The Microbiome

The Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome is made up of around 38 trillion bacteria and this community of microorganisms work together in a symbiotic relationship supporting the health of our body. There are over two thousand different bacterial strains not only in our guts but also on our skin and in our mouths, all responsible for different and life enhancing functions in our bodies. The balance of this community is vital to our health and well being and when it becomes dysbiotic and out of balance it can cause a plethora of negative health outcomes.

To put the importance of our gut health into prospective, the human genome has around 20 thousand functional genes when the microbiome has over 3 million. There are more microbial cells in and on our bodies than human cells. Our microbiome produces over 1,000 bioactive metabolites needed for human function, tens of thousands of which are proteins and essential for health. It has a role in a huge number of functions in our bodies including digestion, vitamin synthesis, metabolism, hormone regulation, mental health, detoxification and immune function.

The microbiome is responsible for digesting around 40% of the food we eat by breaking down complex carbohydrates and fibres. It supports nutrient absorption and vitamin synthesis, helps with bile acid metabolism which is vital in digesting and absorbing the fat we eat. It regulates gut motility via interactions with the enteric nervous system and maintains the gut barrier integrity. This integrity is not only essential for the absorption of nutrients but also crucial for preventing the gut barrier to break down. The microbiome produces compounds that strengthen the gut lining thus preventing leaky gut and regulates our immune response.

The Microbiome produces many beneficial compounds such as; Short Chain Fatty Acids like butyrate, acetate and propionate all of which are essential for our gut and overall health, energy metabolism and immune modulation. It also produces vitamins like K2, B12, B9 and B6 all essential for hormone health, energy production, brain function and bone health. These SCFAs also improve insulin sensitivity, regulating hormones like ghrelin and leptin, responsible for hunger and satiety. They stimulate the production of GLP-1 which controls appetite and regulates blood sugar levels. These SCFAs also help acidify the colon, maintaining an environment that inhibits harmful bacteria and therefore keeping a healthy balance.

Our Microbiota also produce neurotransmitters like serotonin (over 90% of serotonin is produced in your gut), dopamine, GABA which regulate mood, stress and emotional well being. It produces antimicrobial compounds like bacteriocins which are natural defence compounds that inhibit harmful pathogens. Also anti-inflammatory compounds like Urolithins, indolepropionic acid and hormone regulating compounds and bioactive peptides.

The microbiome also regulates and trains our immune system of which 70% is housed in our guts. As our guts become dysbiotic and dysfunctional the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria and the gut barrier integrity becomes compromised. Our beneficial bacteria produce antimicrobial compounds that target harmful pathogens and also aid in detoxifying and eliminating toxins in the gut.

As our gut barrier breaks down, the immune system responds to undigested food particles and chemicals leaking into our biology with attack, as if being invading by a pathogen or virus. This response in isolation is healthy and vital. However, this leaking of toxins left unchecked and constant, leads to chronic low grade inflammation which then leads to disease by compromising the weak links in our genetics. The immune system should assault and a quick attack to kill the invader and then return to normal. This is normally the response you feel when you are first ill as the body mounts its attack many of our cells get damaged and this is the pain, fever and inflammation we feel in the first 24hrs of being ill.

 Why does our microbiome become imbalanced?

The gut microbiome is a dynamic, ever-evolving ecosystem that adapts in real-time to changes in your diet, environment, stress levels and lifestyle. This constant adaptation makes the microbiome both resilient and vulnerable depending the factors it is exposed to. Changes can be seen in as little as 24hrs.

Our diets and lifestyles have fundamentally changed over the last 50yrs. We are literally starving our microbes of the Prebiotic fibres and other nutrients they need to survive and through this neglect we erase dozens if not hundreds of beneficial bacterial species from our microbiome. With increasing numbers of microbiome disrupters that kill beneficial bacteria and create imbalance like additives, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, steroid hormones, sugar, pesticides, chemicals and processes to our foods. Glyphosate alone the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide along with other herbicides and pesticides applied in conventional farming is so detrimental to our guts it has been shown to eradicate probiotic species like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium essential for our health and balance of our microbiome but not touching the harmful pathogenic species like escherichia coli and Clostridia linked to Autism in children. Remember these chemicals are not just sprayed on our crops but also now contaminate our environment, our waterways, livestock, other foods and the human body because of the liberal application to the major crops of corn, soy, and wheat. Don’t forget we are also spraying this on our own lawns and in and around our neighbourhoods. By eradicating whole specifies of beneficial bacteria and promoting harmful pathogens to grow and compete we are only promoting a dysbiotic state in our guts that will later lead to much more serious health conditions. Once this dysbiotic gut state leads to Gut barrier dysfunction or intestinal permeability this is but the tip of the iceberg of serious health and autoimmune conditions these chemicals and dietary and environmental changes cause. We have not even mentioned BPAs, PCBs, industrial chemicals and the routine administration of antibiotics.

If you take C Section births, bottle fed babies, low microbial diversity being spread from mother to child, genetic predispositions, antibiotic use early in life due to infections caused by low diversity add in environmental chemicals, lack of dirt and outside life, over sanitising our homes

Our fibre intake has dramatically reduced as well as the diversity and amount of whole and real foods in our diets. The reliance of fast food and takeaways, packaged and processed foods, as our lives have become busier and our attitudes towards the food we eat have radically changed. Add in the routine use antibiotics, NSAIDS, PPIs, medications, stress, over sterilisation, sedentary and indoor lifestyles. The foundation of our gut health has become compromised.

This compromise has lead to imbalances in the microbiome, with whole species being lost and permanently eradicated with no hope of regeneration. This change in composition further leading to harmful pathogenic species taking hold and health giving species being pushed out further due to the competitive nature of the microbiome. The higher the diversity of species in our gut is a sure sign of health. Limiting dietary carbohydrates with restrictive low carbohydrate diets is great for initial weight loss but long term casue havoc with your gut and your long term health.

Common conditions associated with an imbalanced gut microbiome

Immune Dysregulation and Autoimmunity

Chronic Pain and Inflammation

Weight gain and metabolic syndrome

Impaired detoxification and NAFLD

Acne and other skin conditions

Hyper-sensitivity, MCAS, Histamine Intolerance

Mood disorders, anxiety and depression

Neurodegenerative disease and cognitive decline

Chronic infections and illnesses

Blood sugar Dysregulation and diabetes

Hormone Imbalance, PCOS, infertility and low libido

Chronic fatigue and low energy

Nutrient deficiencies and anaemia

Brain fog and inability to focus