How can I increase the good bacteria in my gut?

Your gut—otherwise known as your digestive system or your gastrointestinal (GI) system— digests the foods you eat, absorbs nutrients from it and uses those nutrients to fuel and maintain your body.

If you can't seem to lose weight, suffer from an autoimmune disease or have allergies the real reason may be your gut is unhealthy (1). Poor gut health is believed to exert a wide range of effects on other systems of the body and contributes to conditions such as skin disorders, allergies, nervous system complaints and endocrine disorders (thyroid disease and diabetes) amongst other things (2). Your gastrointestinal tract is therefore viewed as one of the most important factors needed to obtain and maintain optimal health and vitality and the gut macrobiotic is essential for human health and 'normal' metabolism, physiology and functioning of your immune system (2-4).

So what is the gut microbiome/macrobiotia?

Simply put -- it's an ecosystem of microorganisms (composed of bacteria, viruses, archaea, protozoa and fungi) and their genetic material found in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract (6) and balanced composition is important for maintaining intestinal immunity. An imbalance of the gut microbiota is referred to as dysbiosis and has metabolic consequences (7). Interestingly, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity have been associated with gut dysbiosis (7-9). Gut microbiome diversity is therefore key and like any other organ, the microbiome has physiology and pathology, and the individual (and collective?) health might be damaged when its collective population structure is altered (10). The adult human GIT is estimated to contain 10(13) - 10 (14) viable microorganisms, which means there are more gastrointestinal microbes than eukaryotic cells found in the human body (11).

The association between the gut and the health of the body has been around for a long time. In fact, in 400 BCE, Hippocrates stated that, "death sits in the bowels..." and "... bad digestion is the root of all evil..." (11).

What factors have been found to negatively impact the gut microbiota?

Diseases that are increasingly affecting humans, such as allergies and inflammatory, metabolic and autoimmune disorders, all have at their core a failure to control misdirected immune responses against self, microbiota-derived or environmental antigens.

Several factors have been found to negatively impact your health and balance of the gut ecosystem. The most researched ones are:

• antibiotics;

• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS);

• proton pump inhibitors (PPIs);

• dietary additives and certain diets. In fact, according to Benmark et al, 75% of food eaten in the Western diet gives little or no benefit to the microbiome.

So what can you do to increase the good bacteria in your gut and improve the health of the ecosystem?

A number of tools can be utilised to increase the balance of the good bacteria in your gut and to enhance the growth of specific members of the ecosystems.

1) INCREASE PROBIOTICS AND FIBRE RICH FOOD - Studies show that dietary fibre has the potential to change the gut microbiota and alter metabolic regulation. It also supports microbial diversity or richness.In general, a shift towards higher diversity or richness in gut microbiota is considered healthy (12).

Some probiotic rich foods that you can consume each day include Kimchee, Miso, Olives, bread, Natto, Tempeh and coconut.

Epidemiological studies have also shown the protective effects of fruits and vegetables in lowering the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Plant-derived dietary fibre (non-digestible polysaccharides) and/or flavonoids may mediate the observed protective effects particularly through their interaction with the gut microbiota (13).

2) EAT PREBIOTIC-RICH FOODS AT EVERY MEAL. Prebiotics are selectively fermented ingredients that result in specific changes in the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota thus conferring benefits to your health (2, 14). Prebiotics have the greatest capacity to balance and restore a dysbiotic environment. Their use over the short term , can also specifically enhance the growth of key species that have been negatively impacted by dietary or pharmecutical interventions (2) . Over the long term, however, they have an amazing capacity to increase microbial diversity. Foods such as vegetables, fruit, nuts seeds, and whole grains are loaded with prebiotic (1) and simply put: Prebiotic are food to your microbes.

3) INCREASE RESISTANT STARCHES - resistant starches can reach the colon, where they can be fermented by members of the microbiota, producing a variety of end-products including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs are the main fuel sources for your colon, providing energy , maintenance and repair (2, 16). Resistant starch appears to feed butyrate producing bacteria, thereby enhancing colonic butyrate production. Some resistant starch foods that you can incorporate into your diet include. whole grains, seeds andlegumes,

4) GET ADEQUATE SLEEP - a recent study has indicated that poor sleep can negatively affect your gut microbiome, which can, in turn, lead to additional health issues. What they found was those who slept well had a more diverse -- or "better" -- gut microbiome. It is therefore important to implement good sleep hygiene practices (18).

Using a mixture of the above interventions will help support microbial diversity.

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Have a great start to your week and be kind to yourself! "You are fearfully and wonderfully made"! (Psalms 139:14)

With love from Nature's Physician Nutrition Clinic

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References:

(1) Digestive Wellness, 5th Edition, Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease through Healthy Digestion, Elizabeth Lipski

(2) Advanced Clinical Naturopathic Medicine Paperback – 11 Aug. 2020 by Leah Hechtman MSci Med (RHHG) BHSc (Nat) ND FNHAA (Author)

(3) JR Marchesi, DH Adams, F Fava, et al: The gut microbiota and host health: a new clinical frontier. GUT.65 (2):330-339 2016

(4) SR Bordensteisn KR, Theis: Host biology in light of the microbiome: ten principles of holobionts and holoegnomes

(5)V D'Argenio, F Salvatore: the role of the gut microbiome in the healthy adult status. Clin Chim Acta. (6) (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191028164311.htm) (7)https://www.forbes.com/health/body/how-to-improve-gut-health/

(8)Ley, R.E.; Turnbaugh, P.J.; Klein, S.; Gordon, J.I. Human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature 2006, 444, 1022–1023. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

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(10) (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03916.x).

(11) Advanced Clinical Naturopathic Medicine Paperback – 11 Aug. 2020 by Leah Hechtman MSci Med (RHHG) BHSc (Nat) ND FNHAA (Author)

(12)Myhrstad, M.C.W.; Tunsjø, H.; Charnock, C.; Telle-Hansen, V.H. Dietary Fiber, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolic Regulation—Current Status in Human Randomized Trials. Nutrients 2020, 12, 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030859

(13) linder A, Shen Q, Heppel S, Lovegrove JA, Rowland I, Tuohy KM. Impact of increasing fruit and vegetables and flavonoid intake on the human gut microbiota. Food & Function. 2016;7(4):1788-1796.

(14) GR Gibson, KP Scott, R Rastall et al, Dietary prebiotic: current status and new definition. Food Science and Technology Bulletin: Functional Foods. 7(1):1-19 2010

(15) Myhrstad, M.C.W.; Tunsjø, H.; Charnock, C.; Telle-Hansen, V.H. Dietary Fiber, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolic Regulation—Current Status in Human Randomized Trials. Nutrients 2020, 12, 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030859

(18) Nova Southeastern University. "New study points to another possible correlation between sleep and overall good health: Your gut microbiome and quality sleep are interconnected." ScienceDaily..