Laura Payling: Athlete, Scientist, and Innovator on the Gut Microbiome and Using Gene Expression to Improve Health and Performance

March 6, 2024

Laura Payling, PhD, leads the animal science division for Biofractal.ai, an innovative startup using gene expression information and advanced data science to improve livestock yield and welfare. Laura’s passion for human and animal health and performance has resulted in diverse professional experiences, including academic research in food chain nutrition, clinical dietetics and consulting as a nutritionist.

On today's podcast, Laura shares her passion for understanding and reigniting harmony in the human gut. She discusses her doctoral work, including research on the gut microbiome, food, and health. She also touches on some current science related to keystone species of microorganisms and methane-producing bacteria in the microbiome.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Laura Payling:

[00:00:15] Life in Costa Rica.

[00:05:57] Early life.

[00:08:00] A1 vs A2 milk.

[00:10:34] Growing up with horses.

[00:17:05] Training dogs.

[00:22:41] Studying animal science.

[00:23:50] Avoiding iodine deficiency.

[00:29:11] New Zealand for PhD

[00:31:32] Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS).

[00:31:53] Probiotics improving yield in livestock.

[00:36:49] Book: The Case Against Education, by Bryan Caplan.

[00:43:34] Hip dysplasia.

[00:47:31] Greg Potter; Reason and Wellbeing Podcast.

[00:48:33] Postural Restoration Institute (PRI).

[00:48:47] Zac Cupples; Podcasts: Movement Analysis and Breathing Strategies for Pain Relief and Improved Performance and Airway Dentistry: What to Do When You Don’t Breathe Right At Night.

[00:52:50] Clinical pearls from PhD work.

[00:53:52] Methanogens and fiber fermentation.

[00:54:55] Dr. Petra Lewis.

[00:56:12] Keystone species and the cross-feeding chain.

[01:00:32] Jason Hawrelak; Podcast: How to Use Probiotics to Improve Your Health.

[01:01:44] Book: The Good Gut, by Justin Sonnenburg and Erica Sonnenburg.

[01:03:13] Book: The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf.

[01:03:42] Dietetics.

[01:08:48] Julian Abel; Podcasts: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health, Maintaining Social Connection in the Era of COVID-19, The Compassion Project: The Power of Hope and Human Kindness.

[01:14:17] Biofractal.ai.

[01:22:50] Methanogens in breath vs. stool.

[01:26:29] Find Laura on LinkedIn.