How and why to strengthen your gut microbe.
It’s
common for people to focus on their health at the start of the year. But few
consider the well being of the microbes that live inside the human gut — the
microbiome — which are vital to an individual’s good health.
Your microbiome helps control everything from
inflammation to how much energy we get from our foods, and perhaps even what
foods we crave and our moods.
How
important are these bacteria? There are as many
bacterial cells in us as there are human cells, and they help
control everything from inflammation and
the development and
treatment of cancer to how much energy we get from
our foods and perhaps even what foods we crave and our moods.
When
our microbiome becomes unbalanced, often indicated when certain species or
groups of bacteria become overly abundant, these functions can be disrupted,
contributing to the development of a wide range of diseases such as obesity,
cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and many others.
Our gut
microbes are also responsible for gas production when we eat new foods as those
microbes adapt to this new nutrient source in their environment. So it is clear
we want to have a healthy microbiome, but what is that?
There
is a lot of debate regarding what exactly constitutes a healthy community of
gut microbes, but one thing has become clear. Humans need a diverse microbiome with
a variety of bacterial species that can quickly adapt to the wide range of
foods that we might want to consume while still performing all those important
functions like preventing inflammation. So what are some things that you can do
to support a healthy, diverse microbiome?
1. Eat your fruits and
veggies
While
all the different foods that make up your diet can influence the gut microbiome,
it is the fiber — the carbohydrates in our diet that we cannot break down
ourselves but the bacteria in our gut can use readily — that drives the
formation of a healthy microbiome. Eating a diverse and abundant selection of
fruits and veggies is a great way to feed some of the most health-promoting
bacteria in our gut.
2. Add resistant
starch
Most of
the starch in our diet – like white bread and pasta – is quickly broken down
and absorbed. But a fraction of that starch is resistant to digestion and acts
more like a fiber, feeding the bacteria in our gut. Resistant starch has
been identified as particularly beneficial for supporting all of those healthy
functions of the gut microbiome.
Some
sources of resistant starch include potatoes and legumes. All sources of starch
can also become more resistant after cooking and then cooling in the
fridge. So those leftover potatoes and pasta, cold or reheated, may
have some added microbiome-promoting punch.
3. Experiment with
different fibers
Not all
gut microbiomes are the same and not all fibers are the same. Certain fibers
and microbiomes will mix better than others, depending on what functions are
present. This means that you need to do some experimentation to see
what fibers will make you and your gut feel the best. You can do this with
fiber supplements or with different categories of fiber sources such as whole
grains, legumes or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. Give your microbiome a
couple of weeks to adjust to each fiber source to see how it responds.
4. Exercise for both
you and your microbes
Regular
physical activity is not only good for your heart, it is good for your gut, too. Studies recently showed that
some of the lactate produced during exercise can impact certain gut microbes —
although we don’t yet know how and why. Start slow if you haven’t had regular
physical activity as part of your daily life. If you start on New Year’s, by
Valentine’s Day you could be walking daily, or doing some time of activity that
you like, to help your heart, mind and gut.
5. Add probiotic foods
into your diet
What
are probiotic foods? These are foods that contain microorganisms that have a
health benefit.
There
are several different kinds of helpful microorganisms that are added to foods
like yogurt, or are naturally found in other fermented foods — like sauerkraut
or kimchi — that give them a health-promoting effect.
Give one of these foods a try in the new year. You might be wondering if probiotic
supplements are as beneficial as probiotic food. So far there isn’t enough
evidence to say that — so stick with food.
Connie Rogers is
Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania
State University. Darrell Cockburn is
Assistant Professor of Food Science, Pennsylvania
State University.
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