Gut Feelings
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Think you’re alone? You’re not. Trillions of microbacteria live in your gastrointestinal system and they are crawling over your skin. These nearinvisible organisms make up your microbiota, and the human environs they inhabit are collectively known as your microbiome. How do we create that healthy gut biome? What destroys a good biome? How is the gut linked to happiness? What works against good gut health? According to researchers, several thousands of types of bacteria make up a healthy gut. Each person’s microbiota is unique, and is constantly changing due to diet, environment, behavioural
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WORKLIFE | JANUARY 2019
patterns, and age, among other influences. It is impacted by the type of birth we had. Vaginal borne babies have a different microbiota profile than those born via caesarean section, just as breast fed babies have a different microbiota profile than formula-fed babies. As we age, the number of microbiota species in our microbiome decreases. There are some unhealthy bacteria, but the majority of micro-organisms in the human microbiome are necessary to create the type of environment that stimulates the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, essential in moderating mood and sleep.
