Now, your digestive system is full of bacteria, fungi, viruses and even parasites – all part of the gut microbiome, and they have a greater impact on your health than you might think.
Trillions of microbes call your gut home, which may sound a little worrisome if you grew up thinking all bacteria are harmful. However, there are some “good” things that can actually protect your body from disease.
Mahmoud Ghannoum, a professor in the Department of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University and a microbiome researcher, says the gut thrives on multiple microbial species. If one species of bacteria fails to function, another can step in and help. ghannoum compared the diversity of the gut microbiota to the diversity of human society. Each element has its own role to play, but each works together to keep society moving forward.
Microbiota diversity or ecological dysbiosis can lead to an imbalance between “good” and “bad” bacteria. When there are more “bad” bacteria, your body is more susceptible to infection and disease. “The gut is becoming a central part of how we manage our health,” Ghannoum says. “If science continues to move in this direction, the way we practice medicine will be better because we will have more preventive treatments, such as preventing certain diseases by tweaking your microbiome.”
Here’s what you need to know about the effects of an unhealthy gut on your health and how to keep you and your gut microbes happy and healthy.
Why is it important to take care of your intestinal health?
The intestinal microbiome has many functions. It is involved in:
● Regulating immunity
● Aiding digestion
● Maintaining good brain health
● Defending against dangerous pathogens
● Producing essential vitamins and nutrients
● Helping metabolize drugs
Scientists have recently learned more about how gut bacteria play a role in fighting chronic disease. a 2018 study published in the journal Urology found that men with prostate cancer were more likely to have a type of bacteria called Bacillus marsupialis than men without prostate cancer.
Gut bacteria can also affect the success of cancer treatment.2022 The study found that melanoma patients who responded well to treatment were more likely to have Trichinobacteriaceae. Also, cancer treatment has been found to be less effective in people with a higher number of species of Streptococcaceae.
Some gut microbes can affect metabolism and inflammation. When an unhealthy diet and antibiotics cause an imbalance in the gut microbiota, research suggests it may contribute to weight gain.
Ghannoum added that when the gut-brain connection is altered by gut imbalance, it increases the risk of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, autism, multiple sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
What are the signs of an unhealthy intestinal tract?
Because the gut microbiome is involved in several bodily processes, an unhealthy gut can exhibit a variety of symptoms. ghannoum says people often experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as:
● Stomach discomfort
● Chronic abdominal pain
● Constipation
● Digestive problems
● Chronic nausea
● Vomiting
Other less obvious signs are changes in your behavior. a 2019 study suggests that changes in gut bacteria can affect cravings for unhealthy foods, a person’s response to stress, and increase the risk of depression.
Today, you can purchase tests that use stool samples to analyze your gut bacteria to assess whether your gut is healthy. Dr. Arik Alper, a pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine, told Yahoo Life that there is no official way to check for a healthy gut and recommends taking such tests with a grain of salt.
How to maintain a healthy gut?
Experts say there are several ways to protect your intestinal health. These are:
1: Eat more fruits, vegetables and fiber in general
One way to enhance gut vitality is to change what you eat. Gut microbes need nutrients to survive, and a healthy diet is a major component in shaping the microbiome. a 2019 review showed that consuming foods high in animal meat, saturated fat, sugar and salt increased the number of “bad” bacteria and harmed the growth of “good” bacteria. growth of “good” bacteria.
On the other hand, eating green leafy vegetables, protein-rich plants (such as tofu or beans) and omega-3 rich foods (such as salmon, oysters, flaxseeds and walnuts) are associated with the production of “good” bacteria. They are an important food source for gut microbes.
2: Avoid restrictive diets
It’s not just about what you eat, but what you avoid, Alper says. A restrictive diet that reduces certain food groups means you’re limiting microbial access to potential fuel, which can lead to a less diverse gut microbiome.
“I would be cautious about making abrupt and unnecessary changes to your diet,” Alper warns. For example, some people avoid gluten, he notes. Unless you are allergic or have celiac disease, he believes that maintaining a gluten-free diet will not do your microbiome any good, especially because most gluten-free products are less nutritious, low in fiber and high in saturated fat.
In addition, a sudden switch to a gluten-free diet can disrupt the gut and cause the death of gut microbes that depend on gluten for survival. “By restricting your diet, you’re actually reducing the diversity of the gut microbial composition,” Alper says. “But if you increase your nutrition and eat a little bit of everything, you’re promoting the growth of different gut microbes.”
3: Don’t pin all your hopes on probiotics
Probiotic supplements are a popular choice for promoting gut health. However, experts say you shouldn’t rely on them to solve all your gut problems. “Probiotics will never change your gut microbiome,” Alper says. That’s because there are trillions of gut microbes in your gastrointestinal tract. “Do you think if you took a probiotic that was 0.001 percent of the total composition of your gut microbiome, that would change anything?” He said.
Alper also noted that many of the microbes in probiotics may not survive stomach acid. In addition, he says existing gut microbes won’t let the “new microbes on the block” dominate your GI tract. That said, that doesn’t mean all probiotics are necessarily bad or pointless, and Ghannoum says taking probiotics is “better than nothing. Just don’t expect it to change the diversity of your entire gut microbiome.
4: Eat prebiotic-rich foods
Prebiotics serve as fuel for gut microbes. Certain vegetables are rich in prebiotics, especially garlic, onions and beans, and Ghannoum says that high-fiber foods also contain prebiotics, which can “change the microbiome and make it more balanced.
A 2018 review of the effects of prebiotics on the gut suggests that they help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as those that reduce inflammation, boost metabolism or lose weight. Another benefit is increased gut bacteria, improved immune response and better absorption of minerals, such as calcium to avoid fractures.
5: Avoid antibiotics whenever possible
Antibiotics help remove the bacteria that cause infections, but in return, may cause collateral damage by wiping out some of the beneficial bacteria living in the gut. Even a course of antibiotics taken in infancy can greatly reduce the diversity of the gut, which allows fungi to multiply and flourish.
“Even if you’ve been exposed to antibiotics once, the gut remembers it,” Alper says. “All of this reduces the diversity of the gut microbiome.” It can take a while for your gut to recover from antibiotic exposure, and a 2022 study suggests that a single course of antibiotics may disrupt a patient’s microbiome for up to six months.
Antibiotic use also has the potential to create strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and studies have shown that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can lead to infections that are difficult to treat. One example is the growth of Clostridium difficile, which damages the intestinal tract and causes antibiotic-resistant diarrhea.
Don’t rush to take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary or there is an effective alternative therapy, Alper said.