But when grains are unnaturally processed into flour, almost all of the starch is digested in the small intestine, and you end up starving your microbial self. When that happens regularly, it can result in dysbiosis, an imbalance in which bad bacteria can take over and increase your susceptibility to inflammatory diseases or colon cancer.59 The moral of the story: Whole grains are great, but intact whole grains may be even better.
