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What should we eat to boost our immune system? One of the world’s
largest studies on dietary intake and the gut microbiome sheds some light. By Megan Whitby
The key revelation was the identification of 15 ‘good’ and 15 ‘bad’ naturally-occurring gut microbes / SizeSquares/shutterstock
Gut health programmes which improve our microbiome are not new in the spa industry as wellness experts and scientists recognise the links between good bacteria in our intestines. The wide-reaching benefits include improving our heart and metabolic health, helping people who suffer from diabetes and obesity for example, to regulating our hormones.
But Spa Business predicts the ‘food as medicine’ approach, championed by operators such as The Original FX Mayr, Buchinger Wilhelmi, Chenot and Sha Wellness, will boom in popularity as consumers recognise how essential the microbe community in our bowel is for developing our immunity, defending us against pathogens and for our brain function/mental health.
Findings from new studies like Predict, one of the first to take a deep look at dietary intake and its effect on the gut microbiome and health outcomes, could further strengthen spa offerings.
The study, published in Nature Medicine in January, monitored the gut microbiome composition, diet and cardiometabolic blood markers of 1,100 participants from the US and UK, and is one of the world’s largest research projects investigating individual responses to food.
The key revelation was the identification of 15 ‘good’ and 15 ‘bad’ naturally-occurring gut microbes that can correlate with key markers of health status in a positive or negative fashion, including inflammation, blood pressure, blood sugar control and weight.
Results showed diets fuelled by fibre-rich, whole and unprocessed food support the growth of the good microbes, while diets containing a higher concentration of processed foods with added sugar and salt, promote bad gut bacteria associated with illnesses.
This indicates we have control over our gut microbiome and can positively impact our future health outcomes by changing what we eat, explains Dr Sarah Berry, study co-author and epidemiologist at Kings College London.
“Surprisingly, findings also suggested that due to the personalised nature of the microbiome, a personalised approach to what you eat for your unique biology is the best way to positively impact your health,” she adds.
“I’m excited to share this research as our findings show how little of the microbiome is predetermined by genes and therefore how much is modifiable by diet, how we may be able to modify it by diet and how this may impact our subsequent health.”
Dr Sarah Berry, an epidemiologist from Kings College London,
was the study co-author
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa people: Adrian Zecha
Adrian Zecha talks about his latest brands and why he's not planning retirement anytime soon
Spa people: Michala Chatel
Ultima Collection's managing partner explains why and how it's adding wellness options to exclusively rented villas and properties
Spa people: Stephanie Stahl
The Ace of Air co-founder tackles sustainability head on with a 'buy the product rent the packaging' scheme
Menu engineering: At your service
Art and sauna bathing collide in a Japanese exhibition; Banyan Tree rolls out its Wellbeing Sanctuary concept globally
Top team: Capella
Neena Dhillon talks to the owning company and senior executives from this burgeoning Asian hospitality brand with a passion for wellness
Ask an Expert: Treating Long COVID
One in 20 people who've had coronavirus are still battling its side effects for three months or more. How can spas help?
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Cool night's sleep
High-performance cryo chamber specialist Art of Cryo joins forces with leading bed manufacturer Samina to launch cryo centres for sleep health
Interview: Stelian Iacob
Therme Group's COO tells Katie Barnes how it's making the traditional thermal facility model more relevant to today's consumers
First person: Yasuragi
Spas in Sweden stayed open in the pandemic, but does the nation still have an appetite for wellness? Andrew Gibson investigates at this Japanese concept spa hotel near Stockholm
Interview: Tammy Pahel
The VP of spa at Carillon Miami candidly shares some of the challenges of the past year with Lisa Starr and explains why she's investing in touchless innovations
Spa survey: Wellness time
A new consumer survey shows how people's attitudes towards wellness and spas have changed. Mindbody's Katherine Wernet
Focus on: IV nutrition therapy
Is IV nutrition therapy as credible as some spas claim? Lisa Starr investigates this increasingly popular treatment
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
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What should we eat to boost our immune system? One of the world’s
largest studies on dietary intake and the gut microbiome sheds some light. By Megan Whitby
The key revelation was the identification of 15 ‘good’ and 15 ‘bad’ naturally-occurring gut microbes / SizeSquares/shutterstock
Gut health programmes which improve our microbiome are not new in the spa industry as wellness experts and scientists recognise the links between good bacteria in our intestines. The wide-reaching benefits include improving our heart and metabolic health, helping people who suffer from diabetes and obesity for example, to regulating our hormones.
But Spa Business predicts the ‘food as medicine’ approach, championed by operators such as The Original FX Mayr, Buchinger Wilhelmi, Chenot and Sha Wellness, will boom in popularity as consumers recognise how essential the microbe community in our bowel is for developing our immunity, defending us against pathogens and for our brain function/mental health.
Findings from new studies like Predict, one of the first to take a deep look at dietary intake and its effect on the gut microbiome and health outcomes, could further strengthen spa offerings.
The study, published in Nature Medicine in January, monitored the gut microbiome composition, diet and cardiometabolic blood markers of 1,100 participants from the US and UK, and is one of the world’s largest research projects investigating individual responses to food.
The key revelation was the identification of 15 ‘good’ and 15 ‘bad’ naturally-occurring gut microbes that can correlate with key markers of health status in a positive or negative fashion, including inflammation, blood pressure, blood sugar control and weight.
Results showed diets fuelled by fibre-rich, whole and unprocessed food support the growth of the good microbes, while diets containing a higher concentration of processed foods with added sugar and salt, promote bad gut bacteria associated with illnesses.
This indicates we have control over our gut microbiome and can positively impact our future health outcomes by changing what we eat, explains Dr Sarah Berry, study co-author and epidemiologist at Kings College London.
“Surprisingly, findings also suggested that due to the personalised nature of the microbiome, a personalised approach to what you eat for your unique biology is the best way to positively impact your health,” she adds.
“I’m excited to share this research as our findings show how little of the microbiome is predetermined by genes and therefore how much is modifiable by diet, how we may be able to modify it by diet and how this may impact our subsequent health.”
Dr Sarah Berry, an epidemiologist from Kings College London,
was the study co-author
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa people: Adrian Zecha
Adrian Zecha talks about his latest brands and why he's not planning retirement anytime soon
Spa people: Michala Chatel
Ultima Collection's managing partner explains why and how it's adding wellness options to exclusively rented villas and properties
Spa people: Stephanie Stahl
The Ace of Air co-founder tackles sustainability head on with a 'buy the product rent the packaging' scheme
Menu engineering: At your service
Art and sauna bathing collide in a Japanese exhibition; Banyan Tree rolls out its Wellbeing Sanctuary concept globally
Top team: Capella
Neena Dhillon talks to the owning company and senior executives from this burgeoning Asian hospitality brand with a passion for wellness
Ask an Expert: Treating Long COVID
One in 20 people who've had coronavirus are still battling its side effects for three months or more. How can spas help?
Promotion: Art of Cryo: Cool night's sleep
High-performance cryo chamber specialist Art of Cryo joins forces with leading bed manufacturer Samina to launch cryo centres for sleep health
Interview: Stelian Iacob
Therme Group's COO tells Katie Barnes how it's making the traditional thermal facility model more relevant to today's consumers
First person: Yasuragi
Spas in Sweden stayed open in the pandemic, but does the nation still have an appetite for wellness? Andrew Gibson investigates at this Japanese concept spa hotel near Stockholm
Interview: Tammy Pahel
The VP of spa at Carillon Miami candidly shares some of the challenges of the past year with Lisa Starr and explains why she's investing in touchless innovations
Spa survey: Wellness time
A new consumer survey shows how people's attitudes towards wellness and spas have changed. Mindbody's Katherine Wernet
Focus on: IV nutrition therapy
Is IV nutrition therapy as credible as some spas claim? Lisa Starr investigates this increasingly popular treatment
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Elemis Elemis was founded in London in 1989 by Linda Steiner whose vision was to create a skincare range as [more...]
