Strategies to Maintain a Healthy Intestinal Microbiota:
Revamped Holiday Guide for Your Microbial Pals
Welcome to 2020's version of microbe pampering! This season, it's all about keeping our tiny travel companions, the gut microbiota, happy and healthy. Here's our festive guide to ensure your microbial passengers don't get a raw deal during the calorific season.
Once upon a time, microorganisms were seen as mere tagalongs on our journey through life. Today, we understand their crucial role in our wellbeing, and it's vital to keep them satisfied. After all, if they're unhappy, we could be in for a storm!
Dr. Sven Pettersson and team shed light on this in the journal Cell, explaining that the gut microbiome evolves dramatically throughout our lives, influenced by factors like diet, lifestyle, hormones, and immune system. Imbalances in gut flora have been linked to a growing number of conditions, such as food allergy, eczema, asthma, autism spectrum disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and even cancer.
So, as we take stock over the holidays, let's focus on how we can support our gut microbes.
1. Embrace Fiber - Your Microbiota's Main Course
While humans can't digest fiber, our microbial friends certainly can. If you skimp on fiber, they'll turn to your gut's mucus barrier as an alternative food source. This "leaky gut" is a major red flag, raising risks of colitis, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and more.
Two research groups, reporting in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, found that a Western-style diet, featuring less fiber, can induce a leaky gut within just 3-7 days in mice. This quick transformation led to weight gain, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and widespread bacterial death, favoring unwelcome bacterial species like Bacteroides and Actinobacteria.
The good news is that Professor Gunnar C. Hansson and colleagues at the University of Gothenburg showed that bacteria that degrade fiber, such as Bifidobacterium, can be restored with Bifidobacterium supplements or inulin - a type of prebiotic plant fiber.
2. Treat Your Gut to Some Dark Chocolate
Rich in antioxidants and fiber, chocolate contains a slew of beneficial compounds. Consuming cocoa has been shown to reduce inflammation, potentially easing symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Early this year, we reported on research demonstrating that cocoa components can reduce bacteria in the Clostridium family, often found in those with IBD.
Just be sure to reach for dark chocolate with a high cocoa content for the closest approximation to research-studied formulations.
3. Keep Moving - Exercise Matters for Your Gut
Studies published this month demonstrate the impact of exercise on the gut microbiome. One study found that actively exercising mice had more bacteria capable of metabolizing fiber into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) – beneficial compounds for gut health. Similar findings emerged in humans, with 6 weeks of exercise increasing SCFA production and microbial numbers, although the effect was more pronounced in lean individuals.
Whether you're lacing up for a post-dinner walk or putting on your favorite holiday tunes for a living room dance party, every little bit counts!
4. Manage Stress for a Balanced Gut Microbiome
Chronic stress can have detrimental effects on the gut microbiome, causing shifts in bacterial populations. Although the research has primarily focused on female mice, stress is a common holiday concern for all of us. Take a moment to check out our practical guide on "How to Reduce Christmas Stress" to help manage your stress levels during the festive season.
With these tips in mind, your gut microbes will - hopefully - be grinning from ear to ear and ready for a healthy new year. After all, they deserve a little cheer, too!
Keeping Your Gut Health in Check for 2020
As researchers continue to delve deeper into the gut-microbe relationship, we'll undoubtedly discover more strategies to support a healthy, balanced microbiome. Enjoy the holiday season, and let's raise a glass to our gut microbes' wellbeing!
- Fiber, being inedible for humans but valuable for our microbial friends, serves as their primary food source. By ensuring a fiber-rich diet, we help protect our gut's mucus barrier and avoid conditions like "leaky gut".
- Dark chocolate, rich in antioxidants and fiber, can benefit our gut microbes by reducing inflammation and potentially easing symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Regular exercise plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. It increases the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids and boosts the number of bacteria capable of fiber metabolization.
- Chronic stress can negatively impact the gut microbiome, causing shifts in bacterial populations. Managing stress levels, such as through methods outlined in the guide "How to Reduce Christmas Stress", is essential for maintaining a balanced gut microbiome.
- As the science of gut health continues to evolve, it's crucial to consider nutrition, exercise, mental health, and other factors when nurturing and supporting our gut microbes for overall health and wellness.
