Bacteria, the tiny little guys that outnumber our own human cells 10 to 1, are very important for life as we know it. Bacteria helps to regulate many functions that carry out in our bodies on a daily basis, and some functions that we take for granted, like digestion, couldn’t be done without them. However, with our advances in modern science, we have really found out a bit more about how bacteria really plays a role in keeping us alive, and we’ve only just scraped the surface.
Recent studies have shown that when you make the bacteria in your gut happy, you have a healthier happy mind, as well. Gut bacteria (aka gut microbiota) has been found to play an important role in our mental health by producing neurochemicals that the brain uses to regulate our body's homeostatic functions. (Wait, back up... what’s that now? Basically, we need them to live.) The chemical signals produced by the bacteria regulate everything from physiological functions, such as our skin's appearance, or how we fight infections, to our complex mental functions that affect our mood or psychological state.
So what am I supposed to do with this information?
“Diet continues to be the most important determinant in shaping the composition, diversity and richness, even throughout adulthood. In general, intake of diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fibers is associated with a higher richness and diversity of the gut microbiota.”
This quote is just a more in depth way of saying, “you are what you eat,” and you need to eat a balanced diet for a healthy balanced microbiome (microbiome = region where microbes live. In this case, your body is the microbiome). Diversity of your microbiome is important to your health mainly because different strains of bacteria have different jobs within your body. In fact, many studies have found that when you test people who are obese versus people at a healthy weight, they’re microbiomes are vastly different, as to say the healthy weight persons have a more functionally diverse microbiome. This goes to say that eating healthy contributes to so much more of your health than just weight management. It affects the varying systems that keep us alive, like your immune system, and keeps us working in prime condition.
If you take anything out of this, it’s that we can’t change our microbiome instantly, but we can aid in making it a healthier living space for our bacteria by the way we eat!
The Microbiome, A Collaborative Network
A few major systems your microbiome affects:
Immune system- Microbes help to stimulate the immune cells to help fight off infectious invaders. Deficiencies in the microbiome can lead to autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s and IBD.
Digestive System- Helps to break down foods that our bodies cannot break down ourselves.
Nervous System- Microbes can send signals to our brain to let us know something is wrong in various parts of our body. Deficiencies here can affect mood and early research is linking it to autism.
So remember, what you put in your body does not only keep you from feeling hungry, it helps keep those awesome microbes working to make and keep you healthy!
Sources.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25415497
https://chriskresser.com/a-healthy-gut-is-the-hidden-key-to-weight-loss/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705220/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528021/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4062078/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3974587/
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