What Modern Medicine Gets Wrong About Gut Health with Lauren DeDecker, MD

In this episode of The Mind-Gut Conversation, Dr. Emeran Mayer speaks with Dr. Lauren DeDecker, a board-certified internal medicine physician with formal training in nutrition and integrative medicine. Together, they explore how gut health is approached in real-world clinical practice – beyond trends, restrictive diets, and oversimplified solutions.

Dr. DeDecker shares how her background in nutrition and primary care shaped her integrative approach to medicine, and why helping patients understand why lifestyle and dietary changes matter leads to more sustainable improvements in gut and metabolic health. The conversation moves through fiber and plant diversity, fermented foods, popular diet trends, SIBO, and the growing role of GLP-1 medications – always with an emphasis on evidence, personalization, and long-term well-being.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why gut health has become a central focus in modern medicine
• The role of fiber, plant diversity, and fermented foods in supporting the brain-gut-microbiome system
• How integrative medicine applies lifestyle-based strategies in primary care
• Common misconceptions around popular diets and gut-related diagnoses like SIBO
• What GLP-1 medications reveal about appetite regulation, metabolism, and inflammation

Whether you’re navigating digestive concerns yourself or working with patients in a clinical setting, this episode offers a grounded, evidence-based perspective on gut health – without hype or extremes.