Like many students of human health, I have been watching the discoveries related to the human gut microbiome. By way of definition, the gut microbiome (also called gut microbiota and gut/intestinal flora) consists of all the microbes (viruses, protozoa, bacteria, fungi, etc.) that live in our digestive system. Researchers are only just beginning to find the surprising connections among the gut microbiome, brain, mood, health, disease, and performance.
For example, recent discoveries show that
- Humans live in complete, permanent, and desirable symbiosis with hundreds of trillions of microbes like bacteria, viruses, fungi. It turns out that we have more microbe DNA than human DNA.
- There are about 2+ pounds of these microbes living in and on the human body. That’s inside and out.
- Most of the microbes live in the digestive system or gut, where they play essential roles in many other bodily functions, organs, and systems. We can’t live without them.
- Microorganism diversity in the gut is vitally important. The more microbial variety in the host’s digestive system, the better.
- Some microbes influence our body weight and can cause the person to be a lighter or heavier weight, regardless of what they eat.
- The gut and the brain are in constant communication. The chemicals of any byproducts of metabolism released by the gut microbiome influence our emotions and moods.
- Some of the bacteria found in the gut are related to maximum performance in endurance sports.
Unique sub-specialties are developing in healthcare as a result of discoveries like these. Along with the advanced sub-specialties, there are new tests and products on the market that seem to be supported by the research.
In short, there is a lot of buzz about the microbiome, but what does it all mean for the people that simply want to nourish and support the 100 trillion microbes living in their digestive systems for maximum benefit?
Even though there is still a lot to learn, the good news is there is research upon which we can draw. The data shows that anyone who eats can make a big difference in supporting their microbiota. Start by using the following common sense suggestions to nourish and flourish your gut micro-buddies right now. You will be grateful to find there are very few surprises.
The recommendations fall into 3 categories:
- What to avoid
- What to moderate
- What to include
What to Avoid
No-Surprise Number 1.
Sugar. Every time we look, excess sugar in our food is a problem. It is not a respected nutrient. It can lead to inflammation and excessive weight gain. It has been implicated in the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Well wait! There’s more! Sugar also feeds the growth of yeasts like candida Albicans, one of the regular residents in our microbiome. Feeding the yeast sugars can lead to excessive yeast growth in the gut. Yeast overgrowth can be a tough situation to overcome. Because, in American foods, sugar is everywhere, it is best to avoid feeding yeasts added sugars whenever possible. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/sugar-keeps-good-microbes-at-bay/
No-Surprise Number 2
Artificial sweeteners. Our diet food industry is in love with artificial sweeteners. The problem is they are artificial, meaning created in a lab, meaning our bodies don’t know how to process them. Additionally, some “non-nutritive sweeteners” seem to harm our gut microbiota. According to the research, artificial sweeteners like aspartame throw off the natural balance in the gut microbiome population and function. One study showed that while aspartame slowed weight gain in rats, it also increased blood sugar levels and decreased the effects of insulin. Unmanaged changes in blood chemistry like these can lead to other metabolic problems. Enough said? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25313461 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/
No-Surprise Number 3
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Here’s a fun fact. Often, when GMOs are created for human consumption, they are bioengineered to survive heavy spraying of pesticides. Because of this, the more we eat genetically modified grains, legumes, veggies, and fruits, the more pesticides we take in. Washing helps, but no matter how much you wash the produce, you cannot get rid of all the pesticide residue. The pesticides are sprayed on the crops to kill fungi, viruses, and other microbes. So eating GMOs frequently exposes our micro-buddies to these same pesticides designed to kill them. So sad, and too true. To save your microbiome, we recommend you leave known GMO products on the shelf when you go shopping for healthy food.
No-Surprise Number 4
Additives, Preservatives, and Artificial Emulsifiers. According to the FDA, Polysorbate80 and carboxymethylcellulose are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) food additives. Food manufacturers use them to shorten the mixing time and lengthen the shelf life of breads, candies, ice creams, salad dressings, and the like. However, research shows that these same chemicals alter the gut microflora and promote inflammation and metabolic disease in the digestive system. No one needs more inflammation or metabolic illness. And we really should avoid eating stuff that sounds like it came from your high school chemistry class. With that in mind, please be sure to read food ingredient labels carefully to steer clear of these additives.
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/66/8/1414.full.pdf
No-Surprise Number 5
Smoking. Not smoking again! Like we need another reason to quit smoking. Just in case you are still not convinced, research shows smoking causes a decrease in the variety of microbes in the intestinal microbiome. Researchers believe that a person with reduced diversity of gut flora is more prone to health problems. Smoking is also associated with various digestive system diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and cancers.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29626219 https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-019-1971-7
No-Surprise Number 6
Red Meat, liver, and other animal products have been associated with heart disease for a long time. Now we have evidence that shows a causal relationship. When gut bacteria metabolize these foods, they create trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Increased TMAO is directly correlated with the development of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes. https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2018/12/10/cleveland-clinic-studies-reveal-role-of-red-meat-in-gut-bacteria-heart-disease-development/
To summarize, avoid the above well-known health hazards. When it comes to our microbiota, there are many things we cannot control, but these 6 we can.
Next month Part 2 – What We Can Moderate to Support our Gut Microbiome
