Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Sullivan Street Bakery's Founder Got Worms (For His Health)
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 30, 2012
Modified Aug 30, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
CDC
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 30, 2012
Modified Aug 30, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It turns out there are useful parasites besides real estate brokers: helminths, worm-like, "gut-dwelling" parasites are being used to treat gastrointestinal disorders like colitis or Crohn's disease. One study of 52 people with colitis conducted by a doctor at Tufts showed marked improvements with subjects who were treated with whipworm eggs. Another proponent of the early science: Sullivan Street Bakery's Jim Lahey, who recently implanted intestinal worms in himself to combat a gluten sensitivity he developed from his constant exposure to flour. "These worms are meant to be in our bodies as part of human evolution," Lahey says. And Christian Scientists should dig them too, as worms are all over the Bible.
Fast Company spoke with the Tufts physician, Joel Weinstock, who explained that indeed worms were a part of life until we started getting all prissy about hygiene and what we put into our bodies. “Think about the diseases that emerged in the 20th century: Food allergy was exceedingly rare. Now, it’s very common," Weinstock says, pointing to increases in chronic inflammatory diseases as another example of the effects of not having tiny, slithery things inside of our bowels.
Weinstock estimates that widespread worm-treatment is still about three years away. “Right now, it’s hard to know what to recommend because ‘going and playing in the mud’ might expose you to the right organisms or the wrong organisms," he says. "Eventually, though, we’ll have an agent that we may give to children like a vaccine.”
Tagged
gastrointestinal disorders
parasites
real estate brokers
sullivan street bakery
worms
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .