French Gut: a stool donation can advance science!

Before telling you in more detail about this unique project, let’s talk about the microbiota, and more particularly the intestinal microbiota.

The intestinal microbiota

The intestinal microbiota is all the living microorganisms (mainly bacteria) that inhabit our intestines. Nearly 50 trillion bacteria live in your gut.

All these bacteria are very important:

• They help with digestion.
• They strengthen our immune system.
• They protect against infections.
• They produce numerous molecules, vitamins, neurotransmitters.

In summary, they contribute to the proper functioning of your body.

Why are we interested in the intestinal microbiota?

Our state of health is influenced by the health of our microbiota. The richer and more diverse our intestinal microbiota is, the better our health. On the contrary, an unbalanced and depleted microbiota could promote the appearance of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, or even Alzheimer’s disease. The way we eat impacts our intestinal microbiota and our health. This is why French Gut was launched, to better understand the links between microbiota, health and food.

What to eat to take care of your microbiota?

To take care of your intestinal microbiota through food, you should on the one hand provide your body with “good bacteria” to enrich it, and on the other hand, nourish these “good bacteria” well to stimulate their development.

1. Where are these good bacteria found?

They are found in fermented products in general: fermented dairy products of course (yogurts, certain cheeses), but also fermented plants (sauerkraut, fermented vegetables) or fermented drinks (kefir, kombucha). These fermented products act as natural probiotics.

2. How to feed them well?

We don’t feed our microbiota with ultra-processed foods! These denatured foods tend to deplete it because they are often low in fiber and rich in additives. On the contrary, we feed our microbiota with real foods rich in fiber, that is to say: fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, dried fruits, nuts, in short with real plant products! And the ideal would be to vary these real plant products as much as possible, because the more varied and “healthy” your diet, the more diverse and protective your microbiota will be.

Research on the microbiota

Research on the microbiota is very promising, but to better understand the links between intestinal microbiota, health and diet, it would be necessary to be able to analyze many different microbiota. How ? By analyzing your stools, your poop! Your stools reflect your intestinal microbiota and they help scientists to better understand these links between microbiota, health and diet. This could make it possible in the future to prevent and treat many chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, or certain types of cancer.

Read: The role of the microbiota in the progression of cancer (subscribers)

Today, to advance science, “Le French Gut” needs you and seeks to collect the stools of 100,000 volunteers. You understand correctly, it’s about donating your poop to advance science! So we’re counting on you, go to lefrenchgut.fr

November 2025: launch of French Gut Kids!

After the launch in 2022 of the Le French Gut project, INRAE ​​and its partners are launching Le French Gut Kids to explore the intestinal microbiota of 3-17 year olds. The objective? Collect fecal samples from 10,000 children and adolescents, healthy or sick, throughout France by 2029. The study aims to decipher microbial diversity in young people, assess the influence of diet, lifestyle and family environment, understand the transmission of bacteria from parent to child and the links between microbiota and common pathologies — allergies, asthma, intestinal disorders. The approach is participatory and invites families to register to help build intestinal health for future generations.

Read also: Why an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota promotes type diabetes (subscribers)