Your gut affects more than you might think.
Poor gut health can be the culprit to a plethora of health issues.
Ever feel fatigued and you’re not sure why? It might be due to an unbalanced gut microbiome.
Our guts not only affect things like digestion and waste excretion, but our blood sugar, our immune regulation, and even our brain function and mood, too. Deep in the human intestinal tract, there are over 39 trillion microorganisms hard at work making sure bodily functions like metabolism or nutrient synthesis, well, function! Each person has their own unique genetic microbiome “footprint,” with about 300 to 500 different species of organisms in each human digestive tract.*
We’ve researched some gut facts to help you learn more about your gut microbiome, and keep reading to discover some tips and tricks to also improve your overall gut health!
What is the Gut Microbiome?
Most of these friendly microorganisms live in a region of your large intestine called the cecum. There are approximately 40 trillion microorganism cells in the human body. What’s more, there’s only 30 trillion human cells.* Each microbe plays a specific role in the gut microbiome. While most are incredibly important for your overall health, some of these microbes may be harmful, or have the capability of developing into pathogenic organisms.*
The gut microbiome acts as an extra organ in your body, in a sense. Without it, it would be very difficult to survive. Experts contend that higher microbiome diversity is beneficial for your health, and that diversity is affected by both external and internal factors, like the food you eat.*
Have you experienced frequent gut discomfort like bloating, cramps, or abdominal pain? It might be due to gut dysbiosis.* When your gut microbes are out of balance, you’ll likely experience more frequent bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn.* An unhealthy mixture of organisms in the digestive tract could potentially weaken the walls of the intestines and leak those contents into the bloodstream.*
A healthy gut microbiome communicates with intestinal cells to prevent disease-causing organisms from clinging to intestinal walls.* Some studies have shown that probiotics containing Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli may help reduce symptoms caused by gut discomfort, such as irritable bowel syndrome.*
Four Tips for Better Gut Health
If you’re experiencing gut discomfort or have an unbalanced gut microbiome, we recommend always consulting your doctor first.
We’ve gathered four basic tips to help you on your way to better gut health -
An easy way to kickstart healthy gut flora is a probiotic supplement. Studies suggest multi-strain probiotics may have broader benefits than single-strain probiotics.* We recommend our carefully crafted Pattern Wellness' Probiotic! Our supplement contains 51 billion CFUs from 11 probiotic strains to help alleviate gut issues, increase energy levels, and boost immune function.
Are you an avid chocolate lover? Well, here’s all the more reason your chocolate cravings may actually be helping you out. More specifically, helping your gut. Research suggests that foods rich in fiber and polyphenols, like dark chocolate, may not only possess anti-inflammatory properties, but may also be fermented and metabolized by microbes in your intestines.* Some other foods that are also rich in polyphenols include green tea, blueberries, almonds, onions, red grapes, broccoli, and cocoa.*
What are fermented foods, you might ask? Foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, tempeh, plain yogurt, kombucha, and kimchi are preserved using a process to boost shelf life, nutritional value, and probiotic count. Because fermented foods have high counts of the beneficial Lactobacilli organism, the live cultures can flood the gut microbiome and keep harmful organisms at bay.*
Be diligent about your dental health! Yes, oral hygiene is connected to your gut health. Studies suggest that harmful organisms that may grow in the mouth could potentially make their way down into your gut microbiome.* Experts contend regular daily brushing and flossing of your teeth could potentially keep your gut microbiome in balance.*
Did any of these tips work for you? Let us know!
Interested in trying probiotics to improve your gut health? Click here to get started.
References:
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Buchner, Jill, et al. “10 Easy Ways to Improve Gut Health.” Reader’s Digest Canada, 14 Oct. 2021, www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/improve-gut-health/.
Chassaing, Benoit, et al. “Dietary Emulsifiers Directly Alter Human Microbiota Composition and Gene Expression Ex Vivo Potentiating Intestinal Inflammation.” Gut, vol. 66, no. 8, 21 Mar. 2017, pp. 1414–1427, 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313099.
Dix, Megan. “7 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut and 7 Ways to Improve Gut Health.” Healthline, 25 Aug. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/gut-health#treatment.
Harrar, Sari. “6 Gut Health Hacks That Work .” AARP, 17 Nov. 2021, www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/how-to-improve-gut-health.html.
Harvard Health. “Fermented Foods Can Add Depth to Your Diet.” Harvard Health, 1 July 2018, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/fermented-foods-can-add-depth-to-your-diet#:~:text=Fermented%20foods%20are%20preserved%20using.
Integrative HMP (iHMP) Research Network Consortium. “The Integrative Human Microbiome Project: Dynamic Analysis of Microbiome-Host Omics Profiles during Periods of Human Health and Disease.” Cell Host & Microbe, vol. 16, no. 3, Sept. 2014, pp. 276–289, 10.1016/j.chom.2014.08.014.
McFarland, Lynne V, and Sascha Dublin. “Meta-Analysis of Probiotics for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” World Journal of Gastroenterology, vol. 14, no. 17, 2008, p. 2650, 10.3748/wjg.14.2650.
Mohajeri, M Hasan, et al. “Relationship between the Gut Microbiome and Brain Function.” Nutrition Reviews, vol. 76, no. 7, 26 Apr. 2018, pp. 481–496, 10.1093/nutrit/nuy009.
Pozuelo, Marta, et al. “Reduction of Butyrate- and Methane-Producing Microorganisms in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Scientific Reports, vol. 5, 4 Aug. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4523847/, 10.1038/srep12693.
Qin, Junjie, et al. “A Human Gut Microbial Gene Catalogue Established by Metagenomic Sequencing.” Nature, vol. 464, no. 7285, Mar. 2010, pp. 59–65, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3779803/, 10.1038/nature08821.
Robertson, Ruairi. “Why the Gut Microbiome Is Crucial for Your Health.” Healthline, 27 June 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-health#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5.
Sender, Ron, et al. “Revised Estimates for the Number of Human and Bacteria Cells in the Body.” PLOS Biology, vol. 14, no. 8, 19 Aug. 2016, p. e1002533, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991899/, 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533.
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