by Metropol | October 28, 2026 8:33 am
Ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to feast on some people while ignoring others? It’s your microbes. The bacteria on our skin produce chemicals that help determine how attractive we are to these tiny bloodsuckers.
Another example of microbial might: The microbes in your gut determine whether particular painkillers are toxic to your liver and whether or not other drugs will work for your heart condition. These microbes help us digest food, educate our immune system, and resist disease. Even this, though, doesn’t scratch the surface of the profound impact of our gut microbiome, says microbial ecologist Rob Knight, who is in Christchurch on 17 November to present a talk called The Shrinking World Inside You – What’s Happening to our Gut Microbes.
In short, we’re not just human. We’re walking ecosystems, says Rob. His message is that your gut is home to trillions of living things. Together they form an ecosystem as rich as a rainforest, and they affect everything from your weight to your mood. But modern life is putting this ecosystem under pressure.
Ultra-processed foods, more C-section births, and other everyday changes are quietly wiping out microbes we depend on.
Having spent his career mapping the invisible world inside us, Rob has built the tools microbiome scientists everywhere now rely on. His TED talk, How Our Microbes Make Us Who We Are, has been watched more than two million times, and he was named 2025 Scientist of the Year by the ARCS Foundation.
“We’re just finding out that microbes have implications for all these different kinds of diseases, ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to heart disease, colon cancer, obesity, and perhaps even autism and depression,” says Rob in his TED Talk.
The good news is that we can reverse the damage done by modern life, says Rob, and it starts with focusing on dietary and plant diversity to build a healthy gut microbiome. His key recommendations are:
1. Eat 30 or more plant types per week: As well as fruit and vegetables, this includes whole grains, nuts and seeds, herbs
and spices.
2. Eat the rainbow: Consume a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables (which contain beneficial compounds like carotenoids and anthocyanins) to help suppress pro-inflammatory bacteria (such as E. coli) and promote beneficial microbes like butyrate.
3. Avoid ultra-processed foods: Ultra-processed foods negatively alter the gut microbiome and are linked to increased risks of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.
4. Incorporate probiotics and fermented foods: Regular consumption of fermented foods, especially yoghurt, and probiotic supplements can help support and recover gut flora, particularly after antibiotic use.
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Dr Rob Knight, one of the world’s top microbiome scientists, presents an in-person talk at Te Pae Convention Centre on 17 November called The Shrinking World Inside You – What’s Happening to Our Gut Microbes. For tickets, go to humanitix.com.
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