Gut Health and Microbiome

As humans, we begin to build our microbiome the moment we are born. How and where we’re born play a big role in the types of microbes we acquire. Babies pick up microbes from every person or thing they touch, and continue to pick up microbes throughout their lives.

The microbiome isn’t fixed it develops over time and changes in response to its environment.

What Does the Microbiome Do Exactly?

Until recently, bacteria in the gut were thought to play a role only in regulating bowel movements. However, it is now known that gut bacteria affect the entire body, including the brain!

Among other functions, the beneficial bacteria in the gut:

1. synthesize some vitamins help with digestion balance mood - happy hormones are made in the gut!

2. reduce anxiety

3. protect against infections

4. protect against some forms of cancer

Strains of good bacteria in the gut are also associated with lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and various gastrointestinal diseases.

If there are too many bad bacteria or too few good bacteria in the microbiome, serious health problems can arise.

The population of good bacteria in your body can be inhibited or killed by:

1. stress psychological stress can cause physiological changes in our bodies and affect our gut microbiome and vice versa.

2. surgery illness/infections

3. trauma

4. unhealthy eating habits- processed food and drinks and high sugar consumption directly damages our gut microbiome!

5. pharmaceutical drugs eg. birth control, antibiotics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories commonly used for pain Antibiotics can kill bad bacteria that cause disease, but they also kill off many of the beneficial microbes.

We can keep our microbiomes healthy by eating foods that feed the good bacteria, and avoiding foods that encourage the growth of bad bacteria.

What are the symptoms of an imbalanced gut?

When your gut bacteria is out of balance, your body isn’t able to digest food as well. If you’re feeling or noticing any of the following symptoms, you may have a gut imbalance:

- Food sensitivities or allergies

- Digestive problems like occasional gas and bloating

- Weight changes

- Skin issues

- Fatigue

- Mood swings

- Difficulty concentrating

Feeding the Microbiome

The foods we eat have a big influence on our microbiomes. Many microbes in our guts help us extract nutrients from food we wouldn’t otherwise be able to digest.

Different microbes thrive on different types of food. You can stimulate the growth of good bacteria (also known as probiotics) in your gut by eating specific foods the bacteria are known to thrive on.

These foods are known as prebiotics.

Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Microbiome

1. Stay hydrated. Every day, drink approximately half your body weight in ounces of water and other non-caffeinated beverages free of added sugars.

2. Be sure to include both prebiotic and probiotic foods in your diet. Check out our article ‘Probiotic & Prebiotic Foods’ Eat plenty of high-fiber vegetables, which help maintain a healthy digestive system.

3. Limit or avoid processed foods, foods high in added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats

4. Limit or avoid any foods to which you are sensitive, intolerant, or allergic. Some common examples are corn, dairy, eggs, fish and shellfish, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, and wheat (gluten).

5. Take antibiotics only when medically necessary. During and after completing a course of antibiotics, eat probiotic foods and take a probiotic supplement. This can help rebuild the population of healthy bacteria in your gut.Need an individualised assessment and therapeutic plan to heal and optimize your gut? Contact us at 246-432-5464 or e-mail us admin@3heartshnc.com to schedule an appointment with Dr Noumeh our Functional Medicine Practitioner for a virtual functional medicine consultation.

References Feeding the Microbiome: New ways that Diet affects your Health. Linus Pauling Institute http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/linuspaulinginstitute/2015/08/14/microbiome-and-diet/. Published May 13, 2016. Accessed March 3, 2017.

The Human Microbiome. The Human Microbiome. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/. Accessed March 3, 2017

The Institute For Functional Medicine Toolkit