The fifth episode in season one of "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995) was titled "The Phage." It tells the tale of the Vidiians, an alien people who are combing the universe looking for healthy organs to harvest in an attempt to outpace their physical degeneration, which is caused by an incurable disease called the Phage.
The Vidiians were off the mark. We now know that good health depends, in part, on cultivating bacteriophage, not destroying them. According to researchers from San Diego State University, you can do that by changing your diet.
Their research, published in Gut Microbes, shows that some foods help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in your digestive system by encouraging phage to infiltrate and replicate inside disease-promoting gut bacteria. As sci-fi as that sounds, when the replicating phage KO harmful bacteria, it can help protect cognition, make it easier to regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk for depression and bodywide inflammation.
But, say the researchers, you don't want to overdo it. Eating too many antimicrobial foods could contribute to low microbiome diversity, causing the same problems for your gut and overall health that overuse of antibiotics does.
So what plant products - in moderation - may help maintain or restore balance in your gut biome? The researchers tested foods with known antimicrobial effects: honey, licorice, stevia, hot sauce, oregano, cinnamon, clove and rhubarb. The most powerful triggers of phage production that you can eat were honey and stevia, although the others listed above are useful. Live long and prosper!
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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