3.3 pounds of intestinal bacteria are key to your health
Scientific research underscores the significant influence of intestinal bacteria on our overall health and well-being.
Within your intestines, you harbor approximately 3.3 pounds of intestinal bacteria. The majority of these microorganisms are benign and even beneficial. However, when there’s a shift in the balance of bacterial composition, and harmful strains proliferate, the risk of developing serious diseases escalates.
Hence, it’s prudent to nurture the beneficial bacteria while depriving the detrimental ones of sustenance.
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The role of bacteria in your body
The vast collection of intestinal bacteria is commonly referred to as the intestinal flora, but the accurate term is microbiota (small life).
Their tasks include:
- Breaking down and digesting your food.
- Converting dietary fibers into fatty acids, which serve as the primary nourishment for the cells of the intestine.
- Maintaining the health and density of your intestinal mucosa, preventing harmful substances from penetrating into your bloodstream.
- Combating pathogenic bacteria.
- Producing vital vitamins.
- Regulating your immune system.
In the small intestine, there are virtually no intestinal bacteria. Here, we break down and absorb our nutrients ourselves.
The largest concentration of intestinal bacteria resides in the large intestine. The closer you get to the anal opening, the higher the count of intestinal bacteria.
The importance of intestinal bacteria for your health
Indeed, researchers have increasingly recognized the significance of bacteria in relation to our health.
Our microbiota exerts influence over a wide spectrum, impacting factors ranging from our overall health and body weight to even our cognitive processes.
For instance, it has come to light that individuals who are overweight possess a distinct microbiota, and children with autism harbor a different microbiota compared to those who do not have the condition.
This trend extends to individuals grappling with infectious diseases. Scientists suspect that this could be attributed to an imbalance in the composition of bacteria.
Bacteriologists classify our intestinal bacteria into classes, genera, families, species, and subspecies. Current research is in full swing to unravel the specific roles that individual species of bacteria play in maintaining our health. It’s possible that manipulating our microbiota could emerge as an effective and straightforward approach for treating serious diseases over the long term.
Improve Your Health in 14 Days with Dietary Changes
Studies indicate that altering your diet can lead to a shift in the bacterial composition of your intestinal system.
Embarking on a two-week diet rich in fish, poultry, fresh berries, yogurt, seeds, and ample servings of vegetables can promote the growth of a wider array of bacteria in your intestinal system. Simultaneously, it’s crucial to restrict foods that may nourish undesirable bacteria, like candies, hefty steaks, bread, and pasta.
This dietary regimen fosters greater diversity in the gut microbiome. Researchers believe that this diversity is paramount, as they’ve noted a direct link between several chronic diseases and a lack of diversity in the intestinal microbiota.
Mom’s stools as a birthday present
Each individual possesses a unique composition of intestinal bacteria, just as no two people are identical.
During our time as fetuses in the womb, our intestines are completely sterile. Upon a vaginal birth, we acquire our initial bacteria at delivery. By nature’s design, we are born in close proximity to our mother’s rectal area, which allows us to inherit both her vaginal and intestinal bacteria.
Moreover, there is substantial evidence to suggest that these bacteria play a pivotal role in regulating our immune systems.
In contrast, infants born via Caesarean section do not inherit the beneficial bacteria from their mothers. Instead, they are primarily exposed to the skin of other individuals in the first moments of their lives. Consequently, they face a heightened risk of certain disorders that could have been mitigated with a healthy microbiota.
Nevertheless, discerning any significant divergence in the microbiota between children born vaginally and those born via Caesarean section by the age of seven is an exceedingly challenging task.
Your personal bacterial cocktail
Following the initial year, the significance of breast milk and bacteria diminishes, and by the age of three, the child has established their own unique microbiota. This natural process occurs as the child explores their environment, whether by chewing on objects like a shoe or giving the neighbor’s dog a kiss. Bacteria from the surroundings and ingested food find their way into the child’s intestines, contributing to the development of their individual microbiota.
While the exact composition of the optimal bacterial mixture remains unknown, experts posit, as mentioned earlier, that the key to good health lies in harboring a wide variety of bacteria. In essence, what matters most is fostering a rich diversity within the microbiota.
By Christa Zenobie Dahl
Rephrased by GP Medical Devices 2023
Source:
Giulia Enders, Gut: The inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ
Irene Brøndum, Majbritt L. Engell and professor Oluf Borbye Pedersen, Tarme i topform – spis dig til sundhed, energi og velvære