Written by Stacie DeLucia
Did you know that the average person has about 100 trillion bacteria living in his microbiome? And within those 100 trillion, there are as many as 5,000 different species?
The human microbiome is defined as the array of all the bacteria, fungi, and viruses, microorganisms that live inside of us. Most often when someone talks about the microbiome, they are referring to the gut microbiome, meaning the microorganisms living in your GI tract that help breakdown food, produce vitamins, fight off infections, and so on. The amount of interest in researching the microbiome has increased by a great amount in the last 10 years, as more and more scientists are uncovering how important of a role this plays in our overall health. If you are currently a patient or have been a patient of Sanctuary Functional Medicine, you know we take the gut very seriously, and address it with most, if not all our patients throughout their journey here.
Here are a few reasons why:
- IMMUNITY- The microbiome is a large part of your immune system. About 70-80% of your immune cells live in your gut. Therefore, if your gut isn’t healthy/ if the integrity of the lining is compromised/ if you don’t possess the right good bacteria/ etc, your immune system is compromised.
- BRAIN- Our gut microbiome communicates directly with the brain. This is done through something called the gut-brain axis which is the connection between the enteric and central nervous system. This system allows the brain to influence digestion and immune cells in the gut, and allows the gut to influence mood, cognition, and overall mental health.
- INFLAMMATION- When the good bacteria and bad bacteria are imbalanced (called dysbiosis), or if the integrity of the lining of the gut is poor (also known as leaky gut), pro-inflammatory compounds called cytokines start to be produced and sent throughout the body. Many research studies have validated the link between these compromises and increased risk of Alzheimer’s, asthma, autism spectrum disorders and other similar inflammatory related conditions.
- METABOLISM- the good bacterium in the gut plays an important role in regulating metabolism. The gut produces compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that help to keep the cells in the colon healthy, but they are also used to help metabolize important nutrients like carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, if not enough or too many SCFAs are being produced, our metabolism is affected, and it influences how we maintain a healthy weight.
Now that you know some of the many reasons why the microbiome is important, how can you keep it healthy? The #1 way to keep the microbiome happy and healthy is…a low inflammatory, whole food diet! Our gut bacteria love whole foods like fiber rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. This keeps the good guys fed so the bad guys cannot thrive. When we eat a diet high in processed foods, sugars, and starchy carbohydrates, the bad guys start to grow and thrive, and can eventually stifle the population of the beneficial bacteria, causing dysbiosis. The saying you are what you eat really does apply here!
The second way to make sure your microbiome stays in a good place is through healthy lifestyle strategies like regular exercise, good quality sleep, and stress management. That’s right, not only a healthy diet will save your gut, but you need to put the work in daily with how you live your life. As a practice, we highly encourage practicing sabbath. Make time for rest and taking care of yourself and build it into your schedule just like you would an important meeting or a meal. Brainstorm through things that rejuvenate you when you have down time, whether it be reading, going on a nature walk, talking on the phone with family or friends, or just spending time with a loved one.
Moreover, if you are already experiencing poor GI health and feel like your gut may be beyond repair with just diet and lifestyle, it may be time to set up an appointment with a healthcare practitioner. Fortunately, in today’s age, the technology for microbiome testing has matured to a place where so many root causes can be detected just through a single sample along with blood testing. If you don’t know quite where to start, or are interested in learning more, reach out to one of our patient support specialists today! We have a wonderful team of healthcare professionals eager to help get you to the healthier, more abundant life that God intended for you to be in.
SOURCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566439/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.ntih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4191858/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
