Healthy Gut Bacteria

The gut is the gastrointestinal tract which is a long tube from the mouth to the anus. It processes the food eaten via the digestive system. A lot of food and drink is absorbed in the small intestine, involving the lining of the gut and enzymes which are made by own body or stomach.

In the gut is the microbiome which is a collection of bacteria, fungi, viruses and genes, known as microbes, that contribute to health and wellbeing as they are connected to other systems in the body.

Scientific evidence has found that the microbiome may first start to form when a baby is in the mother’s womb and collects the hosts bacteria as baby travels through the birth canal. The new-born baby’s microbiome is then influenced by the mother’s breastmilk and then foods that are eaten. All of these factors contribute to forming the baby’s own gut bacteria.

Most of our cells (approximately 90%) are made up of microbes. Our diet affects the microbes, which in turn affect the way that self operates. If you need to function better, than you need to eat a better diet that feeds your body for living, not just to survive.

Nurturing gut bacteria is an important part in good gut health, in relation to your digestive system, immune system, nervous system and brain, Gut bacteria is a great example of bacteria that protects us, instead of harming bodily functions. Gut bacteria, also known as microbiome, are found in the digestive tract and are a collection of micro-organisms that help to control the related systems. Dis-order in the gut microbiota can be influenced by poor diet, medication such as antibiotics and this can trigger inflammation in the body. This unbalance in gut health or microbes are known to cause weight loss, high blood sugar and conditions related to that, like diabetes and intestinal dis-eases.

It’s important that own gut bacteria and health are nurtured by ingesting foods that will enhance the gut microbiome. It is recommended that a diverse intake of certain prebiotic and probiotic foods will strengthen gut health and the relate body systems or organs. Every body will have different requirements and needs, so knowing self and own body needs are essential to healthy living.

It is not only diet that influences gut health but lifestyle as well. A stressful life releases stress hormones that not only have a detrimental effect on the brain, immune systems and emotions, but also affect the digestive system as well as the gut bacteria. Stress may be linked to gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Some scientists believe that an unstable gut microbiome can have a detrimental effect on the digestive tract, immune system, brain and nervous system because of the connection between each. If one area of health is not maintained it will have a domino effect and effect other cells, organs and systems in the body.

There is much scientific research being done on the connection between gut health and preventing disease or reversing immune related illness. It will be a great insight into how the microbiota influences dis-ease or dis-order in the body.