What are Gut Bacteria and why are they important ?

Hundreds of species of bacteria exist in your gut. Some of them are friendly, although others are not. The majority of bacteria in the gut belong to one of four groups: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes or Proteobacteria.

Individually each group plays a sufficient role in your health and needs different nutrients for growth. The friendly gut bacteria are important for digestion. They kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms and produce vitamin K, folate and short-chain fatty acids. Whilst the gut flora includes too many harmful bacteria and not enough sufficient friendly bacteria, an imbalance can occur. This is known as dysbiosis A reduction in gut flora and dysbiosis diversity has been connected to insulin resistance, obesity, weight gain, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. Therefore, it’s vital to keep your gut bacteria as friendly and abundant as possible.

How we can support our Gut health?

Bad food choices are the usual causes, you should avoid fried foods and limit caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol consumption has a damaging effect on gut bacteria. Although research has found that the polyphenol substance in white and red wine may have a protected effect on gut bacteria when consumed in moderation.
Regular exercise has been recognised to have a positive effect on reducing stress levels and help to support a healthy weight, which includes a positive effect on gut health. Regular exercise promotes the growth of Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia and these positive results are not seen in people who are inactive.

Smoking has damaging results on nearly every organ within the body giving up smoking can result in improved gut health by increasing the diversity of the gut flora, results can be seen after only 9 weeks.

An overload of stress has been shown to decrease gut flora diversity and change gut flora profiles by increasing bacteria such as Clostridium and decreasing beneficial bacteria like Lactobacilli.

The human body has a 24-hr internal clock titled the circadian rhythm. A lack of sleep can disturb the circadian rhythm and this has shown to have a damaging effect on bacteria.

Gut health” defines the function and balance of bacteria of the various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Ideally, organs such as the esophagus, stomach and intestines all work together to allow us to eat and digest food without discomfort

Why should we pay attention to our gut health?

Generally, many of us prefer not to think about what happens to our food after we eat it, but if you would like to achieve the best outcome of health we really ought to know a whole lot more about our inner workings. Research has shown that our digestive tract is critical to keeping us alive and well in more than thirty different ways.

You might think your gut’s only importance is to keep your digestive system happy and healthy, but its responsibilities actually extend far beyond that. A healthy gut can play a major role to a strong immune system such as brain health, heart health, improved mood, better quality sleep, effective digestion, and it could help to prevent some cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Everything we consume is eventually broken down in the gut to a simple form that can enter the bloodstream and be delivered as nutrients throughout our bodies. This is only achievable with a healthy digestive system. A healthy gut contains healthy bacteria and immune cells that defend against infectious agents like bacteria, viruses and fungi. A healthy gut also communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which helps maintain general health and well-being.

What are the signs of gut health problems?

Stomach discomfort such as abdominal pain, gas bloating, bloating, loose stools, constipation, nausea or vomiting and heartburn. If symptoms continue, it could be a sign of an underlying problem that requires medical attention. Symptoms could include blood in the stool, black stool (a sign of blood in the stool) weight loss without good reason, fever, trouble swallowing food, severe vomiting, pain in the throat or chest when food is swallowed or jaundice as these could possibly suggest an underlying gastrointestinal problem with severe consequences. Consult your doctor if any of these symptoms occur.

How prebiotics and probiotics interact

Probiotics and Prebiotics together help the body in building and maintaining a healthy colony of bacteria and other microorganisms, which supports the gut and helps digestion. Prebiotics serve as food for probiotics, so probiotics need access to prebiotics to work efficiently.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are merely the good bacteria that lives in our bodies although occasionally when these reserves of good bacteria get emptied, we end up with too many harmful bacteria, and the balance of our microbiome is thrown off. Prebiotics are a type of fibre that passes through the body undigested and promotes the growth and activity of friendly gut bacteria Many foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains, naturally contain. A lack of them in the diet may be harmful to your overall digestive health Prebiotic fibre.

Gut Health - What are Gut Bacteria and why are they important ?

Eating for a healthy Gut: what foods should I eat?

Eat more prebiotic foods:

Foods high in prebiotic include:

Lentils, chickpeas and beans
Oats
Bananas
Jerusalem artichokes
Asparagus
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Nuts

Consume more probiotics:

Probiotic foods that may increase the abundance of healthy gut bacteria are fermented foods, such as yogurt. Yogurt is one of the best sources of probiotics, and Kefir, which is a fermented probiotic milk drink.

Also;

Tempeh
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Miso
Kombucha
Pickles.

Recipe for a healthy Gut

This fruity kefir smoothie is a great gut-friendly on the go breakfast choice. Kefir is a milk drink which has been fermented by lactic acid bacteria and yeast to provide a natural source of probiotics. You can use coconut water-based kefir if your diet is dairy free.