What's the Deal with Gut Bacteria?

Our Gut Microbiome

Did you know that you are more bacteria and micro-organisms than human? There are around 40-70 trillion cells in the human body and 10 times the bacteria! It would not be wrong to say that each of us is a living host for bacterial colonies! But before you go “Ewwww”, that’s not even half the story. We are also hosts to a multitude of parasites, fungi and viruses which can outnumber all the stars in the galaxy many times over.

Our body’s microbiome is a natural extension of the macroecosystem of the environment that surrounds us. Bio-diversity is a natural law. The more the diversity of organisms, the healthier the system. We cannot exist apart from the environment. We are in the environment and the environment is in us. This could not be truer when you think about all the micro-organisms or microbes for short, living inside our intestines, in our organs, on our skin and even under our eyelids. Go on…. Say Ewwwww all you want but they are supporting our lives in ways that we are just about beginning to understand.

There has been much research in recent years about the importance of a healthy microbiome to our health. The bacteria have been the most studied with their links to human health. They play a role in a number of health facets ranging from digestive issues to immunity and even brain health.

There is a crisis at hand when it comes to the bio-diversity in our gut. Just like the world is losing forests at an alarming rate and along with it, the bio-diversity of animals, insects and plants in nature; it is also losing species of micro-organisms. We don’t see them with our naked eyes so it we don’t talk about it.  

Similarly, urban living with its unnatural spaces, diconnection from nature, over-sanitisation with chemical cleaners, treated water supplies, and radiation from digital devices has decimated microbial life in cities. Add to that our addiction to junk food and the use of pesticides on fresh produce. This not only kills more bacteria but even damages the fragile lining of the intestines leading to leaky gut phenomenon being linked to many modern lifestyle diseases. Naturally, the probiotic bio-diversity needed for optimal health cannot thrive in such a hostile environment.

Probiotics

Enter the pro-biotics. These are certain strains of bacteria identified by scientist as pro-life or “good bacteria”. They have the ability to keep our inner terrain healthy and even repair the damage done to our intestinal lining. Some of them are lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, streptococcus thermophilus and other tongue twisters. You can find these bacteria in traditional fermented foods like (vegan) curd, kimchi, sauerkraut, idli dosa, kanji and kombucha. Or you can buy them as probiotic “supplements”. These are made from strains of isolated bacteria harvested in laborotaries and sold as pills or liquids.
 

Image Source: Lyra Sid from Pixabay

New research into the long-term use of probiotic supplements finds them limiting. Since they are usually from a few strains of bacteria and even the best probiotic supplements have upto 25 different kinds of bacteria, it is very limited when you consider that a healthy microbiome can comprise 30-40,000 different strains of bacteria alone.

Putting the same few species of bacteria into our gut through oral supplementation is like raising monocultures. Monocultures in the agricultural world are known to devastate terrains due to lack of bio-diversity. The same problem can happen in our inner gut terrain if we use oral probiotic supplementation over the long term. In my view, probiotic food taken daily would be a better bet to keep your gut healthy.
But given the overall lack of diversity of microbial life in urban living due to the factors mentioned earlier, check out some more suggestions to grow a healthy microbiome .