Additional Educational Materials

We invite you to check out these scientific articles we have written on diet and the gut microbiome:

• Li F, Armet AM, Korpela K, Liu J, Quevedo RM, Asnicar F, Seethaler B, Rusnak TBS, Cole JL, Zhang Z, Zhao S, Wang X, Gagnon A, Deehan EC, Mota JF, Bakal JA, Greiner R, Knights D, Segata N, Bischoff SC, Mereu L, Haqq AM, Field CJ, Li L, Prado CM, Walter J. Cardiometabolic benefits of a non-industrialized-type diet are linked to gut microbiome modulation. Cell. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.12.034
  • Clinical trial that tested the NiMe diet.

• Armet AM, Deehan EC, O’Sullivan AF, Mota JF, Field CJ, Prado CM, Lucey AJ, Walter J. Rethinking healthy eating in light of the gut microbiome. Cell Host & Microbe. 2022;30(6):764-785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2022.04.016
  • Review on healthy eating and the gut microbiome.

• Martínez I, Stegen JC, Maldonado-Gómez MX, Eren AM, Siba PM, Greenhill AR, Walter J. The gut microbiota of rural Papua New Guineans: Composition, diversity patterns, and ecological processes. Cell Reports. 2015;11(4):527-538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.03.049
  • Research on the gut microbiome in rural Papua New Guinea

Key published articles from other scientists that inspired our research:

• Ley RE, Hamady M, Lozupone C, Turnbaugh PJ, Ramey RR, Bircher JS, Schlegel ML, Tucker TA, Schrenzel MD, Knight R, Gordon JI. Evolution of mammals and their gut microbes. Science. 2008;320(5883):1647-1651. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155725
  • Shows that the evolution of mammals, microbiomes, and gastrointestinal anatomy is very much driven by diet.

• Blaser MJ and Falkow S. What are the consequences of the disappearing human microbiota? Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009;7(12):887-894. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2245
  • Describes the ‘disappearing microbiota’ hypothesis – that the loss of indigenous gut microbes has contributed to higher rates of allergic and metabolic diseases.

• Willett WC and Stampfer MJ. Current evidence on healthy eating. Annu Rev Public Health. 2013;34:77-95. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031811-124646
  • Review of the evidence-base for key aspects of healthy eating.

• Sonnenburg ED and Sonnenburg JL. Starving our microbial self: the deleterious consequences of a diet deficient in microbiota-accessible carbohydrates. Cell Metab. 2014;20(5):779-786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2014.07.003
  • Summarizes research showing how low-fibre diets “starve” the microbiome, leading to a loss in microbiome diversity, increased inflammation, and higher risk of chronic diseases.

• Sonnenburg ED and Sonnenburg JL. Vulnerability of the industrialized microbiota. Science. 2019;366(6464). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw9255
  • Discusses key factors of industrialized lifestyles that negatively influence the microbiome, and proposes strategies to address this.

Important resources on Papua New Guinea, and the impact of industrialization in this country:

• Davies A, Chen J, Peters H, Lamond A, Rangan A, Allman-Farinelli M, Porykali S, Oge R, Nogua H, Porykali B. What do we know about the diets of Pacific Islander adults in Papua New Guinea? A scoping review. Nutrients. 2024;16(10):1472. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16101472
  • Review article on dietary habits of Papua New Guineans.

• Rarau P, Guo S, Baptista SN, Pulford J, McPake B, Oldenburg B. Prevalence of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in Papua New Guinea: A systematic review. SAGE Open Med. 2020;8:2050312120973842. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312120973842
  • Systematic review on the prevalence of chronic diseases in Papua New Guinea.