Your gut microbiome (bacteria) is an integral part of your digestive system and overall health. Everybody’s bacteria are unique and can be impacted by many different factors in daily life.
In this article, we will explain what the gut microbiome is, what is considered unhealthy bacteria, and how to improve your gut bacteria’s health.
What is the gut microbiome?
The gut microbiome is the trillions of tiny organisms living in our digestive tract that help our digestion. We build our gut bacteria as soon as we’re born through the food and environments we interact with. This is why everyone’s collection of bacteria is different, as we live uniquely different lives and experiences.
Gut bacteria can help in a range of bodily functions, including:
- protecting against pathogens (microorganisms that can cause disease)
- helping to regulate immune function
- harvesting energy from digested food
- strengthening biochemical barriers of the gut and intestine
If this mix of bacteria in your gut changes, it can affect these functions.
Generally, this collection of bacteria is considered ‘good’, and doesn’t harm or damage your body like other bacteria, such as Salmonella. Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a type of bacteria in the gut that is both ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It has been found to benefit appetite regulation, but it can also cause an infection in the stomach and trigger the formation of peptic ulcers.
Learn more about H pylori infections and tests we can perform to detect them here.
Healthy vs unhealthy microbiome
What is considered a ‘healthy’ gut microbiome has not yet been fully determined. For example, we don’t have a definitive list of which bacterium types should be present in your digestive tract. What we know is that the composition and diversity of the bacteria do affect your digestive health.
A balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria usually lives in your stomach. If their function and balance change, this can lead to gut dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis means that you have lost beneficial bacteria, an overgrowth of potentially ‘bad’ bacteria, or a loss of overall bacterial diversity.
Having gut dysbiosis has been associated with certain conditions that can affect your digestive system, such as:
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
- General digestive issues, such as diarrhoea, constipation, and excess wind
Gut dysbiosis has also been connected to conditions such as malnutrition, malabsorption, food intolerance, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, it remains unknown whether dysbiosis actually causes those conditions or whether having those conditions leads to dysbiosis.
Common signs of imbalanced gut bacteria may include a bloated stomach, poor digestion, and lower abdominal pain.
Various internal and external factors can impact a bad balance of bacteria, some of which we can and can’t control.
These include:
Internal
- Antibiotics and other medications
- Smoking and alcohol use
- Lack of exercise
- Physical and psychological stress
- Chronic inflammation
- Chronic diseases
- Your food choices
- Weight gain
External
- Environmental toxins
- Increase in hygienic environments
How to improve your gut microbiome
Your diet has the most significant influence on your gut microbiome. A diet containing many different foods, mainly fruits, nuts, and vegetables, helps support a diverse gut microbiome. There may be some items that when added to the diet, can shift the microbiome in the direction of more diversity. This can include fermented food, foods containing prebiotics, and foods containing polyphenols, such as fruits, seeds, vegetables, and tea.
Controlling your stress levels can also impact your gut microbiome. Some techniques help reduce stress, such as yoga, meditation, breathwork, aromatherapy, or art therapy.
Other ways to help improve your gut microbiome include taking probiotic and prebiotic supplements, avoiding taking certain long-term medications, maintaining a regular eating schedule, and adding fibre to your diet.
Private digestive care
At Digestive Health UK, we can help support your gut health and help guide you in the right direction to improving your microbiome.
We offer a range of diagnostic tests and treatment options to find an effective method of improving your gut’s health. I collaborate with some of the industry’s top dieticians to help you implement a tailored diet that meets your needs.
Get in touch today to find out more.
