I hold a life-long passion for understanding the benefits of a healthy diet. Growing up on my family’s fruit and vegetable farm, I was first introduced to the idea that a healthy diet drives a healthy lifestyle. In fact, it is increasingly recognized that healthy nutrition is a key to mental health. Numerous studies have shown that the trillions of bacteria residing in the gut can influence brain function and brain health with being diet to be one of the major and easy accessible factors in modulating the composition of the gut microbiota. Fascinated by the various impact of the gut microbiome on host health, I joined APC. My research seeks to investigate how diet shapes brain health across lifespan through the gut microbiota. I’m particularly interested in the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota drives healthy aging. Follow me on Twitter @BoehmeMarcus and find out more about the impact of the gut microbiota on health, development and aging.