what does your microbiome say about you?
Did you know that your microbiome is essentially another organ in your body? It helps you digest food, create nutrients, combat pathogens, and plays a vital role in the development of your immune system.
Your gut microbiome is home to a treasure trove of information about your lifestyle. Not only does it hold details about the foods you eat and drinks you consume, but it is also believed to play a critical role in everything from autoimmune diseases to obesity.
It’s safe to say that your gut microbiome might just play the single biggest role in determining your overall health and human performance! But to optimise your health and perform at your peak, you need the right balance of bacteria in your GI tract.
Why is your gut microbiome so crucial?
By now, you’re probably wondering why your gut microbiome is so important. And if you’re anything like me, you might be asking yourself why you didn’t know about this sooner!
Well, fortunately, we all have to start somewhere. Let me explain why your gut bacteria are so important and why getting your gut into gear can transform your life.
Listen to your gut!
Think of your gut bacteria as a United Nations of diplomats, each trying to make their mark on what happens in your internal world. To ensure your body functions optimally, you want a diverse range of diplomats, each with a range of expertise, working on essential functions.
Basically, your gut bacteria help your body do a bunch of important things, and the more diverse the good bacteria, the better your body will function. Some of these important functions include:
Regulating inflammation
Some of the bugs in your gut help extract nutrients from food, says Bob Hutkins, PhD, a microbiome researcher and professor of food science at the University of Nebraska. If you eat the right foods, these bugs will help your body make vitamins and turn food into other essential nutrients like short-chain fatty acids.
However, when you consume unhealthy fats and starches, your "bad" bacteria are more likely to have a field day. They will predominate and secrete a substance called endotoxin, prompting your immune system to go on the defensive, resulting in inflammation.
Managing your appetite
Gone are the days of diet pills and appetite suppressants! The key to controlling your appetite is maintaining a healthy gut by eating the right foods. Scientists have seen that lean people's guts are brimming with a diversity of species, while the gut communities of those who are obese show less variety. Certain bugs may have extra sway over how hungry you get.
Influencing your immune system
Did you know that 70% of the cells that control your immunity live in your gut? These include antibodies, lymphocytes, cytokines, and other immune cells that watch out for invaders and attack when necessary.
Research suggests that your gut bugs “talk” to your immune system and teach it to recognize which organisms can stay and which need to go. While this concept is yet to be fully fleshed out, it is believed that the more diverse the gut bacteria, the smarter and more finely tuned the immune system is. Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, a microbiome researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, says that "This might explain why one person can eat a piece of microbe-laden fish and get a bad bout of food poisoning while another has that same meal and feels fine."
Managing your mood
Lastly, your gut creates chemicals that influence your emotional well-being, and your microbiomes have a lot to do with it. In fact, our gut bacteria produce the majority of the body’s serotonin, a chemical that improves mood and helps us handle stress.
The key to a better mood? More diverse gut bacteria! People without depression tend to have more types of bugs than people with it. Although researchers are still trying to pin down strains that might boost mood, it’s clear that a diverse microbiome is beneficial.
Change your gut, change your world
So there you have it. Your microbiome says a lot about you! A healthy gut is key to a healthier, fuller life. I hope this article has given you some insight into your internal world, and more importantly, I hope it has inspired you to journey to a healthier life.
Change your gut, change your world!
written by Megan Lagerwey @the_good_gut_guru