Introduction to the Gut Microbiome

Our guts are home to trillions of microbes, or microorganisms. (Microorganisms are all organisms, or living things, that are too small to see, a.k.a. microscopic). Most of these microbes are bacteria, and most of them stay in the large intestine. Together, the microbes make up the gut microbiome. Our gut microbiome is an important part of our health as it influences our appetite, mental and physical health, body weight, metabolism, digestive system and immune system, and has a major impact all over our body.

There are both helpful and harmful bacteria in our gut microbiome. Some harmful bacteria can cause infections which can give the symptoms of "food poisoning", like the bacteria C. jejuni. Helpful bacteria serve very important functions all over the human body, including breaking down foods that cannot be digested, deciding how to fight against infection by communicating with immune cells from the immune system, and creating important nutrients. Our gut also releases about 70% of our serotonin, which helps us with digesting food, sleeping, eating, reducing depression and anxiety, and healing our wounds. New research has shown that our gut microbiome even has a connection to our central nervous system, which means that our gut microbiome has a connection to our brain.

Bacteria live in the gut because it is an ideal place for them to thrive. The food and space in the gut are perfect for the bacteria. So, having an empty microbiome with very few bacteria means there is a lot of food and space left over. Based on this reasoning, if there are very few bacteria in the microbiome, and a lot of food/space left for invading bacteria, new, harmful bacteria have a high chance of thriving and causing harm to you. On the other hand, if there are a lot of bacteria in the gut microbiome, and your gut has very little food/space remaining for new bacteria, you will be able to fight off invading harmful bacteria and recover. This is why it is extremely important to have a gut microbiome brimming with bacteria and other microbes. Another benefit of having many bacteria in your gut microbiome is that high microbial populations may decrease inflammation, gas, and bloating in the body, which can, in turn, decrease the chances to develop several diseases including some types of cancer.
An important thing to note: antibiotics are very dangerous to all bacteria in your gut microbiome. Try to use them as a last resort. When you take antibiotics, they kill all the bacteria they find - the harmful and helpful bacteria. This lowers the amount of bacteria in your body by a massive percentage, which, as has been mentioned before, makes you more vulnerable to gut infections.

Here are some ways that you can help your gut microbiome:

• Try to exercise regularly. This helps you reduce inflammation in the body and helps with the digestive process.
• Eat many different types of food - these make the gut microbiome much more crowded and populated, which makes it a healthier place. For more information on why a diverse/full microbiome is good for you, look at the third paragraph.
• Water - make sure to drink a lot of water every day. Apart from keeping you hydrated and avoiding dehydration, water has a key job in digestion.
• Make sure to eat foods with fiber - for example, legumes, fruits, and beans have a lot of fiber. Fiber is important to the gut microbiome because it helps with digestion, supports our helpful bacteria, and helps us with bowel movements.
• Make sure to have probiotics - a probiotic is a type of fiber that allows you to break down the fibers that you consume, - that’s very important; look just above this tip to learn more - and reduce inflammation, gas, and bloating. Some foods that include probiotics are kefir, yogurts, and fermented foods like kimchi.
• Try to have prebiotics like bananas, onions, asparagus, and berries - These produce short chain fatty acids which help with overall gut health, and work together with probiotics.
• Have apples - these fruits can contain as many as 100 million bacteria! See the third paragraph to see why having a crowded microbiome is great for you.
• Avoid processed foods. Studies have shown that these foods can decrease diversity in your gut microbiome.
• Try to avoid stress as much as possible. When you stress out, blood from your digestive system is moved to other parts of your body. As a result of this, you may start to develop some digestive problems. Click here to find out about some ways to avoid stress.
• Avoid antibiotics - see antibiotics paragraph for reasoning.