Healthy Gut Microbiome

A Healthy Gut Microbiome is Essential

Our intestinal tract is made up of trillions of bacteria that do far more than digest our food. The science of probiotics, or the ‘good’ bacteria, is in its infancy, and although there is a lot of gray area to be worked through, here’s some fascinating information on how bacteria are controlling most all aspects of our health, as well as what you can do to improve your odds of good health.

Did you Know?
People with certain types of gut bacteria might be at higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Characterized by tremors (involuntary shaking of the hands), slowing of movement, slurred speech and brain inflammation, 75% of Parkinson’s disease patients suffer constipation as long as 10 years before the onset of symptoms, and their gut bacteria are different than those who do not develop Parkinson’s.
We might be able to reduce our risk for colon cancer by increasing our microbiome diversity. Probiotics can protect the cells in our bowel and help prevent inflammation, the root of all health conditions, including colon cancer.
Certain probiotics can help promote weight loss because they eat carbohydrates at high rates. Yes, probiotics require food to exist, as all living things do. Akkermansia muciniphila is the name of this little metabolic powerhouse, but before you get too excited, it is not yet available as a probiotic supplement. I know, “hurry up research!”

Our Gut is Connected to our Brain
If this is a no-brainer to you, then you may be more intune with your gut instinct than you knew. The gut-brain axis is the connection between our gastrointestinal system and our brain, where signals are sent between these two organs. Studies show intestinal issues like chronic gas, bloat, stomach pain and constipation may be both the cause and product of anxiety, stress and depression. Read carefully, this is saying that not only can anxiety, stress and depression negatively affect or gi tract, as anyone with irritable bowel syndrome can attest to, but that gas and bloat can cause anxiety, stress and depression. Taking care of our gut is being researched as a means to manage anxiety and depression, and perhaps reverse it in some individuals.

What you can do to Promote your Healthy Microbiome
Make the base of your diet vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These are the foods packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that bolster probiotics. They also contain high amounts of fiber, the food source of probiotics. One of the best things to focus on is the inclusion of vegetables at every meals. If this seems like a tall order, start with the easiest meal and build from there.

• To create the wide diversity of healthy gut bacteria essential to health, eat fermented foods that increase the variety of probiotics in your system; unpasteurized sauerkraut, fermented pickles (without vinegar), kimchi, miso, tempeh, cultured kefir, buttermilk, sour cream and yogurt. If you’re not familiar with some of these foods, give them a try!

• Try probiotic food and beverages from brands like Farmhouse Culture, Suja, Goodbelly and Kevita, sold widely throughout local grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocer, Raley’s, as well as CVS, Safeway and Walgreens.

• Exercise. Changes occur in microbial makeup that can result in reduced inflammation in the gut and the rest of the body, so stay active if you already exercise regularly. If you don’t already exercise, this is yet another reason to start.

• Take a dose of vitamin D. Studies show vitamin D supplements, combined with B vitamins, may create the optimal intestinal environment favoring a healthy microbiome. Vitamin D dosage recommendations vary among healthcare providers, but I recommend 1000 to 3000 IU vit D3 and a multivitamin for the B’s.

• Expose yourself to some dirt. Pet a dog or cat, spend time outside, skip the hand sanitizers. A robust microbiome requires exposure to bacteria, because some of them are the healthy versions we’re going for.

Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com