There has been some exciting research in recent years around the link between our gut bacteria and our health.  There is more and more scientific research coming out everyday to suggest that your gut bacteria (or microbiota) and the health of your gut lining affect your mind, mood and body in ways from minor (skin and energy) to major (chronic inflammation and disease).  Early life circumstances such as the method in which we were born either vaginally or by C section can further affect the way these microbes develop as well as whether any medications were prescribed to the infant or the mother during this early time.  It also appears that modern life and the way we live, where we are living, what we are eating and even things like how much stress we are under are having a huge impact on our microbiota balance (good bacteria vs bad bacteria).  The good news is, the more we understand about the importance of keeping our guts healthy the more we can influence these factors to improve our health.

 

How we are born affects our Gut:

When we are born the makeup of our gut microbes are determined largely by whether we were born vaginally or by C section.  A babies gut microbes from a vaginal birth are made up of skin, vaginal and faecal bacteria whereas babies delivered via C section are largely made up of skin only.  Acquiring the right combination of these microbes at birth have a major impact on the developing health of the baby, these microbes that we are acquire or do not acquire can affect the likelihood of developing diabetes, obesity and some cancers.  As more and more research are released about this topic, the latest findings tell us that gut microbe composition is associated with weight, cardio vascular disease and diabetes.  In fact, the same studies have shown that babies who are born via C section or who have been exposed to heavy loads of medications are more likely to be obese or overweight by up to 50%.  The science into this topic is so advanced that researchers can predict with up to 90% accuracy whether a baby will be lean or obese just by testing the microbes in your gut.

 

The good news is, if these microbes are missing or lost for any reason the baby can acquire them later in life thru breast feeding or specially designed pro-biotics which replicate the HMO structures found in breastmilk.

 

How where we live affects our gut:

According to Dr Rob Knight (Director of the Centre for Microbiome Innovation) we have over 100 trillion microbes living inside of our gut.  To give you a better understanding of what this looks like, imagine if you took a blade of grass and planted it for every microbe living in your gut, there would be enough of these blades of grass to fill 1 million football fields.

 

The purpose of these microbes have several functions they help us to:

 

• Digest our food
• Help educate our immune system
• Help us resist disease
• May even be affecting our behaviour

 

Interestingly, as our bodies adapt to life in a modern society we are losing some of our normal microbes.  In conjunction with this loss of microbes there are quite a few diseases that are skyrocketing in developing nations around the world.  We are seeing a prevalence for higher rates of obesity, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, allergies and asthma.

Every one of these diseases and many others related to metabolism and weight and auto-immunity are linked to a loss of healthy diversity in the gut.

 

According to Rob Knight immigrants that arrive from South America and move to the U.S lose 20% of their gut micro diversity within a short time of moving there.  This loss of diversity is largely due to humans spending 90% of their time indoors and a decrease in the variety of plant based foods we are consuming.

 

Why? We are breathing in air from artificial and mechanical ventilation systems which have a completely different ecosystem from those you find outdoors.  Our outdoor counterparts have a greater and differing range of micro-organisms where this bacteria can colonise.

 

How what we eat affects our gut:

 

The food we eat plays an essential role in maintaining the diversity and proper functioning of our gut microbiota.  When talking about gut microbiota it could be said ‘we are what we eat’ as what we consume feeds off the trillions of bacteria living in our digestive system.  The bad bacteria in out gut thrives on processed foods, sugars, alcohol and other genetically modified foods.  Our good bacteria thrives on a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, dairy and protein.

 

Interestingly, a study by Angela Genoni (Edith Cowan University, Australia) found that following a Paleo diet for more than a year is associated with unfavourable changes in gut microbiota composition and increased levels of a compound (trimethylamine N-oxide) an organic compound involved in the development of cardiovascular disease.  This was compared to individuals who followed a balanced diet that included grains, legumes and dairy which promoted the healthy balance of these healthy bacteria.

 

Probiotics vs Prebiotics:

Probiotics sometimes or ‘good gut bacteria’ are micro-organisms found in the human digestive tract that improve the balance of healthy bacteria.  Including probiotics and probiotic rich foods in our diets have shown to help reduce digestive symptoms such as constipation and bloating, restore gut flora after taking a course of antibiotics, after a bout of diarrhoea, during times of stress and when travelling where food and water borne illness is a possibility.  Try including these probiotic fermented foods in your diet where possible, yoghurts, fermented drinks such as kombucha and kefir, miso and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi.

 

Prebiotics:

Prebiotics or sometimes referred to as ‘fermentable fibre’ are a type of fibre that feed probiotics.  They promote the growth and function of different types of good bacteria in the gut.  Prebiotics are naturally found in vegetables such as garlic and onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, tomatoes, bananas, plums, apples and in grains and cereals such as bran and in nuts like almonds.  For this reason, vegetables, fruits and cereals should be part of a balanced and healthy diet.

 

How what we eat affects our Mental Health:

 

The gut has often been referred to as the ‘second brain’ due to it’s production of serotonin (happy hormone) which assists in regulating our bowel movements.  This is separate from the serotonin production which occurs in our brains which is believed to regulate mood and social behaviour.

 

Researchers from the Catholic University in Leuven, in Belgium have found ‘most human gut bacteria do produce neurotransmitters, which are chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that enable communication among neurons, which are the nervous cells in the brain, but also in the enteric nervous system of the gut’.  These neurotransmitters are known to influence intestinal functions, but also our mood and behaviour.

 

Further into this topic Flemish researchers found from the Flemish Gut Flora Project (FGFP) discovered that two genus of bacteria were consistently depleted in the gut microbiota of people who were diagnosed with depression.  Whether they were following an anti- depressant treatment did not have any effect on the results.  It is important to note that from these studies although they have seen there are two bacteria lacking in the microbiota of people with depression it does not mean that these bacteria cause depression.  More studies need to be done to assess causality of this topic.

 

Stress:

Stress also plays a significant role in altering gut bacteria.  Stress causes a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in potentially disease-causing microorganisms.   It can also cause inflammation, bloating and make stomach ulcers worse.  It’s important to have some stress relieving measures at hand if you suffer from serious amounts of stress.

 

In finality, a balanced and varied diet is the key to optimal gut health combined with psychological and physical ways to manage stress.  Most disease and ill health is caused from poor gut health so it is really lends some weight to the saying “your only  as healthy as your gut’.

 

Kristy Curtis

Holistic and Lifestyle Coach and PT

www.kristycurtishealth.com

Instagram: Kristy Curtis Health