Probiotics and the Microbiome: What's Eating You?

The Microbiome was addressed in an earlier blog (http://egglrock.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-microbiome.html) but I thought the New Year would be a good time to revisit this topic.  The Microbiome is just a cool sounding word that describes how your body provides the perfect host environment to support the growth of trillions of bacteria.  Ick!  Did you know that there are about ten times more bacteria living in and on your body than the sum total of all your human cells combined?  And that’s a good thing.  Believe it or not all those bugs do wonders for your health by boosting your immune system (Knight et al., J. Immunol 2010).  Think of your microbiome as your own personal army that protects you from disease. 

Are you a germ-o-phobe? Too bad.  All those showers and incessant use of Purell are killing off your main-line-of-defense (not to mention drying out your skin and hair-I’ll bet you have a REALLY bad case of dandruff, but that will be the topic of another blog).  I’m not saying go out and stand in front of a person with a really bad cold.  Get outdoors and expose yourself to whatever is in fresh air, do some gardening, shoot some outdoor hoops-even if you never make a basket.  I have yet to catch a cold by going to my local Y every day but I bet it’s a great location for building my immunity, not to mention my strength.

The other Microbiome slayers are all those antibiotics your doctor is prescribing you.  Although antibiotics and antiseptics have altered the course of history, contributing to the longevity that we enjoy today, they have also altered our immune system. Over the past few decades we have gotten a little over-zealous with these antibacterial agents, killing off both the bad bacteria and the good.  If you must take an antibiotic for a dangerous infection then be sure to replenish the bacteria with probiotics.  These healthy bacteria may be found in yogurt and other fermented foods such as sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi and even pickles.  If these foods do not appeal to you then you may want to take a probiotic supplement that delivers 20-50 billion live organisms per dose and contains a combination of different strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.  If the meat that you are eating is not labeled Organic then it too, has been adulterated with antibiotics.  Most animals are given antibiotics whether they need them or not since the close quarters they are housed in are a potential source of infection. These antibiotics alter immunity in animals the same way that they alter your immunity.

In order for the good bacteria in your gut to thrive you need to feed them food they like and that means eating lots of fibrous fruits and vegetables. Green vegetables have the most fiber but just about any plant will do.  The jury is still out on whole grains as they are a significant mediator of food sensitivities, possibly due to the fact that the gut is lacking the kind of bacteria needed for digestion of whole grains.  Other forms of sustenance for your gut bacteria are called prebiotics which are non-digestible carbohydrates that help your good bacteria flourish. These can be found in artichokes, garlic, beans, oats, onions and asparagus.   Without a nutritious diet the good bacteria will starve to death and, in a final act of desperation, they will start to eat you!

 Do you suffer from an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) like Colitis or Crohn’s disease?  These diseases are caused by an inflammation of your colon and other parts of the digestive system whose defenses have been ravaged by a poor diet or weakened immune system.  IBDs are reversible but you need to heal your gut and improve your diet.  This means eliminating processed foods, wheat, and sugar and possibly eliminating soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts and anything else that you might be sensitive to.  Unfortunately, the standard American diet (SAD-what an ironic acronym!) is so adulterated that it has sapped our ability to digest what were once perfectly nutritious foods.  At the same time, you should increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.  Once the cells that line your intestine are healed, and you’ve replenished your gut with healthy bacteria, you may find that you are no longer sensitive to the whole foods that used to cause gastrointestinal distress.