Problem
You are going to help one of your friends make a decision about a diet she wants to follow.
So, your friend has heard that keto diets can result in rapid weight loss and loves meat and cheese. After watching the following Doctor OZ's video, she is convinced and is thinking of starting an extreme, animal-based keto diet-a diet emphasizing meat, eggs, and cheese.
This week you heard that diet can alter the gut microbiome. Just a quick search and identify a study (L. A. David et al. (2014). Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature 505:559-563. doi:10.1038/nature12820) in which participants ate an animal- or plant-based diet, then the diversity of the gut microbiome was analyzed (both in terms of numbers of different groups and the specific microbes present). People following the animal-based diet experienced a large change in their gut microbiome, including a large increase in the number (and proportion) of bile-resistant bacteria. In mice, these bile-resistant bacteria can cause inflammatory bowel disease.
How would you explain to your friend why this diet may have some side effects (beyond nutritional concerns and weight loss). Consider the fact that your friend loves the Dr. OZ show and you may have some convincing to do.
YouTube Video: "Everything You Need to Know About the Keto Diet".