The Mind-Gut Conversation Podcast

The Mind-Gut Conversation brings in experts within various fields of health & science to have a discussion with world-renowned gastroenterologist, neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Mind Gut Connection, Emeran Mayer, MD.

The Mind-Gut Conversation Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Emeran Mayer, MD, with 126 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Emeran Mayer, MD hosts The Mind-Gut Conversation Podcast, a health show with 126 episodes published.

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  Episode #126

  Healthspan vs. Lifespan: What It Takes to Stay Healthy Longer with Dr. Jamie Justice | MGC Ep. 126

  Sep 19, 202659 min

  Over the past century, average lifespan in Western countries has grown by about 30 years. The years we spend in good health have not kept pace. In this episode of The Mind–Gut Conversation, Dr. Mayer is joined by Dr. Jamie Justice, Executive Vice President of the Health Domain at the XPRIZE Foundation and Executive Director of XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 million, seven-year global competition to find therapies that restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in older adults. They discuss the roughly 12-year gap between lifespan and healthspan, why research in worms, flies, mice, and non-human primates suggests aging may be modifiable, and how the XPRIZE competition model rewards teams for demonstrated results rather than proposals. Dr. Justice explains why she does not consider aging a disease, why lifestyle interventions and new therapies should be tested side by side, and what it would take to separate evidence from hype in the consumer longevity market. The conversation closes with the bigger questions: how long humans could realistically live, and how society needs to rethink purpose, work, and technology as more people live into their 80s, 90s, and beyond. Topics discussed include: • Why healthspan has not kept up with lifespan • How the XPRIZE Healthspan competition works • Why aging is a risk factor, not a disease • Lifestyle interventions vs. new longevity therapies • Evidence standards in the consumer longevity market • The limits of lifespan extension and what it means for society This is a practical, science-driven discussion for anyone interested in longevity, healthy aging, and the future of aging research. ------------------------------ This episode is sponsored by Mayer Nutrition, co-founded by Dr. Emeran Mayer. Polyphenols are the plant compounds found in berries, cocoa, green tea and olive oil, and most of their value comes from what happens in your gut: your microbes convert them into compounds your body can absorb and use. Mayer Nutrition makes food and nutrition products built on Dr. Mayer's research into the brain-gut-microbiome system. Save 10% with code MINDGUT. Learn more at mayernutrition.com. ------------------------------ Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 3:37 - Why Has Interest in Longevity Surged? 7:02 - Healthspan vs. Lifespan 14:35 - Inside the XPRIZE Healthspan Competition 24:26 - Lifestyle Interventions vs. New Therapies 37:49 - Is Aging a Disease? 48:30 - How Long Could Humans Live? 56:01 - Closing Remarks

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  Episode #125

  What Is The Mayer Model? with Emeran Mayer, MD | MGC Ep. 125

  Sep 1, 20267 min

  After 45 years of research on how the brain and the gut communicate, the question Dr. Emeran Mayer hears most often is not about mechanisms or studies. It is much simpler than that. People tell him they understand the science, they just do not know how to live it. In this episode of The Mind-Gut Conversation, Dr. Mayer introduces The Mayer Model, the book he has been working toward for his entire career. He explains why his earlier books, The Mind-Gut Connection and The Gut-Immune Connection, focused on explaining the biology, and why this one is built to close the gap between the evidence and the ordinary decisions people make every day about food, stress, sleep, movement, and recovery. He traces the long view of how the idea of a bidirectional brain-gut conversation went from a fringe interest to one of the most active areas in biomedical research, and how the discovery of the gut microbiome as a third participant reorganized the entire model. Food is not simply fuel. It is information that trillions of microbes transform into signals that reach every organ, including the brain. The Mayer Model is not a diet and not a protocol. It is a systems-based way of understanding your own biology clearly enough to make better decisions inside it. Across seven chapters, the book covers the role of diet in shaping the brain-gut-microbiome system, gut-healthy recipes, and detailed guidance on building a gut-healthy lifestyle through movement, sleep, contemplative practices, and vagal stimulation. Dr. Mayer also shares who he wrote the book for, and how listeners can access a set of launch-window bonuses, including a live Q&A over Zoom, a guided meditation, a recipe guide, and a Mayer Nutrition coupon. The Mayer Model is available now on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0bkjOcxP Launch bonuses: https://themayermodel.com/ Topics discussed include: • Why understanding gut science is not the same as applying it • How brain-gut research moved from the fringe to the mainstream • The gut microbiome as the third participant in the brain-gut conversation • What The Mayer Model is, and what it is not • What is inside the seven chapters of the book • Who the book is for, and how to claim the launch bonuses This episode is brought to you by Mayer Nutrition. We believe real food comes first. A diverse, plant-forward diet is the foundation of a healthy brain-gut-microbiome system, and everything we make is designed to support that foundation rather than replace it. When you want extra support, Mayer Nutrition offers science-informed products like Synaptic Bloom and our proprietary extra virgin olive oil. Use code MINDGUT for 10% off your first order at www.mayernutrition.com Connect with Dr. Mayer: Website: https://www.emeranmayer.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeranmayer/ X (Twitter): https://www.x.com/emeranmayermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmeranMayerMD/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeranmayer/ Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:04 - The Long View: 45 Years of Brain-Gut Research 2:12 - The Third Participant: The Gut Microbiome 3:15 - From Explanation to Application 4:03 - What Is The Mayer Model? 5:25 - Who This Book Is For 6:12 - How to Get the Book and Launch Bonuses

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  Episode #122

  Does Your Daily Probiotic Actually Work, or Is It Just Hype? with Kiran Krishnan, PhD | MGC Ep. 122

  Jul 22, 202657 min

  Millions of people take a daily probiotic without ever asking a basic question: does any of it survive long enough to do anything? In this episode of The Mind-Gut Conversation, Dr. Mayer is joined by Kiran Krishnan, a research microbiologist and Chief Scientific Officer at Microbiome Labs who has spent his career studying the human microbiome and the science behind probiotics. Kiran is best known for popularizing spore-based probiotics and for his work on metabolic endotoxemia, the mechanism behind what many people call leaky gut. The conversation opens with a hard look at what happens to probiotics in the stomach. Kiran describes testing 40 of the leading probiotic brands under standard gastric conditions and finding that none of the strains survived the passage intact. From there they examine why CFU counts have become the industry's main marketing lever despite telling consumers almost nothing, why multi-strain formulas can cause individual strains to cancel each other out, and why some probiotic strains may trigger an inflammatory response rather than calm one. They also address one of the most persistent myths in the field, the idea that probiotics colonize the gut and reseed the microbiome. Kiran explains why nearly all probiotics, including spores, are transient, and what that means for how these products should actually be evaluated. The second half turns to the missing microbes hypothesis: the argument that modern agriculture has stripped soil-derived spore-forming bacteria out of our food supply, along with the tilling, monocropping, and synthetic fertilizer practices driving that loss. Dr. Mayer and Kiran connect the health of the soil to the health of the gut, and close with practical guidance on how an ordinary consumer can evaluate a probiotic in an unregulated market. Topics discussed include: Why most probiotics do not survive stomach acid What CFU counts really tell you, and what they do not Why multi-strain formulas can work against themselves The myth of probiotic colonization and reseeding the microbiome How modern agriculture changed the soil microbiome How to evaluate a probiotic before you buy it This is a candid, evidence-based conversation for anyone interested in gut health, the microbiome, and separating probiotic science from probiotic marketing. -------------------------------------------------------------------- This episode is brought to you by Mayer Nutrition. Use code MINDGUT to save 10% on your first order of Synaptic Bloom. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 2:23 - The Missing Microbes Hypothesis and the Role of Spores 11:51 - Why Most Probiotics Don't Survive the Stomach 20:24 - The Problem With Multi-Strain Formulas 27:41 - How Modern Agriculture Changed Our Soil 43:14 - Colonization, Survival, and What the Evidence Shows 50:03 - How to Choose a Probiotic That Actually Works

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  The Mind-Gut Conversation Podcast

  What We Get Wrong About Menopause: Hormones & The Gut Microbiome with Emeran Mayer, MD | MGC Ep. 121

  Jul 9, 202615 min

  Menopause isn't just hot flashes — it's brain fog, bone loss, sleep, mood, and your gut. In this solo episode of The Mind-Gut Conversation, Dr. Emeran Mayer unpacks the ~34 symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, the 2002 hormone-therapy scare that still shapes care today, and what current science says about estrogen and HRT. Then he turns to the part almost no one is talking about: the estrobolome — the gut microbes that recycle estrogen as part of the brain-gut microbiome system. It may explain why symptom severity varies so widely between women, and why fiber, phytoestrogens, soy isoflavones, and equol point toward a new generation of non-hormonal menopause treatments. A myth-busting, hopeful look at what we get wrong about menopause — and the science finally setting it right. Key Topics Covered: The ~34 symptoms of perimenopause and menopause The 2002 WHI study and the hormone-therapy backlash What current science says about estrogen, HRT, and vaginal estrogen The estrobolome and how the gut recycles estrogen Phytoestrogens, equol, and fiber as non-hormonal levers Why there's real reason for hope Chapters: 0:00 – How many symptoms does menopause really have? 2:21 – Why menopause care was abandoned for a generation 4:40 – The 2002 scare & what we know now about hormone therapy 7:05 – The estrobolome: how your gut recycles estrogen 7:50 – A non-hormonal approach: phytoestrogens & Dr. David Meriwether's research 10:25 – Fiber, ultra-processed foods & the probiotic myth 11:45 – The reframe & the equity gap in menopause care 14:05 – Reasons for hope Connect with Dr. Mayer: Website: https://www.emeranmayer.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeranmayer/ X: https://www.x.com/emeranmayermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmeranMayerMD/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeranmayer/

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  Episode #120

  Is Soil Health the Missing Piece of Human Health? with Sadhguru | MGC Ep. 120

  Jun 22, 202623 min

  This episode is brought to you by Mayer Nutrition. Use code MINDGUT at checkout to save 10% on your first order of our polyphenol blend, Synaptic Bloom, at https://www.mayernutrition.com. The health of our soil and the health of our gut may be expressions of the same crisis — and healing one may depend on healing the other. In this episode of The Mind–Gut Conversation, Dr. Mayer continues his conversation with Sadhguru, recorded at the Isha Foundation in Tennessee, turning from consciousness and inner intelligence to the ground beneath us — quite literally. Sadhguru has spent years leading the Save Soil movement, one of the most far-reaching environmental campaigns in recent history, reaching nearly four billion people in a hundred days. In this conversation, they explore why the collapse of microbial life in our soil, the chlorination of our water supply, and the devitalization of our food may be driving a slow, generational deterioration in human health — one that science is only beginning to measure. Sadhguru argues that the soil crisis and the gut health crisis are not separate problems, but deeply intertwined expressions of the same disconnect from the living systems that sustain us. Dr. Mayer traces how that impoverishment travels from the earth to the root, to the gut, to the brain. Topics discussed include: Why soil degradation and gut health are part of the same crisis How the loss of microbial life in soil, water, and food affects human biology The gut-soil continuum and what ancient yogic science understood about the microbiome Whether the Save Soil movement can outpace the speed of environmental decline Why Sadhguru believes science and spirituality are searching for the same truth What it means to live at full capacity — from microbe to human being Connect with Dr. Mayer: Website: https://www.emeranmayer.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeranmayer/ X: https://www.x.com/emeranmayermd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmeranMayerMD/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emeranmayer/ Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 1:45 - Is the Save Soil Movement Enough to Turn the Tide? 5:30 - Human Well-Being Is What's in Peril 9:00 - The Gut-Soil Continuum 13:00 - What Ancient Yogic Science Knew About Microbial Life 16:30 - Chlorinated Water, Devitalized Food, and Generational Health 19:30 - You Are a Walking Lump of Soil 22:00 - Where Science and Spirituality Meet

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