“Our microbes are listening to everything we do.”
I went down a research rabbit hole this week on the microbiome. The deeper I went, the more I felt like we’re on the verge of understanding something profound about ourselves. Each study opened a different door, and by the end of the week, I started to see a much larger pattern. It’s not just about what we eat anymore. It’s about how we live. It’s about who we are becoming.
Wait, meditation actually changes your gut bacteria?
A new study in Biotechnology Journal has been living in my head all week. Researchers followed 16 participants through a 9-day Arhatic Yoga retreat that included a vegetarian diet, daily breathwork, and hours of deep meditation. What they found was remarkable. Within that short window, the participants’ gut and oral microbiomes shifted significantly.
Microbes like Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium adolescentis increased, while inflammatory species decreased. These are bacteria associated with everything from gut lining strength to cognitive clarity and mood stability. The shifts were fast and meaningful.
And here’s the part I keep coming back to: it wasn’t just about food. These participants were resting more deeply, unplugging from their phones, regulating their breath. The entire nervous system was in a different state. It feels like their inner ecosystems were responding to more than diet. They were responding to the tone of life itself. If microbes are tuning into how we live, not just what we eat, then maybe every moment we slow down is an invitation for balance to return.
The food security connection is breaking my heart
A study from Mount Sinai uncovered a heartbreaking link between food insecurity and cognitive decline through the gut microbiome. Researchers found that adults with limited access to nutritious food often have disrupted microbial diversity. That lack of microbial balance correlates with poorer memory, reduced executive function, and cognitive impairment.
These findings aren’t just about nutrition anymore. They paint a picture of how systemic inequality echoes inside the body. When someone struggles to afford fresh food or live in a stable environment, it doesn’t just shape their mood or energy. It could be reshaping their microbial foundation and with it, their ability to think, remember, and make decisions.
What hit me hardest is the idea that the gut microbiome responds quickly to instability but recovers slowly. For someone living in ongoing stress, that ecosystem might be under siege for years. And without meaningful support or access to healing inputs, recovery becomes that much harder. This is not just about microbes. It’s about justice.
See the Mount Sinai press release
Your skin is apparently having feelings too
I’ve always thought about the microbiome as a gut thing. Turns out, the skin has just as much to say. A new study by Unilever examined microbial populations across the face, scalp, underarm, and forearm. The results revealed something wild: people with more diverse and balanced skin microbiota reported higher emotional well-being, better stress tolerance, and more positive self-image.
It makes you wonder how much our skincare routines are really affecting us. The gentle products we choose, the way we touch our skin, even our level of stress throughout the day—they could all be influencing these communities. And those communities might be influencing our self-perception right back.
There’s something powerful in the idea that caring for our outer layer might shift something internal. The skin is a living interface with the world. What if the way we tend to it shapes how we experience connection, safety, and even joy?
Read the Unilever study summary
The “touch grass” meme is actually science now
If you’ve ever joked about needing to “touch grass,” here’s your scientific permission slip. A feature from Wired highlights the emerging understanding that exposure to nature—real, biodiverse, messy nature—can diversify and strengthen your microbiome.
Kathy Willis, former Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, is championing the idea that time outdoors is not just restorative, it’s biologically necessary. Children who grow up playing outside tend to develop stronger immune systems and more resilient microbial profiles. Adults exposed to natural environments show lower levels of stress hormones and inflammation.
When you stand barefoot in soil or breathe in the air of a forest, you’re not just enjoying the moment. You’re making microbial exchanges. In a world increasingly filtered through screens, sanitized surfaces, and indoor air, nature may be our last remaining classroom for microbial diversity. And those interactions may run deeper than we realize—down to the cellular and mitochondrial level.
What I’m sitting with
All of this research points to the same quiet truth. Microbes aren’t passive passengers. They’re engaged in a constant, responsive dance with our lives. They tune into our breath. They shift with our sleep. They respond to our food, yes, but also to our stress levels, our touch, our time in nature, and our intentions.
Every choice we make—to meditate, to eat something nourishing, to garden, to step outside, to unplug for a moment—is a form of microbial communication. We’re not just feeding ourselves. We’re shaping a living ecosystem. And that ecosystem, in turn, may be shaping how we feel, think, and show up in the world.
That thought grounds me. It humbles me…
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