Probiotics; fecal transplants.

[MaximilianKohler]

I've been getting some huge improvements from specific probiotics. This along with seeing other studies on fecal transplants and probiotics leads me to conclude that most of the benefits people see from raw diets are probably due to bacteria.

Here's a few for example:

Wide benefit from fecal transplants: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284325/

Rodents raised in a sterile environment and lacking in gut flora need to eat 30% more calories just to remain the same weight as their normal counterparts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_flora

Effect of soda/diet on gut bacteria: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/17/349270927/diet-soda-may-alter-our-gut-microbes-and-the-risk-of-diabetes – http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/artificial-sweeteners-diet-soda-affect-gut-bacteria-and-weight-gain

Fat and thin people have different gut bacteria; gut flora plays role in weight gain: http://www.bing.com/search?q=fat+and+thin+people+gut+bacteria

[cherimoya_kid]

I wouldn't say MOST of the benefit....but perhaps as high as 30-40%, depending on what diet you're comparing a raw diet to.

[MaximilianKohler]

Some really cool info in this reddit sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/Microbiome/ - The newest submission shows that even heat-killed bacteria can have affects, in this case they're positive affects.

Others I've saved recently:

http://www.ubiomeblog.com/bacterial-functions-diversity-score-and-a-halloween-treat/
Open biome (donors): http://slice.mit.edu/2015/10/29/podcast-gross-science/ – http://www.openbiome.org/
IBS success story: http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/243081-i-recently-fixed-my-ibs-d-its-gone/
Soil based probiotics: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/soil-based-organisms/
Stagger doses so don't compete for resources: https://www.reddit.com/r/Health/comments/349jb5/the_cure_for_brain_diseases_is_in_your_gut/cqt5j93
Consume probiotics with meal or prior to meal. Calcium phosphate absorbs bile acids and increases probiotic survivability. Calcium carbonate does not: http://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/BM2014.0168
Children who take antibiotics gain weight faster (also seen in feed animals): https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/3qbnwz/children_who_take_antibiotics_gain_weight_faster/
Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v514/n7521/full/nature13793.html
Effects of Gut Microbes on Nutrient Absorption and Energy Regulation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3601187/
Therapeutic opportunities in the human microbiome: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3287364/
Starving our Microbial Self: The Deleterious Consequences of a Diet Deficient in Microbiota-Accessible Carbohydrates: http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131%2814%2900311-8
More pubmed results: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?linkname=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=21490274
Results from nature journal: http://www.nature.com/search?journal=nature%2Cnews&q=microbiome
Reddit results: https://www.reddit.com/search?q=microbiome&feature=legacy_search

[cherimoya_kid]

That's a lot to look through. Have you been reading these in their entirety?

[MaximilianKohler]

Not completely. Don't feel like you need to. I'm just posting them in case anyone finds one or more of them interesting.