All 885 tips from all chapters, sorted by topic and confidence score. See what is well supported and what is still experimental.
| Topic | Established | Well supported | Promising | Plausible | Experimental |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gut barrier | 3 | 14 | 13 | 2 | |
| Opportunistic pathogens | 1 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 1 |
| Bacteriophages | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Microbial diversity | 1 | 8 | 29 | 41 | 2 |
| Gut-brain axis | 1 | 19 | 24 | ||
| Digestive function | 3 | 9 | 25 | 46 | |
| Small intestine colonisation | 3 | 8 | 11 | ||
| Immune system and inflammation | 2 | 5 | 21 | 23 | |
| Total | 7 | 41 | 127 | 175 | 8 |
Tap a number to see the tips below. Darker cells contain more tips.
Immune system and inflammation · Clear selection
Trust score 5 of 5:Established Lifestyle
The LEAP study showed that early, regular peanut greatly reduces allergies in high-risk children. In children with severe atopic eczema or known egg allergy, introduction should be supervised by a doctor. Recommendations on age differ by country; ask your paediatrician.
Allergies and intolerances: how the gut learns to tolerate food 1 sources
Trust score 5 of 5:Established Lifestyle
With itchy blisters on elbows, knees or buttocks, get tested first, then go gluten-free. Cutting out gluten beforehand distorts the tests. With confirmed dermatitis herpetiformis, a lifelong gluten-free diet is the most important treatment.
Trust score 4 of 5:Well supported Lifestyle
Smoking not only increases the risk of developing Crohn’s disease but also makes its course more severe. Quitting is among the most effective things people can do themselves, and guidelines explicitly recommend support for it. In ulcerative colitis, smoking does protect against developing the disease, but because of all its other harms it is not a treatment.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: understanding inflammatory bowel disease 2 sources
Trust score 4 of 5:Well supported Lifestyle
The problem is not the animal but its faeces. Wash your hands after poop bags, the litter box and gardening, and cover sandpits. Keep puppies and animals with diarrhoea away from small children until they are better. Empty the litter box daily. If you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system, ask your doctor what precautions you need.
Dogs and cats: what pets do to your gut, immune system and nerves 2 sources
Trust score 4 of 5:Well supported Lifestyle
In IBS, gut-directed psychotherapy, exercise and an adapted diet are proven to help. LDN is, if anything, an add-on, not a replacement.
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN): hope, studies and limits 1 sources
Trust score 4 of 5:Well supported Lifestyle
In irritable bowel syndrome, an adapted diet, exercise and gut-directed psychotherapy or hypnosis are proven to help. PEA is, if anything, an add-on.
PEA (palmitoylethanolamide): the body's own inflammation brake in a capsule 1 sources
Trust score 4 of 5:Well supported Lifestyle
In Crohn's disease, the Mediterranean diet worked just as well as SCD in the large comparison trial and is much easier to stick to. The US society AGA recommends it for most people with inflammatory bowel disease.
SCD, GAPS and the autoimmune protocol: what strict elimination diets can and cannot do 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
With Hashimoto's or type 1 diabetes, get tested for coeliac disease first, while you are still eating gluten. Without coeliac disease, a gluten-free diet did not reliably lower thyroid antibodies in four small studies with a total of 87 women. A time-limited trial is possible if you feel better on it, but it is not a must.
Autoimmune diseases and the gut: Hashimoto's, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes and more 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Take the tablet on an empty stomach with water and keep a gap to coffee, breakfast, iron or calcium supplements, ideally the same way every day. If you take acid blockers long term, keep this in mind, because without acid the tablet dissolves less well.
Autoimmune diseases and the gut: Hashimoto's, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes and more 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
In a study with 194 people with Crohn’s disease, a Mediterranean diet worked just as well as the much stricter Specific Carbohydrate Diet. American professional societies therefore recommend a Mediterranean diet with plenty of vegetables, fruit, olive oil and fish and few ultra-processed foods. With narrowings in the gut, separate rules apply; fibrous foods are then often unfavourable.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: understanding inflammatory bowel disease 3 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
The Crohn’s disease exclusion diet leaves out certain foods and additives for a few weeks and is often combined with a liquid formula. In children it helped in a randomised trial; in adults with mild to moderate Crohn’s, around 60 percent were in remission after six weeks in a small pilot study. It should be done with a dietitian and medical supervision, not instead of treatment.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: understanding inflammatory bowel disease 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Anxiety and low mood are common in IBD and worsen symptoms and fatigue. In studies, new stress preceded flares. In a study with 116 people with Crohn’s disease, a three-month programme of cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness improved quality of life and fatigue, most of all in those who were heavily burdened at the start. Support groups help many people live with an illness that stays.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis: understanding inflammatory bowel disease 3 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Histamine is formed by bacteria during storage. Use fish and meat fresh, chill or freeze leftovers quickly.
DAO: the enzyme that intercepts histamine from food 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
If inflammation, coeliac disease or an infection is behind it, DAO can recover once the cause is treated. A strict long-term low-histamine diet is then often unnecessary.
DAO: the enzyme that intercepts histamine from food 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
A dog is a reliable reason to walk every day, even in the rain. Dog owners reach the recommended 150 minutes of activity per week much more often, and exercise keeps the gut moving and lowers stress. If you have no dog of your own, you can walk one from the neighbourhood or an animal shelter.
Dogs and cats: what pets do to your gut, immune system and nerves 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
If an animal is part of the family anyway, there is, as far as we know today, no reason to keep a baby away from it; large studies found rather fewer allergies and infections. Getting a pet just to prevent allergies is not supported by evidence, and an animal is a commitment for many years. If someone in the family already has a pet allergy, get medical advice first.
Dogs and cats: what pets do to your gut, immune system and nerves 3 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Raw-fed dogs shed resistant gut bacteria more often. If a baby, a pregnant person or someone with a weakened immune system lives in the household, cooked or commercial food is the safer choice. If you feed raw, handle the food like raw meat for people: separate boards, wash bowls hot, wash hands afterwards.
Dogs and cats: what pets do to your gut, immune system and nerves 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Vegetables, legumes, olive oil, nuts, fish and whole grains. Well studied and practical for everyday life. It is not about a country or a list but about the pattern: mostly plant-based, little sugar, red and processed meat rarely.
Eating against silent inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Eat not only more but more varied: different vegetables, legumes, nuts, herbs and whole-grain types. Each plant feeds different bacteria. Increase slowly so the gut can adapt, otherwise you will bloat.
Eating against silent inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Soft drinks, iced tea and energy drinks were among the foods with the clearest link in the large cohort study. Water, unsweetened tea or coffee are the easiest swap.
Eating against silent inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Preformed vitamin A is found in liver, eggs, dairy products and fish, and its precursor beta-carotene in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and green leafy vegetables. If you eat a varied diet, you are usually well supplied. According to EFSA, people stay below the upper limit if they eat liver and offal at most once a month; anyone pregnant or planning a pregnancy should avoid liver products altogether.
IgA: the antibody that keeps the gut clean, and what vitamin A, D and omega-3 have to do with it 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
In a one-year study with 612 older people, a Mediterranean diet changed the gut microbiota. The bacteria it promoted were linked to lower inflammatory markers.
Immune system and inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
In a randomised trial, they lowered 19 of the 93 inflammatory markers measured.
Immune system and inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Lack of sleep raises inflammatory markers in the blood. Enough sleep has a calming effect on the immune system. Regular sleep times also help the gut's internal clock.
Immune system and inflammation no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Many different plants per week feed many groups of bacteria that give the immune system calming signals. This means vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, whole grains, herbs. Increase slowly if your gut is sensitive.
Immune system and inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Stress can activate mast cells in the gut via the hormone CRH and make the lining more permeable. Relaxation techniques, sleep and gut-directed psychotherapy target exactly this point.
Mast cells: alarm cells in the gut, histamine and the disputed MCAS 1 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
Decide beforehand: what goal, how long at most, how you will measure success. Then reintroduce one at a time. Whatever makes no difference after the test goes back on the plate.
SCD, GAPS and the autoimmune protocol: what strict elimination diets can and cannot do 2 sources
Trust score 3 of 5:Promising Lifestyle
People with a narrowing of the gut due to Crohn's disease sometimes need to watch coarse fibre and cook vegetables soft or puree them. That is a medically justified change in texture, not a list of forbidden foods.
SCD, GAPS and the autoimmune protocol: what strict elimination diets can and cannot do 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Inflamed, cracked skin is a gateway for allergens. According to the skin hypothesis, good skin care and treatment of eczema in infants is one building block of prevention. The evidence is not yet clear-cut.
Allergies and intolerances: how the gut learns to tolerate food 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
A gut microbiome that ferments fibre into short-chain fatty acids supports the braking Tregs. Many different plants, pulses and whole grains are the simplest foundation for this. That this prevents or improves autoimmune disease is not proven, but it does no harm.
Autoimmune diseases and the gut: Hashimoto's, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes and more 2 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
On the autoimmune protocol (AIP) a great deal is cut out and then reintroduced step by step. In a small study of women with Hashimoto's without a control group, quality of life improved, the antibodies did not. If you try it, plan a fixed end, ideally with a dietitian, so that no deficiencies develop (see the chapter “SCD, GAPS and the autoimmune protocol”).
Autoimmune diseases and the gut: Hashimoto's, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes and more 2 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Histamine, other amines and alcohol together, such as red wine with aged cheese or salami, put the most strain on DAO. Better to test one at a time what you tolerate.
DAO: the enzyme that intercepts histamine from food 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
In your diary, note medicines, alcohol, sleep and stress alongside food. This shows whether a drug or a combination accompanies the symptoms before you cut out foods.
DAO: the enzyme that intercepts histamine from food no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Petting, looking at each other, sitting side by side: in small studies cortisol and pulse fell, and heart rate variability as a sign of an active vagus nerve rose. For gut symptoms that get worse with stress, this can be a pleasant building block. It does not replace treatment.
Dogs and cats: what pets do to your gut, immune system and nerves 3 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Cook for yourself where you can. Long ingredient lists with additives are a sign of highly processed products. A practical start: replace sugary drinks and snacks, not everything at once. It does not have to be perfect; what counts is what is on the plate most of the time.
Eating against silent inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Eat low-histamine for two to four weeks and keep a symptom diary. Then reintroduce foods step by step. This is a trial, not proof of histamine intolerance, ideally with support from a dietitian. A permanent strict diet is not supported by evidence.
Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven 2 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Histamine forms during ripening and storage and is not destroyed by cooking. Fresh fish and freshly cooked meals contain much less than leftovers or canned food. Let leftovers cool at once and freeze them.
Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Red wine and sparkling wine contain histamine, and alcohol inhibits its breakdown.
Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
After the trial phase, reintroduce one food at a time and observe for several days instead of everything at once. The overall context matters: if you react only to red wine in the evening but tolerate cheese during the day, you usually do not need a permanent diet. Also note whether sleep, stress or your cycle play a part.
Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Mast cells respond to stress and lack of sleep with more histamine release. Regular rest, exercise and a fixed sleep rhythm can raise the threshold. Evidence for this in humans is limited.
Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Breast milk provides secretory IgA, which helps shape the early gut flora. The link with later protection has mainly been shown in mice. Breastfeeding is recommended for many reasons; if you cannot breastfeed, you should not blame yourself for it.
IgA: the antibody that keeps the gut clean, and what vitamin A, D and omega-3 have to do with it 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
IgA is stimulated by gut bacteria, and a diverse flora supplies more stimuli. Varied plant-based food with fibre and fermented foods is therefore the obvious route, even though a direct effect on IgA has not yet been shown in humans.
IgA: the antibody that keeps the gut clean, and what vitamin A, D and omega-3 have to do with it 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Regular moderate exercise is linked to lower inflammatory markers and a more diverse gut flora. Extreme strain without breaks can have the opposite effect.
Immune system and inflammation 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
If you agree on a trial with your doctor: decide beforehand which symptom should improve, keep a diary and set a date for review. Experts suggest exactly such single-person trials to find out who responds.
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN): hope, studies and limits 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
The body’s own pain dampening depends on sleep, measured exercise and recovery. If you improve these basics and still want to try afterwards, you can better separate effect from expectation. In long Covid and fatigue: increase load only as far as you are not worse the next day.
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN): hope, studies and limits no source of its own, score based on judgement
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Typical triggers of mast cell symptoms are heat, alcohol, certain painkillers, exertion, stress and, for some people, individual foods. A diary over a few weeks shows what really plays a role for you, instead of cutting out a lot as a precaution.
Mast cells: alarm cells in the gut, histamine and the disputed MCAS 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
A low-histamine diet reduces histamine from food, not histamine from mast cells. If you try it, do so for two to four weeks with a clear assessment and then reintroduce foods.
Mast cells: alarm cells in the gut, histamine and the disputed MCAS 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
If you want to try PEA: decide beforehand on one symptom, such as pain days per week, keep a diary for two weeks without the product and then test for a fixed period. The studies ran for 12 weeks. If nothing measurable has changed by then, stopping is the sensible decision.
PEA (palmitoylethanolamide): the body's own inflammation brake in a capsule 2 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Egg yolk, peanuts and some other foods contain PEA, but in amounts far below those in the studies. Eating more of them does not replace a product and is no reason to change your diet.
PEA (palmitoylethanolamide): the body's own inflammation brake in a capsule 1 sources
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
Less white bread, sweets and sugary drinks, more wholegrains, pulses and vegetables. This is good for the gut too. A small randomised trial showed fewer acne lesions; the effect cannot be reliably separated from the weight loss that came with it.
Trust score 2 of 5:Plausible Lifestyle
If you drink a lot of milk and have acne, you can try a phase with less milk and watch your skin. Yoghurt and cheese were unremarkable in studies. If you cut down a lot on dairy, make sure you get calcium from other sources.