There is an entire universe inside us – a teeming ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Collectively, they are known as the gut microbiome, an internal metropolis that plays a massive role in our overall health.
This is essentially what a recent Netflix documentary, Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, is all about. Although it is a serious topic, the show is presented in a light-hearted manner through quirky animation and stop-motion graphics.
The top-line agenda from the documentary is simple: our gut may hold all the answers about our quality of life, from physical health to mental well-being.
“People thousands of years ago in every culture, from Greece to East India, all emphasise the gut,” explains Aashish Jha, a biology professor at NYU Abu Dhabi whose research appears on the show. “In India, for example, we have Ayurveda, and its basis is the gut. Take care of your gut, and you will be well.”
“These people probably didn't know about microbes because they were not discovered at that time. But there was already an appreciation of gut health even in ancient times.”
The microorganisms in our body play different roles, says Jha, from aiding our digestion to regulating our immune system. They release chemicals that interact with our body. The bifidobacteria, for example, which is present in our intestines break down fibre, while lactobacilli help shield us from various illnesses.
“Remove some of these good bacteria, and we can face a lot of issues. Our immune system becomes hyperactive. It sees something that it has not seen before, like pollens or food, and it will start attacking it,” he says.
“These microbial products regulate our nervous system and even our hormones. So gut microbiomes, if you really think about it, are the master regulators of our health.”
This is not all new information, but as implied in the Netflix documentary, existing research on gut health is just the tip of the iceberg.
“We've known for hundreds of years that this is the case; all we have to do is look to our language,” John Cryan, a neuroscientist at University College Cork in Ireland, says in the documentary. “When we're disappointed, we're gutted. When we're brave, we make gutsy moves. When we're nervous, we've got butterflies in our stomach.”
How to take care of your gut
When there is a delicate balance of the microbiome in our gut, we experience a symphony of well-being, says Jha.
“And what we eat is super-important,” he adds. The microbiome in our gut needs to eat, so they don't become harmful, and foods rich in fibre are crucial, explains Jha. “We're talking whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
“If we eat fibre-rich foods, they go into our gut and our body cannot degrade those fibres. This is where the good bacteria comes in. They can digest fibre and as they thrive, they survive and continue with their functions.
“Conversely, if we eat a lot of packaged and processed food, such as instant noodles, which don't have a lot of fibre, the good bacteria die and other types of harmful microorganisms will grow.”
This imbalance can manifest in a variety of ways, from instinctive digestive woes such as bloating and constipation to more far-reaching issues such as obesity, and even anxiety and depression.
Diet aside, our environment also affects our microbial composition, says Jha. “In rural areas for example, people interact with soil, plants and animals, and these can strengthen the immune system.
“But in an urban environment, we live in an ultra-sanitised world where our exposure to different bacteria is low, and that is not necessarily good.”
Apples and oranges
Jha, who joined NYU Abu Dhabi in 2020 after getting his postdoctoral degree from the University of Chicago, has been researching the difference between the gut microbiome of people who live in rural areas versus those who live in highly urbanised environments.
The research, featured on the Netflix documentary, shows how people who live more traditional lives (such as foragers and farmers) have a very distinct microbial composition than those who live in industrialised cities.
“We know that urbanisation exerts a tremendous and selective pressure on the gut because we have different types of foods in the urban environment,” says Jha. “And they tend to be ultra-processed, low on fibre content and very high in calories.”
This explains, for example, why some food allergies are more prevalent in one population versus another, and why some people's digestive systems are more sensitive.
In the UAE, he says, there is enough diversity of available foods, but he believes behaviours need to change.
“There are enough food options in supermarkets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Not as much as I would like to see, but yes, they're there. But I think what is happening is our habits are very different. If you walk into the supermarket, you're tempted to eat a cookie rather than eating an apple,” explains Jha.
“Rather than snacking on an orange, we like to snack on Cheetos. Both of them are available, but one is packaged in a very beautiful way and the other one is just an orange, right? There's not a lot of things you can do to make an orange sexy.”
Jha has also done research on obesity in the Emirati population, but the results are yet to be published. While there is an increasing interest in the study on oral and gut microbiome in the UAE, getting to a stage where people are comfortable and willing to share what is needed for the research has proven to be challenging.
The biggest gut health myth
Gut health has become a buzzword on social media, but Jha says the biggest misconception is that people can reconstitute their gut without changing their lifestyle.
“A lot of people will continue eating processed food, they will not exercise, but they will consume doses of probiotics.”
However, he adds: “Just taking supplements is not going to be enough to to restore your gut health.”
Taking care of the gut is an investment in our overall well-being. Jha says nurturing the trillions of tiny residents that live within us could be key in laying the groundwork for a healthier and happier life.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
