What if optimizing your health isn't just about training, nutrition, supplements, and sleep—but about the trillions of microorganisms living within and around you? In this episode, Kris sits down with Dr. Zach Bush to explore the microbiome and its potential influence on everything from digestion and brain function to hormones, athletic performance, recovery, and longevity. Dr. Bush shares how his career evolved from conventional endocrinology into microbiome and environmental health research, and why he believes many of the health challenges we face today cannot be separated from the health of our soil, food systems, and environment. They discuss the impact of modern agriculture, antibiotics, glyphosate, declining nutrient density, and environmental exposures on the microbiome, along with practical ways to support greater microbial diversity and resilience. The conversation also explores the gut-brain axis, intermittent fasting, regenerative agriculture, and Dr. Bush's work developing Restore, including his theory that microbial communication may play a much larger role in human health and longevity than we currently understand. In This Episode: Why Dr. Zach Bush left conventional endocrinology to study the microbiome How soil health and modern agriculture may influence human health and nutrition What antibiotics, glyphosate, and environmental exposures can do to microbial diversity The gut-brain connection and its relationship with mood, cognition, hormones, and neurological health Why gut integrity and microbial diversity may matter for athletic performance and recovery How modern farming practices have changed the nutritional landscape of our food Intermittent fasting and the potential benefits of giving the gut time to repair Why different people can respond very differently to the same foods and diets The connection between our environment and microbiome resilience Regenerative agriculture and rebuilding healthier soil ecosystems The science and thinking behind Restore and microbial communication How supporting the microbiome could influence resilience, healthspan, and longevity Timestamps: 00:00 – Why microbiome health matters for fitness, health, and longevity 02:12 – Dr. Zach Bush's journey from endocrinology to microbiome research 05:12 – How chemicals, pollutants, and our environment may influence human health 06:57 – The gut-brain axis: microbiome, mental health, and neurochemistry 09:36 – Has modern agriculture changed the nutrient density of our food? 12:24 – Antibiotics, glyphosate, microbiome diversity, and gut integrity 15:41 – Inflammation, gut barrier function, and athletic performance 18:36 – What animal agriculture can teach us about the microbiome and performance 20:27 – Gut health, testosterone, growth hormone, and neurochemicals 22:33 – Organic food, dietary diversity, and finding what works for the individual 26:06 – Intermittent fasting, gut repair, and hormonal health 29:24 – Why there is no universal "perfect diet" for the microbiome 33:03 – How your environment shapes microbiome resilience 36:25 – Supporting microbial diversity through food, lifestyle, and environment 41:15 – Microbial communication and its potential role in chronic disease 45:50 – Soil health, regenerative agriculture, and the future of human health 50:29 – Restore: the formulation, research, and theory behind it 56:28 – Cellular repair, resilience, and longevity 1:03:25 – "Cellular Wi-Fi": understanding microbial communication 1:08:00 – Travel, environmental exposures, and supporting the microbiome 1:10:50 – The bigger picture: restoring the health of our soil, microbiome, and future generations Resources & Links: PLEASE NOTE: Restore is now Ion* Gut Support Glyphosate / Roundup Information Connect with Dr. Zach Bush: Website Instagram Thank you to our sponsors: Biostack Labs NovaPrime Labs
