranking 2025 found across 34,000 gut microbiomes – including 22 previously unknown species linked to good health, and the good-to-bad species ratio that now predicts disease risk - A practical, ranked guide to fermented foods: how much to eat, how often, and whether pasteurised versions still deliver a meaningful benefit - The TMAO mechanism - why the cardiovascular risk of red meat may partly depend on which gut bacteria you have converting L-carnitine, and whether a healthier microbiome changes that risk - Why most probiotic supplements use bacterial strains from 100 years ago – and what the ZOE species data suggests about what to look for instead - The estrobolome explained: how specific gut bacteria control estrogen recycling via enterohepatic circulation, and what depleting those bacteria means for hormonal and long-term health - The menopause - microbiome connection: how estrogen withdrawal alters gut composition, what ZOE's MenoScale research shows, and what the data suggests about managing that transition through diet 00:00 Intro 01:22 Why Gut Diversity Is a Flawed Metric 14:46 Does the Microbiome Actually Cause Disease? 28:29 Vegan vs. Omnivore Microbiomes 33:25 Why ZOE Made Their Research Public 41:22 Prebiotics Beat Probiotics in RCT 50:28 The Case for More Fiber 57:15 How to Buy Fermented Foods 01:05:07 Resistant Starch vs. Polyphenols 01:08:36 Are "Natural" Sugars Any Different? 01:16:45 Time-Restricted Eating & the Microbiome 01:24:02 What's Next for Zoe Research This episode is brought to you by: 38TERA Consider 38TERA's DMN prebiotic supplement a daily multivitamin for your gut. Formulated by yours truly and gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Head to https://38tera.com/?ref=SIMON and use code THEPROOF for a discount at checkout. 38Tera ships to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Function Health Take charge of your health with advanced blood testing and personalised insights. Function Health offers a practical way to track key health markers such as cholesterol, blood sugar, and more. Learn more and join at http://functionhealth.com/simonhill for a $25 credit toward your membership. Only available to those living in the United States. Function Health ships to 48 U.S. states, excluding Rhode Island, Hawai‘i, and Puerto Rico. Eight Sleep Upgrade your sleep with the Pod 5 Ultra by Eight Sleep. Clinically validated to deliver up to 1 extra hour of quality sleep per night through temperature control and biometric tracking. Use code THEPROOF for $350 off at http://eightsleep.com/theproof. Try it risk-free for 30 days, with worldwide shipping. Eight Sleep ships to the U.S. (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and territories), Canada, Mexico, most of the EU, the U.K., Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. Pique Tea Pique's Nandaka provides sustainable, all-day energy and makes you feel like you’re doing something good for your body! Try Pique and get 20% off when you shop exclusively at http://piquelife.com/simon. Pique ships within the U.S. and to Australia, Canada, and select EU countries. WHOOP Whoop, the most advanced fitness and health wearable available. Your personalised fitness and health coach to recover faster, sleep better, and train smarter. Claim your first month free on http://join.whoop.com/simon. Whoop ships to 56+ international markets, including the US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, and parts of Asia.