Firstly- what is a gut microbiome? It's the collection of all of your bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses that live inside your gut. There are other microbiomes too- your skin and your vagina are also covered in bugs (don't worry, this is a good thing).
The gut microbiome is super important. Particularly the diversity and amount of bacteria you have there.
Why?
Your gut bacteria:
- break down your food so you can absorb it
- makes vitamins like B12 and folate
- make neurotransmitters like serotonin (your feel-good 'happy' neurotransmitter) to help reduce depression and anxiety.
- make sure you poop regularly and stop you from getting constipation or diarrhoea
- crowd out the nasty bugs like parasites and bugs that cause food poisoning and gastroenteritis
- talk directly to your immune cells to keep them alert but calm. They stop your immune system from over-reacting so you don't develop allergies or an autoimmune condition
- secrete a health layer of mucus to cover your digestive tract so you don't develop 'leaky gut' and systemic inflammation
- keep your hormone levels balanced by making sure you excrete the old/excess hormones (particularly oestrogen). This stops your hormones from recirculating after they've done their job- you don't want this.
- help to regulate your weight and metabolism- yes, having a healthy microbiome can help keep you leaner!
Well, what do I want then?
You want a diverse amount of different types of bacteria in your gut. Different bacteria perform different jobs, so the more varied the types you have, the better for your health.
To summarise: Diversity is KEY for gut health.
What causes a decrease in the diversity of my gut bacteria?
- antibiotics (we overuse these way too much. You should only take them when absolutely necessary).
- stress
- long term use of pain medications (like NSAIDS- ibuprofen, aspirin, Panadol)
- the Oral Contraceptive Pill
- alcohol (especially binge drinking)
- lack of fibre in your diet (fibre is food for your gut bacteria. Without it they starve and die)
- infections like parasites or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
- food/environmental allergies and intolerance. This causes inflammation and kills your bacteria, while also promoting 'leaky gut', which continues the cycle of inflammation and chronic immune activation (allergy).
- constipation (i.e if you're not pooping everyday, or it feels 'incomplete' or hard to pass).
OK, so what can I do to improve my levels of gut bacteria?
- Figure out if you have allergies or food intolerances. If you have inflammation in your body you will most likely have a leaky gut. Removing dairy and gluten for a while can really help to reduce inflammation in your gut and improve the environment so your gut bacteria can flourish. Elimination diets can be helpful to pinpoint certain trigger foods.
- Get rid of parasites or SIBO if you have it. This is done through stool testing and breath testing. If you get a lot of bloating, cramping, diarrhoea or constipation and you've have a bout of food poisoning recently then checking for parasites can be helpful. You can find out more about SIBO by visiting SIBOtest.com
- Feed your gut bugs with fibre (aka 'prebiotics'). Your gut bacteria need food otherwise they will die (just like us). Their food sources are sugar and fibres, found in complex carbohydrates. Good prebiotic foods include: brown rice, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, nuts and seeds, veggies and fruit. You can also supplement with resistant starch, but go slow.
- Move your bowels every day! You have to do this. Ideally 2-3 times per day. The number one factor in the health and diversity of your microbiome is your bowel transit time. Bowel transit time refers to the time it takes for food waste to move through your digestive tract. Ideally it should be between 12-24 hours. Longer than this is considered a slow transit time and indicates constipation. A slow transit time reduces the diversity of your gut bacteria and can lead to unpleasant bacterial overgrowth and issues like SIBO.
- Reduce your alcohol intake. A glass of wine 2-3 times per week with a meal is fine, but anything more will affect your gut bacteria.
- Take a probiotic supplement. This is a short term solution that will reduce the inflammation in your gut and help to re-establish different bacteria. You can also eat probiotic foods too, which include yogurts, kefir, miso, tempeh and sauerkraut.
- Reduce your stress levels. Stress shuts down stomach acid and enzyme production. If you don't break down your food properly it will ferment in your gut, causing an overgrowth of bacteria (as seen in SIBO and LIBO). This will cause inflammation and a 'leaky gut'. We don't want any type of bacteria getting out of control- we want a happy balance.
- Support your Digestion with these tips
Can I test to see what my gut bacteria is like?
Yes you can! There are many different functional tests, and the best way to determine which one suits you is to talk to your Naturopath. Testing gives you a great insight into what you might need to work on to improve your gut health.
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