How to rewire your gut microbes

It isn't difficult to rewire your gut microbes, apparently.  Just drink sugary soda.

It also appears that you can rewire them differently by ceasing the sugary soda sips.

That's what the research indicates.

Sugar in Soda Rewires Gut Microbes – But It's Reversible
White sugar in soft drinks causes reversible DNA changes in gut bacteria that alter the host immune system.

"The study focused on Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron – a prominent gut member that takes part in preventing gut inflammation, preserving the gut mucus layer, and protecting the host from pathogen invasion. The researchers studied the effects of consuming different dietary components on the DNA inversion profile of these bacteria, in vitro, in mice, and humans. They discovered that white sugar consumption causes DNA inversions in these bacteria, which led to changes in inflammatory markers of the immune system, including ones in T-cell populations, cytokine secretion, and gut permeability.

The good news is that these effects are reversible; once mice stopped consuming white sugar, the bacterial DNA inversion state reverted, and the immune system’s state returned to normal. This study stresses the importance of studying the complex effects of nutrition on the microbiome and our health state, and the researchers assess that this will allow tailored dietary recommendations to human subjects to improve their immune system’s state and their health in general."

Reference: Gal-Mandelbaum N, Carasso S, Kedem A, et al. Dietary carbohydrates alter immune-modulatory functionalities and DNA inversions in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60202-9

Another article on this research: Soft Drink Sugar Alters Gut Bacteria and Immune Function