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What is Gut Microbiome ? 

The gut microbiome is a collection of various types of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, which are naturally found in large intestine of humans and animals and are present in trillions in the body. Out of this, only 1000 have been identified till date. 

A recent study in "Nature Medicine", shows a significant connections between health and gut biomes, linking certain microbes to unhealthy and healthy results. 

The gut microbiome has an ability promote health and also to make us unwell, if not taken proper care. It contribute to various physiological processes like immune modulation, regulation of various hormones, production of many antioxidants and metabolites and also involved in immune modulation. 

Is Gut Microbiome is a new organ ? 

Recent study from the researchers at the University of Warwick have concluded that the gut microbiome is almost like an organ in its own. The other findings from the current research also found enough evidence to suggest that gut microbiome is a new organ system. 

Benefits of Gut Microbiome

Gut microbes shows certain benefits by playing important role by preventing us from many pathogenic activities and according to the study, they are always non-pathological and thus does not affects the immune system due to its presence in the body. They play important role like anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anti-diabetic, and anti-carcinogenic agents. Recently, it has been reported that it has an ability to reduce various systemic diseases like coronary irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease, infectious diseases like diarrhea and metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus.  

According to the study, these bacteria also protect the gut epithelial cells against external pathogens, which help in the breakdown of dietary polysaccharides into fatty acids, including acetate, butyrate, and propionate, which serve as important metabolites for direct energy source of intestinal epithelial cells. 

Different Environmental Conditions that affect Gut Microbiome

“By the age of 3 years, the gut microbiota is established, but various factors can change its diversity and development and sometimes lead to imbalance of microbiome.  These factors include: 

• Physical or psychological stress
• Antibiotics- Treatment with antibiotics in humans or animals, results decreased population of beneficial or good bacteria like Lactobacilli and promotes the growth of harmful bacteria like Clostridium difficile and the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. 
• Diet and obesity- The composition of microbiome varies from one person to another especially in the case of obese and lean people. Diet modification is another factor that affects microbiome. Food is metabolized by the gut microbes help to metabolise food and extract nutrients more efficiently as compared to other species. According to the study, gut microbes in obese people who are on low-caloric diet, are shifted to a normal bacterial population which thus does benefits as much, when compared to lean people.  

Diseases associated with Microbiome

According to the research, many factors like host factor or external factors like mental and physical stress, antibiotic intake, poor nutrient diets induces imbalance of microbial flora in gut microbiome, which produces metabolites, that may be dangerous to host and leads to many diseases. Some of it are: 

• Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) diseases which includes metabolic disorders, liver disease,  autoimmune diseases, mental or psychological diseases and respiratory diseases 
• The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), 
• Skin problems, cancer, cardiac problems, Influenza etc. 

5 Things that keep Your Microbiome Healthy

Probiotics: These foods contain microorganism that have health benefits. According to many scientists, probiotics helps to balance of the normal intestinal microbiota and improve the immune system. Recent research suggests that certain types of probiotics are available that may beneficial. Although, there is insufficient evidence about its benefits and safety, including the side effects, but people are using it for its benefit. 

Prebiotics: Prebiotics includes the plant based food like dietary fiber. Dietary fiber are either soluble or insoluble fiber, which stimulate the growth of gut bacteria.  People can Soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol and glucose levels while insoluble fiber  promotes the movement of material through the digestive system.

• The primary sources of soluble fiber are fruits and vegetables. 
• The primary sources of insoluble fiber are cereals and whole grain products 

The dietary fiber intake for adults in most European countries and the United States are 30–35 grams per day (g/day) for males and 25–32 g/day for females.

These findings suggest that most of us should increase our dietary fiber intake by about 50%.

Exercise : Physical activity can impact certain gut microbes

 Fruits, vegetables and unprocessed foods:  to make healthy gut microbiome.

Fecal transplants: Recent study found that  transplanting fecal bacteria from healthy donors into people with intestinal diseases can help to restore the function of healthy gut microbiota. This procedure is considered to be more beneficial than probiotics. 

It also help to treat certain diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergic disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome.