A Healthy Gut for A Healthy You!

You might think that your gut is simply there just to digest your food, absorbed nutrients and excrete waste.

However, research is beginning to show that the unquie population of bacteria in our gut are key to our overall health and happiness.

That unique population of bacteria is called our 'microbiota'.

You might think that your gut - from stomach, through small intestine, to large intestine - is simply there just to digest your food, absorbed nutrients and excrete waste.

Now while all of those are vital functions of the gut, research is building to suggest that the unquie population of bacteria in our gut are actually key to much of our overall health and happiness, including our immunity, resistance to chronic disease and even mental health.

That unique population of bacteria is called our 'microbiota'.

This microbiota is made up of some very impressive numbers:

• we carry around 2kg of bactera;
• that 2kg is made up of trillions of bacteria;
• they outnumber the cells in our bodies by about 10 to 1;
• more than 1000 different species have been identified;
• we carry about 150 - 170 different species each, which is a unique combination for each of us.

Our microbiota carries out many important functions in our body. From ensuring proper digestion and helping with the production of some vitamins; through to a role in developing our immune system, and protecting us from 'bad' bacteria.

The use of probiotics is being increasingly researched to discover how they may help improve health. There are studies showing:

• that probiotics may improve resistance to disease and infection by enhancing immune response in the intestine. Considering what goes on in our gut accounts for two thirds of our immune system this is important research.
• that certain strains of probiotic can alleviate constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome & chronic bowel disease.
• the potential for certain probiotic strains to be beneficial in reducing the risk of the recurrence of certain cancers, including colon and bladder cancers
• probiotics affecting the brain, especially the areas associated with processing emotions and pain.

This is all relatively new research with exciting potential. However, at this stage more research is needed to work out the correct strains of bacteria and doses needed to produce the desired effects.

That doesn't mean that you can't, or shouldn't, use probiotics now. There are many probiotics available and they can have benefit to your digestive health.

If, for some reason, our microbiota has been compromised – such as a tummy bug, antibiotics, chemotherapy, or born that way - you can help boost the population of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut by taking probiotics

Probiotic strains do not become established members of your microbiota. They generally persist only for the period of consumption and a short period after. So for probiotics to have a long-lasting benefit, they must be consumed regularly.

The choice of how you take probiotics has much to do with personal preference and individual needs, but important things to consider are:

• shelf life,
• convenience, and
• safety.

The most effective probiotics tend to be in capsule or tablet form. The capsules contain bacteria are in high numbers, specific strains (often clinically proven) and are safe (no known 'bad' bacteria).

You can also find probiotics in foods such as yoghurt, kefir and kombucha (fermented drinks) and raw sauerkraut. With these forms you need to take care if you have digestive issues or poor immunity, as they can contain unknown bacteria that may make you ill or upset your tummy.

It is important to remember that you microbiota is a living organism; well trillions of living organisms, and they need to be fed and looked after to be healthy. This means that your diet and lifestyle are very important in maintaining a healthy microbiome.

One of the best foods for your microbiota is prebiotics. These are a type of dietary fibre that feed intestinal flora; we can’t digest it so it passes through into our bowel, where the bulk of our microbiota is, and it ferments the prebiotics providing us with important nutrients and chemicals.

Some prebiotics occur naturally in foods such as leek, asparagus, garlic, artichoke, onion, wheat, banana, soybean & oats. We often hear how important fibre is, and we often don’t get enough (but that’s another article for another time). Fibre is important to keep things functioning well and to feed our bacteria.