Gut health commonly known as the body’s ‘second brain’ plays a vital role in stabilizing the physical and mental health of the patient. The gut microbiome contains a complex community of microorganisms which includes viruses, fungi, and bacteria. This blog post, helps us to delve inside the gut microbiome, and help to figure out its role in the human immune system. Gut microbiome is the collective term given to a variety of microorganisms live inside the gastrointestinal tract. Every person has the unique gut microbiome, it is affected due to genetics, environmental factors, and their lifestyle.
Effect of Gut microbiome
- Effects on Nutrient Absorption and Digestion: The human microbiome lacks several enzymes that are required to breakdown large complex molecules into smaller digestible substances. To digest these complex molecules gut microorganisms are used, they help in breaking large compounds in short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids serve as the energy source for the microbes present in the colon lining.
- Effects on Gut-Brain axis and mental health: The gut-brain axis is also known as the connection between the Gut and Brain. The gut microbiome helps in the production of approximately 90% of serotonin, which helps in mood elevation. The amount of this hormone inside the body, determines the person’s mood, if its number is low person will show symptoms of depression. Due to disruption in the Gut-Brain axis, leads to a leaky gut that helps the lipopolysaccharides to enter the bloodstream and triggers inflammation, which further causes many neurological disorders. For example, Alzheimer’s.
- Effects on Immune System Regulation: From the birth, microbes inside the gut start training the immune system to identify the difference between the safe, harmless and harmful pathogens. if we see one example of Bacteroides fragilis, it is the common gut bacteria that helps in the production of polysaccharides, it helps in the regulation of T-cells and prevents them from causing inflammation. Short-chain fatty acids result in the production of some pro-inflammatory cytokines that lead to autoimmune diseases.
- Helps in providing protection against the Harmful Pathogens: A healthy gut microbiome acts as a shield against the harmful pathogens. It prevents microbial colonization, this is the state where beneficial bacteria compete with the pathogen for obtaining nutrients and sites for adherence. Some microbes secrete bacteriocins, it is a natural antibiotic that is very particular in nature. It targets only the harmful bacteria and does not cause any harm to healthy cells.
- Effects on Weight Management and Metabolism: The effect on the gut shows a direct effect on the body, as it reduces its capability to store body fat and the way the body regulates the sugar level. It was observed in the patients suffering from obesity, that they have a high ratio of firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes are capable of extracting nutrients from the food, which leads to weight gain and when it is over-expressed. Bacteroidetes produce Short-chain fatty acids that trigger the release of molecule GLP-, which slows down the process of digestion.
Factors that disrupts the functioning of gut microbiota
There are many factors that affects the proper functioning of gut microbes and result in dysbiosis, factors like diet, stress, antibiotics, environmental toxins, and sleep deprivation. Highly processed food, and high sugar all result in the death of good bacteria inside the gut, because they are not able to absorb nutrients from them, not getting enough sleep, leads to the disruption of the microbial cycle, antibiotics are used to kill harmful microorganisms, but due to their not selective nature they start killing healthy microbes too. Which results in a loss of microbial diversity inside the body.
How to manage healthy Gut health?
Adding probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented food can help in improving gut health. It provides a favorable environment to the microbes living inside the gut. Food items like kefir, yoghurt, garlic, green tea, kimchi, dark chocolate, and onions, help maintain gut pH so that microbes can live and perform their functions efficiently. Avoid taking antibiotics frequently, unless it’s required do not take antibiotics, because they interfere with the proper functioning of gut microbiota. Artificial sweetening products result in dysbiosis, that is they disrupt the metabolism cycle of microbes. Consistent sleep of 7 to 9 hours, yoga, medication together helps in maintaining stress conditions. To improve gut health people usually take probiotic supplements that consist of strains of microbes, like lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, they help the body to restore the damage caused due to illness.
Conclusion
Maintaining gut health should be one’s priority, ignoring it can cause people to suffer with a wide range of diseases. Healthy balanced diet with no stress can help in making a healthy environment for gut microorganisms. Start making small changes in your daily routine, adding vegetables, prioritizing sleep etc and live a healthy future ahead.
