Many things can throw a person's microbiome out of whack. If you don't eat enough fiber or rely too much on highly processed foods, you can starve the “good bacteria” that live in your gut. Frequent and continuous use of antibiotics can also unintentionally kill them.
Due to today's busy schedules, many people forget things to maintain their gut health. “Modern lifestyle impacts the microbiome in many ways,” he says. Christopher Dunmana gastroenterologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
One silver lining in the research? The microbiome appears to be incredibly resilient. And some simple dietary changes can have an almost immediate impact.
How long does it take to improve gut health?
Research into the gut microbiome (the thousands of microorganisms that live in our digestive systems) has flourished over the past decade or so, and scientists have discovered that gut health is linked to inflammation, metabolism, immune health, and even mental health. We have been investigating how it affects people's health and overall health. happiness.
in one studyThe researchers fed one group of people a plant-based diet and another group a diet high in meat but low in fiber. The microbiomes of both groups changed dramatically within 24 hours. The subjects also “recovered” once they returned to a normal diet.
This is good to know because it shows that small lifestyle mistakes don't have to have a devastating effect on your microbiome.
“Even if things change rapidly, if you do what you did before, you'll probably get back to where you were,” he says. Gail Cressia gut microbiome researcher at the Cleveland Clinic.
Follow-up studies have shown that eating a gut-friendly diet for about 6 months can definitely lead to positive changes in your gut.
read more: 5 things to help keep your microbiome healthy
Add prebiotics and probiotics to your diet
So what's the best way to eat to take care of your gut? Simply put: prebiotics and probiotics.
Prebiotics come from unprocessed, fiber-rich whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. Probiotics can be obtained from fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
Prebiotics are nutrients for the intestinal flora, and probiotics are beneficial microorganisms. Both prebiotics and probiotics occur naturally in certain foods or may be dietary supplements.
read more: What is the difference between prebiotics and probiotics?
Metabolites of gut microbiota
When we eat foods containing prebiotics, we do not completely break down the prebiotics at first. This is where the microbiome comes into play. Bacteria in the gut can metabolize fiber-rich foods, which helps support a healthy balance of good bacteria and allows them to produce metabolic products. Those metabolites are made up of different molecules and help the body in different ways, Qureshi says.
Complicating matters, different types of fiber produce different metabolites, which provide different benefits to the body.
“When you start consuming different fibers from different sources, the biological effects are quite different.” andrew gewirtzsay researchers at Georgia State University.
Dr. Gewirtz is currently isolating the different types of fibers to better understand the specific role each plays. Some fibers can even cause the same type of reaction as drugs like Ozempic.
read more: Gut biome diversity may shape personality and energy levels
Know the best form of fiber to consume
Fiber added to highly processed foods may not work as strongly as fiber from more natural sources. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed its labeling requirements years ago to no longer distinguish, for example, between fiber from multigrain artisan breads and “fiber-enriched” brownies, which also contain a number of additives.
Fiber supplements can also be difficult. “You only take what's in the supplement and nothing else.” carrie daniel mcdougallsays Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Prebiotic foods generally produce many good metabolites, she added. For example, to get the same prebiotic benefits as a cup of beans, you would need to take several different supplements.
Dunman added that he's not completely against fiber supplements. That is, unless it is actually a supplement and not a natural fiber substitute.
“I'm also a realist and am aware of hectic lifestyles,” says Dunman. “It's better than doing nothing.”
read more: 4 science-backed diets to improve your health
Add probiotics to your microbiome
Probiotics are very simple in terms of how they work in the body. You can add bacteria from fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi directly to your intestines. Each food contains multiple strains of bacteria. All species can produce multiple metabolites when fed. Therefore, as well as fiber sources, various probiotic foods A source can be more informative than a single source.
Probiotic supplements should also be considered carefully, says Dunman. The contents of such supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so you may not get exactly what the label says.
“An independent group evaluated off-the-shelf probiotics,” Dunman says. “And it's really surprising how imperfect the correlation is between what the label says and what's actually out there.”
Probiotic supplements with similar names may not be appropriate, as different subspecies may have different effects. “This makes the field of probiotics even more complex,” says Dunman.
read more: What to feed the microorganisms
Research the benefits of gut health
However, this does not mean that there are no symptoms or treatments that cannot be improved with certain probiotics. However, in such cases, it may be best to consult your doctor or registered dietitian.
Targeted approaches to gut health are in the early stages of research.Daniel McDougall is researching how to boost your microbiome helps the immune systemThat, in turn, could help cancer patients. Cresci is studying how nutritional approaches targeting the human gut microbiome can repair some of the damage to cells and the immune system. caused by alcohol. Gewirtz then studied the influence of the microbiome on both. diabetes and obesity.
but, Song Min YangEpidemiologists at the Harvard School of Public Health warn that personalized approaches to treating many diseases through the microbiome may still be the future.
“This is a very attractive concept given that the microbiome is so important to health,” he says.
But Song also says it's difficult to “deconstruct” the microbiome's contribution to specific health problems. For example, the same type of diet that promotes a healthy microbiome Lower incidence of colon cancer. But he's not sure whether the microbiome is an “intermediary” or just a “standby.”
That's not to say a healthy microbiome doesn't contribute to your overall health. The microbiome appears to work in conjunction with a variety of other processes.
Song also recommends a diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. He admits that this requires more effort than taking supplements or a single “functional” food.
“People love to have a 'silver bullet,'” Song says. “Unfortunately, it's not that simple.”
read more: New clues to chronic disease found in the gut
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik was a science journalist for more than 20 years, specializing in U.S. life sciences policy and global scientific career issues. He started his career in newspapers but switched to scientific magazines. His research has appeared in publications such as Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.