It has long been said that humans have “gut feelings” about things, but how the gut might communicate those “feelings” to the brain !! It has been shown that gut microbiome living in the digestive tracts of humans, can send signals to the brain and vice versa, your gut can be loosely called ‘the second brain’.
The human body is full of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. They are collectively known as the microbiome, while some bacteria are associated with disease, others are actually extremely important for your immune system, heart, weight and many other aspects of health.
The tube in your body that food passes through when it leaves your stomach is called ‘Gut’ and together your small and large intestines are about 15 feet or more in length and much of these microbiome exist mainly inside your intestines , your gut.
Explore the gut with Nutrishilp.
Gut Microbiome
Living inside of your gut are 300 to 500 different kinds of bacteria containing nearly 2 million genes. Paired with other tiny organisms like viruses and fungi, they make what’s known as the microbiota, or Gut Microbime, commonly addressed as Gut Bacteria.
Like a fingerprint, each person’s microbiota is unique: The mix of bacteria in your body is different from everyone else’s mix. It’s determined partly by your mother’s microbiota — the environment that you’re exposed to at birth — and partly from your diet and lifestyle.
The bacteria live throughout your body, but the ones in your gut may have the biggest impact on your well-being. They line your entire digestive system. Most live in your intestines and colon. They affect everything from your metabolism to your mood to your immune system. Most of them are extremely important for your health, while others may cause disease.
GUT Bacteria and Digestion
Since your gut bacteria line your intestines, they come into contact with the food you eat. This may affect what nutrients you absorb and how energy is stored in your body. For example, humans can’t digest fiber but certain gut bacteria can. By digesting fiber, these gut bacteria produce a number of chemicals that benefit gut health and possibly promote weight loss. Your gut bacteria also digest certain antioxidants found in plants known as flavonoids, which may help prevent weight gain .
Your gut bacteria can influence how dietary fats are absorbed in the intestines, which may affect how fat is stored in the body .
Important Functions of Gut Bacteria
• Fermentation of non-digestible food residues such as starch and cellulose with provision of energy both to the host as well as the intestinal flora
• Synthesis of vitamin K which is essential for production of clotting factors; gut bacteria also synthesize biotin and folate which are essential nutrients
• Aid absorption of dietary calcium, iron and magnesium
• Enhancement of immunity.
• lactic acid is produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates which is done by bacteria called Lactobacilli, which prevents the growth of ammonia producing bacteria and additionally favor ammonia excretion. Both these effects reduce the blood levels of ammonia which is toxic to the body. It also reduces the risk of colon cancer by decreasing the synthesis of cancer causing chemicals by harmful gut bacteria.
• Prevent disease by competing with disease causing bacteria for nutrients and attachment to epithelial cells, thereby preventing entry of harmful bacteria into the intestinal cells.
• Good gut bacteria have been shown to promote oral health and reduce incidence of bad breath, dental caries, and throat infections.
An imbalance or sudden change in the composition of the microbiota known as dysbiosis manifests a variety of health concerns.
Some effects of dysbiosis, such as stomach upset, are temporary and mild. In many cases, your body can correct the imbalance without treatment. But if your symptoms become more serious, you’ll need to see your doctor for diagnosis.
What causes dysbiosis ?
When dysbiosis happens in your GI tract, it’s typically the result of:
a dietary change that increases your intake of protein, sugar, or food additives
accidental chemical consumption, such as lingering pesticides on unwashed fruit
drinking two or more alcoholic beverages per day
new medications, such as antibiotics, that affect your gut flora
poor dental hygiene, which allows bacteria to grow out of balance in your mouth
high levels of stress or anxiety, which can weaken your immune system
unprotected sex, which can expose you to harmful bacteria
Dysbiosis is also common on your skin. It can be caused by exposure to harmful bacteria or an overgrowth of a single type of bacteria.
Nutrishilp guide to healthy gut
What you eat directly influences the makeup of bacteria in your gut.A healthy gut helps keep chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer at bay, and also can reduce inflammation, keep your brain healthy and help you maintain a healthy weight. It’s never too late to change your diet to support better bugs in your gut. Research shows that switching from a mostly animal-based diet to a mostly plant-based diet (and vice versa) can change the makeup of your microbiome in as little as 24 hours.
- Eat a diverse range of foods
There are hundreds of species of bacteria in your intestines, each of which plays a specific role in health and requires different nutrients for growth.
Generally speaking, a diverse microbiome is considered a healthy one. This is because the more species of bacteria you have, the more health benefits they may be able to contribute to for your system.
- Eat lots of vegetables, legumes, beans, and fruit
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for a healthy microbiome.
They are high in fiber, which your body can’t digest. However, certain bacteria in your gut can digest fiber, which stimulates their growth.
Beans and legumes also contain very high amounts of fiber. Some high fiber foods that are good for your gut bacteria include: raspberries, green peas, broccoli, chickpeas, lentils, beans, bananas and apples.
Following a diet rich in fruits and vegetables prevented the growth of some disease-causing bacteria .Bifidobacteria are considered beneficial bacteria, as they can help prevent intestinal inflammation and enhance gut health.
- Eat fermented foods
Fermented foods have undergone a process in which the sugars they contain are broken down by yeast or bacteria.Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha , fermented soybean milk, are rich in lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that can benefit your health.
- Eat prebiotic foods
Prebiotics are foods that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
They are mainly fiber or complex carbs that human cells cannot digest. Instead, certain species of bacteria in the gut break them down and use them for fuel.
Many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain prebiotics, but they can also be found on their own.Resistant starch can also be a prebiotic. This type of starch is not absorbed in the small intestine and passes into the large intestine, where the microbiota break it down.
Many studies have shown that prebiotics can promote the growth of several types of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacteria.
Certain prebiotics have also been shown to reduce insulin, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels in people with obesity, which could be beneficial for the prevention of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes .
- Breastfeed for at least 6 months
This old school advice is truly reasonable; a baby’s microbiome begins to properly develop at birth. During the first 2 years of life, an infant’s microbiome is continuously developing and is rich in beneficial Bifidobacteria, which can digest the sugars found in breast milk. Breast feeding is also associated with lower rates of allergies, obesity, and other health conditions that may be due to differences in the gut microbiota.
- Eat whole grains
Whole grains contain lots of fiber and nondigestible carbs, such as beta-glucan. These carbs are not absorbed in the small intestine and instead make their way to the large intestine to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
- Eat a plant-based diet
A number of studies have shown that vegetarian diets may benefit the gut microbiome, which may be due to their high fiber content.Plant foods are rich in specific nutrients that can increase levels of beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful strains of bacteria to support gut health .
- Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are plant compounds that have many health benefits, including reductions in blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and oxidative stress but human cells can’t always digest polyphenols as they aren’t absorbed efficiently, most polyphenols make their way to the colon, where they are digested by gut bacteria . Some examples of foods rich in polyphenols are cocoa and dark chocolate, red wine, grape skins, green tea, almonds ,onionsectc.
- Increase your intake of probiotics
Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually bacteria, that provide a specific health benefit they don’t permanently colonize the intestines in most cases. However, they may benefit your health by changing the overall composition of the microbiome and supporting your metabolism .
Good Gut Bacteria and Common Drugs
Have you experienced an upset stomach with a course of antibiotics! Antibiotics target bacteria by taking advantage of structures and processes that bacterial cells have that are different from our own cells. So, while antibiotics don’t harm our own cells, they can kill both good and bad bacteria living in your intestines.
These drugs result in antibiotic-like side-effects and may promote antibiotic resistance. Thus over use or consuming the antibiotics without a prescribed advice may invite a usually unnoticed risk that consumption of non-antibiotic drugs may promote antimicrobial resistance, as the general resistance mechanisms of microbes to human-targeted drugs and to antibiotics seem to largely overlap.
Not all drugs will impact gut bacteria and not all resistance will be common. In some cases, resistance to specific non-antibiotics will trigger sensitivity to specific antibiotics, opening paths for designing optimal drug combinations.
Gut bacteria – Interesting Facts
• Gut flora are partially inherited from the mother at birth and the other half is determined by lifestyle factors such as dietary intake, stress, and age.
• A newborn baby is sterile and bacteria colonize the exposed lining of the digestive tract by entering through the oral pathway.
• The diet and nutrients received help in creating the microbial environment in the digestive tract.
• The composition of gut flora keeps varying from time to time and is unique for each individual based on lifestyle factors, exercise, stress, illness, travel, and age.
• Gut bugs are flexible and change according to the needs of the diet. .
“ For a healthy gut… remember this simple Nutrishilp equation .
Healthy Gut = Diet +( Probiotics, prebiotics, fiber, polyphenols and fermented foods ) – (Artificial sweeteners, red meat, processed foods and alcohol)”
-ShilpiGoel, Dietitian and Wellness Expert.
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