When he was a child he was very thin and his mother insisted that he would not gain weight.
He remembers how she became angry when she saw him eating vegetables from a box from the classroom.
Later he gained weight and today he declares that he lost about twenty kilograms.
Diagnosed as diabetic he claims that this happened only because of a change in his eating habits. Spector a geneticist and well known nutrition researcher points to an insight that amazed him. According to him more than fifty percent of long term weight change is determined by the gut microbiome and not by free will or dietary choices.
Spector’s research examined the connection between the composition of gut bacteria and the body’s response to different foods.
The findings of the research showed that different people react differently to exactly the same foods. This explains why a certain diet works well for one person but not for another.
It also explains why general definitions such as calories do not tell the full story.
Spector emphasizes that personal nutrition should be adjusted to each person according to his unique bacterial composition.
Spector found that foods rich in fiber support a wide variety of gut bacteria and that a diverse diet is more effective than rigid rules.
He notes that there is no need to count calories but to pay attention to the quality of the food. According to him Ultra Processed foods harm the bacterial variety and lead to an increased risk of chronic diseases.
In contrast natural and unprocessed foods contribute to the health of the digestive system and improve the body’s response to food.
The research showed that anti inflammatory components such as legumes nuts vegetables and fruits immediately influence overall health and the feeling of satiety.
Spector emphasizes that the key is consistent inclusion of diverse foods and not extreme diets. According to him changing eating habits does not have to be dramatic but gradual and continuous in order to create a positive and stable effect in the body.