Your Gut Microbiome
A microbe is a living thing that is extremely tiny and unable to be seen with the naked eye. They describe bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses. A microbiome is the collection of the microbes living in a given area such as the intestines.
A person’s first exposure to microorganisms is during delivery in the birth canal and through the mother’s breast milk. The microorganisms that the baby is exposed to is determined by the mother. Conception to the first year of life is considered to be the intestinal microbiome’s “critical window”, when it is most vulnerable to environmental influences. Impacts to the microbiome during infancy are linked to the development of chronic illnesses.
Later on, environmental exposures and diet can change one’s microbiome to be either beneficial to health or put one at risk for disease.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗼?
Gut bacteria affect the entire body. The role of these bacteria can stimulate the immune system, break down potentially toxic food compounds, and synthesize certain vitamins and amino acids, including the B vitamins and vitamin K. It also affects vaccine responses, and alters drug metabolism. Strains of good bacteria in the gut are also associated with lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and various digestive tract diseases.
In our guts you will find more than 500 species of bacteria, which include Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Bacteroides, and Firmicutes. In the colon, a low oxygen environment, you will find the anaerobic bacteria Peptostreptococcus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium. The good bacteria is called probiotics and they need “food” to keep them healthy. This fiber rich food is called prebiotics. A process happens when the probiotics break down prebiotic foods in the colon and produces butyric acid. The butyric acid creates an acidic environment and makes it hard for the bad bacteria to survive.
The balance between good and bad bacteria is crucial to help prevent disease. The population of good bacteria in your body can be decreased by stress, surgery, illness, trauma, or unhealthy eating habits. Antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria, but good bacteria too. We can support our microbiomes by eating foods that feed the good bacteria, and avoiding foods that encourage the growth of bad bacteria. To maintain a good balance it is important to regularly consume pro/prebiotic foods. It is recommended to consume 1 to 25 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) daily. Most store-bought probiotic yogurts contain about 1 billion CFUs per serving.
The seven core genera of microbial organisms most often used in probiotic products are Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Escherichia, and Bacillus.
Our microbiome is extremely important and taking care of it impacts our health immensely. Ideally we do this through a wide variety of foods but there are times when pre/probiotics can be helpful. Some of my top picks of manufactured probiotics are from Seed, and Smidge.
