How Your Gut Microbiome Makes You Happier
The Connection Between Your Gut, Brain, Skin, and Other Parts of the Body
A healthier gut means a healthier you. This is because the gut, aka digestive system, plays a vital role in maintaining your overall health.
In your digestive system, you’ll find the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is the home of good bacteria in your body.
The good bacteria in your gut do more than just help you absorb nutrients and digest food. They also fight bad bacteria to achieve a healthy balance of bacteria in your body.
When you have a healthy balance of bacteria, it helps other parts of the body to work properly. Here’s how the gut acts to aid in the functions of your other body parts.
The enteric nervous system is a part of your nervous system that is connected to your gut, so improving your gut can help you improve your anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders.
Table of Contents
The Brain
The gut acts as the communication center to and from the brain. The nerve cells in your digestive track send and receive information to the brain, including stressors. These stressors may affect your mood, stress level, and state of mind.
Most importantly, the gut is also responsible for producing 90% of the serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is an antidepressant that maintains your emotions. This can improve symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders.
Also, researchers believe that an imbalance of bacteria in your gut may affect how your brain processes information. This can disrupt your senses, including smell, sound, sight, taste, and touch. That’s why it’s crucial that the good bacteria fight off the bad ones to maintain balance in your body.
Boost Your Immune System
The food you take may contain bad bacteria and pathogenic substances that can cause certain diseases and infections to the body. And it is through the gut that the food gains entry inside you.
So, how does the gut protect you from these harmful substances?
One way is to maintain the balance of bacteria in your gut. Excessive bad bacteria can cause problems in the body. This is why you must keep the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut microbiome.
Also, the Peyer’s patches in the small intestine help create an immune response to counter the harmful substances that enter your body. These large oval clusters of lymphoid tissue create antibodies to fight rogue substances in your body.
Heart Health
One study shows that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in promoting good HDL cholesterol. It also helps maintain a good level of triglycerides in the body. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that can increase the risk of heart disease.
Some bacteria like the Lactobacilli may also help reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
However, it is worth noting that some unhealthy bacteria in the gut microbiome may also produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). This chemical can contribute to heart disease by blocking arteries.
Clear Up Rosacea
Your digestive tract also plays a role in maintaining radiant skin. Some gut disorders have been linked to skin problems.
For instance, one study found out that a higher number of patients with rosacea were diagnosed with small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Rosacea is a skin condition that causes visible blood vessels and redness to the forehead, chin, nose, and cheeks.
Another study found that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) puts patients at a higher risk of rosacea, dermatitis, and psoriasis.
Both the gut and the skin play key roles in fighting pathogens that enter your body. And some diseases like IBD may begin in the gut microbiome. Then, inflammatory skin conditions follow.
On that note, researchers found that altering the gut microbiome rather than the skin itself helps treat some skin conditions.
Improving gut microbiome naturally
Taking care of your gut means taking care of your health. To improve your gut microbiome, experts advise you to eat a diverse range of foods.
Healthy foods include fermented ones and those rich in probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics help restore your gut to its healthy state while prebiotics help stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria. You should also include whole grains in your menu.
Then, limit your intake of processed foods, as well as artificial sweeteners. Also, cut off your intake of alcohol and minimize caffeine.
Eat Prebiotic Fiber
Prebiotics help feed the probiotics and allow them to survive in your gut longer. They are a type of fiber found in many different foods.
“Although all prebiotics are fiber, not all fiber is prebiotic.” -pubmed.gov
“Classification of a food ingredient as a prebiotic requires scientific demonstration that the ingredient [2]:
- Resists gastric acidity, hydrolysis by mammalian enzymes, and absorption in the upper gastrointestinal tract;
- Is fermented by the intestinal microflora;
- Selectively stimulates the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria potentially associated with health and well-being.” (pubmed.gov)
Pre-biotic Fiber Foods
Beta-Glucans are found in cereal grains and marine algae.
Inulin is a more commonly used pre-biotic added to probiotic or fiber supplements. It is found in chicory root, asparagus, bananas and onions, and garlic.
FOS (fructooligosaccharides) is surprisingly found in many fruits, hence the name. It is also in chicory root, bananas, garlic, and blue agave. (get your tequila on, just kidding.)
Weight Loss with a Healthy Gut
“Prospective cohort studies report that people who consume higher amounts of fiber weigh less than people who consume lesser amounts [17]. One study reported that in a 20-month period, every 1 g increase in total fiber consumed per day, decreased body weight by 0.25 kg” (pubmed.gov)
Therefore eating the right fibers can not only increase weight loss but also gut health. Also, healthy bacteria in your gut have been shown to improve overall body weight.
This one product does it ALL!
This is my favorite probiotic as it has Inulin Fiber in it to feed the probiotics. It also has a seaweed protective capsule that helps the probiotics survive past the stomach acid. It also has African Mango in it to help suppress appetite. In addition, Ashwagandha is an Adaptogenic Ayurvedic herb to help your body cope with stress.
So you are getting 3 products in one with this one! You get a probiotic to improve gut health (with fiber to feed the probiotics). In addition, a stress supplement and a weight loss supplement. Making this affordable, as each one of those supplements could easily cost $30 each per month. Then you would be spending $90 for all 3 and this one supplement covers it all! Plus it has strains specifically for healthy weight. Just check out the reviews, to see why it has so many great reviews!
- This probiotic includes clinically researched herbal extracts including African Mango Seed Extract to support weight management and Ashwagandha to support healthy energy.
- Probulin's scientifically formulated MAKTrek 3-D Probiotic Delivery System protects, feeds, and hydrates to ensure better delivery of beneficial bacteria to the gut
- 10 probiotic strains and 20 billion CFU per capsule including Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are important for digestive health and balance.
Another favorite is the colon support also by proublin. It has more bifidobacteria in it which is specifically helpful for colon health and getting things moving. This probiotic is great if you have any digestive issues like bloating, gas or diarrhea. Or even if you just feel like you don’t go often enough.
- Diet, stress & certain medications may cause an imbalance of gut bacteria. Probulin Colon Support offers support with occasional gas & bloating.
- DOCTOR FORMULATED. Created by a board-certified naturopathic doctor specializing in research and development. 20 billion CFU per vegan capsule. 12 scientifically-studied probiotic strains to target colon health.
- It survives the stomach acid because of the protective layer in the capsule.
If you are on a lower budget and still want to improve your gut health here is a 3rd option that is SO affordable. Give you 25 strains to all work on improving your gut, vaginal health, candida balance, skin, etc.
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Resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6041804/
Originally posted 2019-11-25 15:00:09.
Megan Santiago
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