Your Gut Microbiome: Little Bugs, Big Impact

What Is It? 

Your body is home to trillions of microorganisms which are referred to as microbiomes. The diverse group of microorganisms which reside in your large intestine are mostly bacteria, but also some viruses, parasites and fungi. This is known as your gut microbiome (also called your microbiota or microbes). 

Much like we all have unique fingerprints, we all also have our own unique microbiomes; our own combination of different types and numbers of microorganisms. The makeup of your gut microbiome is determined by your diet, environment, lifestyle, and health status. It’s important to know that while it seems like a small part of our body, the gut microbiome actually functions like another organ. It contains more total genes than our actual human cells and has a significant impact on our overall health. 

 What Does It Do?

The organisms that make up your microbiome have a variety of functions. They produce chemicals that send messages to the rest of your body, impacting your health in either a positive or negative manner; they also produce vitamins, synthesize amino acids and influence the function of your immune system and the health of your digestive tract, heart and brain; it impacts the way your body uses glucose and plays a role in hunger, the development of obesity, insulin resistance, cancer and inflammation. Lastly, your gut bacteria also provide protection from harmful pathogens we inadvertently consume by maintaining a healthy barrier between your digestive tract and the inside of your body (known as the gut barrier). 

 Gut-Brain Axis

One topic that frequently gets mentioned when discussing the gut microbiome is the gut-brain axis. This is a two way system of communication between your gut’s resident microbes and the central nervous system.  This communication, which occurs via your nerves and the bioactive compounds produced by gut bacteria, means that your gut microbiome  impacts your brain, and vice versa. Why is this important? It means that your microbiome, and thus your diet, may someday play a role in the treatment of mental health issues.  And since this communication is bidirectional, it also means your brain likely has an impact on your microbiome and thus your overall health. Yet another reason to keep your gut microbiome healthy. 

How To Keep Your Microbes Healthy and Happy

To maximize the health benefits of our microbiome, we need to keep it healthy. Research tells us that a healthy microbiome is one that is made up of an appropriate number and type of beneficial microorganisms; the greater the variety of beneficial bacteria, the better the impact on your health. Conversely, if your microbiome is overpopulated with harmful organisms and not enough good ones, known as dysbiosis, the more detrimental it will be for your health. 

Like any living organism, your microbiome needs an energy source and relies on you to provide healthy food for its microbes. If you feed your good bacteria appropriately, short chain fatty acids will be produced, which will decrease inflammation, help protect the heart, brain, and liver, and may provide anti-diabetes, anti-obesity and anti-cancer properties.  On the other hand, if your microbiome is subjected to a less than healthy diet  it can lead to increased inflammation, weight issues, and problems with health conditions such as  insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, Crohn’s disease and colitis, as well as unhealthy blood vessels. 

Fortunately, the same actions that keep you healthy, also keeps your microbes healthy.  A high fiber, plant heavy diet containing omega-3s and other healthy fats, as well as a large variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, is exactly what is needed to support your gut health.

One recent study indicated that people who consumed thirty different plant products each week had a healthier microbiome than people who consumed only ten. Thirty different plants may sound like a lot, but this doesn’t mean just fruits and vegetables. 

Grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, spices, tea and coffee are all plant products that can count towards that total of thirty. Different strains of gut bacteria have different impacts on your health and require different food sources, so the more plant variety in your diet, the more likely you are to support a variety of health promoting microorganisms. 

Prebiotics and Probiotics

You have likely heard the terms prebiotics and probiotics, and wondered how they impact your health. Prebiotics are plant fibers that are a source of food for your gut microbes. Prebiotic fibers are found in foods such as asparagus, onions, bananas, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, whole grains, oats and apples and are a necessary component of a healthy gut microbiome.  They are also available in supplement form, but it’s best to consume these via whole foods. 

Probiotics are strains of live, beneficial bacteria that are found in fermented foods or supplements. Food sources include Greek yogurt, kefir, aged cheese, raw kombucha (as opposed to pasteurized), miso, tempeh and fermented foods such as sauerkraut and fermented vegetables. It’s well documented that consuming several servings of fermented foods daily is good for the health of your microbiome, as evidenced by decreased inflammation within the body. Probiotics are also available in supplement form and while it won’t hurt to use them, you will introduce more diversity to your gut microbiome by consuming a variety of fermented foods.

Just as it’s important to know what you should do to keep your microbiome healthy, it’s also good to know what not to do. A diet that is high in added sugars, processed foods, saturated fat and low in fiber, plant products, and healthy fats may promote the growth of unhealthy microbes, as will a sedentary, sleep deprived, stress filled life. More than moderate alcohol intake, as well as inappropriate use of medications, will also impact the health of your microbiome. 

So What Should I Do?

Here are some suggestions to keep your microbiome as healthy as possible.

• Eat fiber from various plant products. Strive for 30 grams each day, but remember to start slowly as suddenly increasing the amount of fiber in your diet could make you very uncomfortable. Good sources of fiber include:

  • Whole wheat breads and pastas, old fashioned oats and barley.

  • Legumes, such as black, red, pinto, chili and garbanzo beans, and lentils.

  • Eat a wide variety of  fruits and vegetables each day. Aim for at least 5 servings, eating a variety of colors. 

•  Eat foods high in polyphenols:

  • Berries

  • Coffee and tea

  • Nuts and seeds

  • Soy products such as tofu, miso, tempeh and soybeans.

  • Dark chocolate: look for products that are at least 70% cocoa.

  • Herbs and spices: use a variety in your cooking

• Eat several servings of fermented foods each day:

  • Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables

  • Greek yogurt and aged cheese

  • Kefir (try and limit the kind with added sugar)

  • Raw kombucha

•  Consume foods high in omega-3 fats:

  • Salmon, tuna, herring

  • Walnuts, almonds, flaxseed

• Set a goal to eat 30 different plant products each week. 

The impact of your microbiome on overall health cannot be understated and keeping it healthy is one important factor in living a healthy life.  Try some of the above ideas and if you would like some assistance with optimizing the health of your microbiome, contact me via my website. I’d love to help you out!