GUT TALK

GUT TALK TIPS FOR A HEALTHY MICROBIOME

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health, It’s hard to imagine surrendering control of our minds and bodies to trillions of microorganisms, but an ever-growing body of research from the Human Microbiome Project shows how microbes living in and on our bodies affect and even predict our physical and mental health. The majority of these microorganisms, or microbiota, live within our large intestine. According to Kelly Tappenden, Ph.D., a registered dietitian and head of the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois–Chicago, we have more microbial cells within our gut than we have human cells in our body. These microbes help digest food, regulate appetite, produce certain vitamins, synthesize chemicals such as serotonin, metabolize carcinogens and regulate our immune system. She suggests that we think of them collectively as an organ that develops and changes as we age. “A huge proportion of your immune system is actually in your GI tract,” says Dan Peterson, assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Taking care of our gut microbes is paramount during times of stress and risk of infec

Stanford researchers Justin and Erica Sonnenburg explain how healthy gut bacteria are essential for both metabolic health and strong immunity, adding that the chemicals our gut microbes synthesize behave like drugs—they are absorbed into our bloodstream and influence our biology. Seattle-based biologist Ann Bikle refers to the colon as an “onboard medicine chest”. Unfortunately, warns Sonnenburg, physicians too often prescribe antibiotics, which wreak havoc on our microbiota, leaving us susceptible to

disease-causing organisms. tion. In their book, The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight,

FIBER FOR A STRONG DEFENSE

The Sonnenburgs define a microbiotafriendly diet as rich in plant-based, highfiber foods and limited in meat and satuaijiro/AdobeStock.com rated animal fats. Low-fiber diets contribute to a decline in gut microbe diversity, resulting in a weakened immune system. “Fiber is fuel for the gut,” says Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., a registered dietitian and professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. It’s naturally found in fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Fermentable fibers such as fruit pectin, beta-glucans in barley and oats, and oligosaccharides in beans are metabolized by gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids that provide energy to cells in the colon. Many fermentable fibers are called “prebiotics” because they promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Inulin, for example, is a prebiotic fiber found naturally in onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, wheat and oats. Teresa Martin, a registered dietitian based in Bend, Oregon, who researches gut health and disease prevention, recommends 35 to 50 grams of fiber per day to promote diverse, abundant and resilient gut microbes. For those over 50 years of age, the Institute of Medicine recommends 30 grams of dietary fiber per day for men and 21 grams for women. Most Americans get half the recommended amounts because highly processed, low-fiber foods are ubiquitous. Plus, popular gluten-free, keto and paleo diets limit whole grains. When buying packaged foods, check labels carefully and choose those providing at least three grams of fiber per serving.

Jeff Sheldon on How Our Microbiome Impacts the Immune System

A HEALTHY MICROBIOME FOR LIFE Martin shares the following strategies for developing and preserving gut health: Choose a vaginal birth, if pregnant; and breastfeed to help establish a healthy microbiome in the baby. Choose an organic, plant-based diet. Aim for a variety of different plant species each day. Enjoy fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut, but be cautious with probiotic supplements. Only use those with proven safety and effectiveness. Limit “microbial assassins”. Artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers such as polysorbate 80, carageenan and carboxymethylcellulose, typically found in processed foods, can lead to bloating, irritable bowel and inflammation. Enjoy physical activity; avoid sitting for more than 30 to 60 minutes. Go outside, enjoy fresh air and play in the dirt. Reduce stress. Try yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Sleep six to eight hours each night. Think about gut microbiota every day, advises Martin. “Anything you can do to help fuel healthy microbes, no matter how small, will make a difference to your health.”

Melinda Hemmelgarn, the Food Sleuth, is an award-winning registered dietitian, writer and nationally syndicated radio host based in Columbia, MO. Reach her at FoodSleuth@gmail.com.

For more than 30 years, The Health Hut in Mobile and Daphne has focused on high quality, whole-food vitamins, herbs and supplements and a well-educated staff. Natural Awakenings asked owner Jeff Sheldon to explain the role our microbiome plays in immune health and how we can help optimize its function. How does the bacteria in our GI system affect our immune system? When our microbiome is balanced—when we’re keeping the bad bacteria down and the good bacteria up—it’s more than an immune building environment, it’s immunemodulating. This means it has the ability to kick the immune system in gear as needed.

The majority of our microbiota live in our gut, and probiotics—the good bacteria—inhibit the growth and reproduction of bad pathogens which we’re exposed to on a daily basis through our food and drink and the things we touch. When there’s an imbalance of bacteria we’re not able to regulate our immune system as we normally would. This happens when we’re exposed to something or we have an unhealthy lifestyle due to things such as poor nutrition, cigarettes and alcohol. How does childbirth impact our microbiome? It’s the foundation of everything. If you’re not exposed to the birth canal, there are very specific species of bacteria that do not have a chance to grow in the first few months of life and those are the main species for immune function.

That is not to say a C-section birth will yield an unhealthy child. There will always be a time and place for C-sections. Mothers can ingest probiotic supplements and eat fermented foods to pass to baby during nursing. Many hospitals are actually swabbing the mother during a C-section birth and exposing the child to the bacteria. What are the best ways to balance our microbiome? It’s important that we feed the good bacteria through our diet so they populate and grow. They’re living organisms and you don’t want them to starve to death. In our Western diets, foods such as onion, garlic, bananas, oats and soybeans all contain prebiotic fibers that the probiotics live on.

Fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables are all good sources of probiotics, but Americans don’t eat a lot of those things. So, many people choose to take probiotic supplements. How do we choose a good probiotic supplement? We recommend multi-strain formulas. Look for products that will guarantee their potency and that have strains that are clinically-proven in humans. You can find probiotics at the grocery store that have 4 million viable cells, but we’re measuring these cells in billions. From my rib cage to my hips, there may be 600 trillion viable cells, so when I put in 50 billion, that’s a drop in the bucket. A probiotic supplement measured in millions may not provide much benefit at all.

As a live culture, probiotics in pills are dormant. What brings them out of dormancy is heat and/or moisture so the potency of refrigerated products will likely diminish more slowly than those that have been sitting on the shelf at room temperature. What happens when we take antibiotics? Antibiotic usage doesn’t necessarily kill all the bacteria, but the bad guys start outnumbering the good guys. And if we don’t replenish them, that’s how we grow up with these imbalances which can cause other problems later in life— mostly inflammatory-based conditions such as Crohn’s disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Even autoimmune diseases can be traced back to inflammation in the gut.

Repeated usage can wreck the system long-term, but there is a time and a place for antibiotics. The proven thing to do is to follow up with a good strong probiotic postantibiotic usage to replenish the good bacteria. For more information, see ad, page 5.