A Hidden Cause Behind Chronic Disease: Dr. William Davis on Microbiome Disruption & Rebuilding Gut Health

Shownotes For Podcast Episode 26: A Hidden Cause Behind Chronic Disease: Dr. William Davis on Microbiome Disruption & Rebuilding Gut Health

In this powerful episode of The Health and Wellness Coach Journal Podcast, Dr. Jessica Singh is joined by William Davis, MD, a cardiologist and bestselling author known for challenging long-held assumptions about heart disease, nutrition, and chronic illness. Dr. Davis is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Wheat Belly and several other influential books, including Undoctored and Super Gut.

Dr. Davis shares how decades of research reveal that modern disease is not driven by cholesterol alone, but by deeper disruptions in the human microbiome. He explains why small LDL particles, not total cholesterol, are the real drivers of coronary disease and how wheat, grains, and sugars play a central role in creating these harmful particles.

In this episode, Dr. William Davis joins Dr. Jessica Singh to explore a deeper explanation for this paradox: the widespread destruction of the human microbiome and its consequences for nearly every system in the body.

Challenging the Health Narrative: Insights on Wheat and Heart Disease from Dr. William Davis

Dr. Davis challenges the long-standing belief that cholesterol is the primary cause of heart disease. Drawing on more than 30 years of research, he explains that small LDL particles are the real drivers of coronary atherosclerosis. He traces their origin to wheat, grains, and sugars, particularly modern wheat that has been genetically altered through agricultural practices. Removing these foods, he explains, often leads to dramatic and unexpected improvements in weight, blood pressure, inflammation, and autoimmune symptoms.

Why Diet Alone Isn’t Enough: Microbiome Health and Restoring Key Microbes from Dr. William Davis

While dietary change is essential, Dr. Davis emphasizes that it is not sufficient on its own. Modern life has stripped humans of key nutrients and microbes through filtered water, indoor living, antibiotic exposure, and environmental toxins. Rebuilding health requires restoring what has been lost, including magnesium, iodine, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and crucial microbial species.

Super Gut Takeaways: Insights on Lost Microbes and Their Role in Health and Disease by Dr. William Davis

Dr. Davis explains that antibiotics can wipe out hundreds of microbial species across the gut, skin, mouth, and reproductive system. Some microbes are essential for immune regulation, metabolic health, and neurological development. His work focuses on restoring a small set of primary microbes that allow the microbiome to rebuild itself over time as secondary species begin to flourish again.

The Critical Education Gap in Medicine: Nutrition and the Microbiome: Why Clinicians Must Learn What Training Missed from Dr. William Davis

One of the most striking themes of the episode is how little medical education addresses nutrition and the microbiome. Dr. Davis argues that effective healers must understand food, nutrients, environmental exposures, and microbial health. Yet healthcare systems incentivize procedures and prescriptions rather than prevention and education, leaving many clinicians disillusioned and burned out.

Insights on the Microbiome in Maternal and Women’s Health from Dr. William Davis

Dr. Davis highlights the critical role of microbes such as Lactobacillus crispatus in pregnancy outcomes and vaginal health. Loss of this species increases the risk of miscarriage and premature delivery. He also explains the importance of Bifidobacterium infantis in infant neurological development and immune regulation, emphasizing how antibiotic exposure can disrupt these processes at the very beginning of life.

SIBO Is More Common Than You Think: Insights on Hidden Microbial Overgrowth, Health Effects, and Rebalancing the Microbiome from Dr. William Davis

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, affects tens of millions of people and contributes to conditions ranging from IBS and obesity to dementia and autoimmune disease. Dr. Davis explains how microbial overgrowth allows toxic compounds to enter the bloodstream and affect distant organs, making the microbiome a central driver of systemic illness.

The Impact of Stress and Sleep on the Gut: Insights on Circadian Rhythm and Microbiome Health from Dr. William Davis

Stress, poor sleep, and circadian disruption directly affect the microbiome. Dr. Davis describes how restoring beneficial microbes can blunt cortisol responses, reduce inflammation, improve body composition, and enhance metabolic health. The microbiome itself, he notes, follows circadian rhythms, making sleep and stress management essential components of gut health.

Finding Credible Microbiome Resources: Guidance for Coaches and Healthcare Providers from Dr. William Davis

For coaches and healthcare providers, Dr. Davis emphasizes the importance of evidence-based education. With misinformation widespread, understanding which microbes matter and how to restore them safely is critical for guiding clients responsibly.

Takeaways

This episode reframes modern disease through a new lens. Rather than isolated conditions, many chronic illnesses share a common root in microbiome disruption. Dr. Davis reminds listeners that while systemic change may take generations, individuals do not have to wait. Rebuilding the microbiome offers a powerful path toward prevention, resilience, and restored health.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

1. Davis, William. Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health. Rodale Books, 2011.

2. Davis, William. Wheat Belly Cookbook. Rodale Books, 2012.

3. Davis, William. Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or Less!) Cookbook. Rodale Books, 2014.

4. Davis, William. Wheat Belly Total Health. Rodale Books, 2014.

5. Davis, William. Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox. Rodale Books, 2015.

6. Davis, William. Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor. Rodale Books, 2017.

7. Davis, William. Super Gut: A Four-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight. Little, Brown Spark, 2022.

Website: https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/

Instagram: Dr Davis

Facebook: Dr Davis

Bio:

William Davis, MD is cardiologist and author of the groundbreaking #1 New York Times bestseller Wheat Belly, three other New York Times bestsellers: Wheat Belly Cookbook, Wheat Belly 30-Minutes (or Less!) Cookbook, and Wheat Belly Total Health, and several other books including Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox and Undoctored. His most recent book is Super Gut: A Four-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health and Lose Weight that maps out the damage that has occurred with the modern human microbiome and the specific, actionable steps that can be taken to restore it to maximum advantage. 

Dr. Davis champions programs that empower the individual in health in a world in which the healthcare system has failed to provide unbiased information and services. He is co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Realize Therapeutics Corp. in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a commercial project to fund research and develop therapeutic products applying the new science of the microbiome. He is active in various online activities, including his Wheat Belly Blog (33 million visits) which has now transitioned to his Dr. Davis Infinite Health website. He also broadcasts his message through his Dr. Davis Infinite Health YouTube channel and his Defiant Health Radio podcast. 

Dr. Davis is a graduate of the St. Louis University School of Medicine, with training in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, and advanced training in interventional procedures at the Case Western Reserve University Hospitals where he also served as Director of the Cardiovascular Fellowship and Assistant Professor of Medicine. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. 

Timestamps:

0 - Introduction

1:29 - Challenging the Health Narrative: Insights on Wheat and Heart Disease from Dr. William Davis

10:49 - Why Diet Alone Isn’t Enough: Microbiome Health and Restoring Key Microbes from Dr. William Davis

17:21 - Super Gut Takeaways: Insights on Lost Microbes and Their Role in Health and Disease by Dr. William Davis

19:48 - The Critical Education Gap in Medicine: Nutrition and the Microbiome—Why Clinicians Must Learn What Training Missed from Dr. William Davis

27:27 - Insights on the Microbiome in Maternal and Women’s Health from Dr. William Davis

32:43 - SIBO Is More Common Than You Think: Insights on Hidden Microbial Overgrowth, Health Effects, and Rebalancing the Microbiome from Dr. William Davis

43:09 - The Impact of Stress and Sleep on the Gut: Insights on Circadian Rhythm and Microbiome Health from Dr. William Davis

47:37 - Finding Credible Microbiome Resources: Guidance for Coaches and Healthcare Providers from Dr. William Davis

51:12 - Takeaways