What’s The Deal With Probiotics?

The human body contains, give or take, 37.2 trillion cells. I think we can all agree that’s a whole lotta cells.

Well, if that number blows your mind, consider this: The bacteria in your body, right now as you read this, outnumber your cells by 10 to 1. Bacteria are all around us, inside and out, and when you really take a look at them, you realize just how much they are running the human show.

Before There Were Human Beings

There were bacteria on this planet 3.8 billion years ago, way before there were any human beings roaming around hunting and gathering. And scientists believe bacteria will be around long after humans and other animals are extinct. That’s how hardy these little buggers are.

Bacteria can be found in the upper most layers of our atmosphere and all the way under the sea floor. They are everywhere, and many scientists posit that bacteria are responsible for the origins of multicellular organisms. Which may explain why so many are currently residing inside our bodies.

What Exactly are Probiotics and How Do They Help Our Bodies?

While it may seem a bit odd to realize there are tens of trillions of bacteria in your body right now, a majority of these are the good kind of bacteria (probiotics) that are helping your body to function how it was intended to function.¹ For instance, the good bacteria are responsible for breaking down food and helping us absorb certain nutrients like essential fatty acids. The good bacteria also help fight the bad bacteria that can invade your body through cuts and wounds or through eating food that is “off.”

Beyond breaking down and absorbing foods and waging war against dangerous pathogens, probiotics offer the body other benefits such as weight loss, improved digestion, enhanced immune function, better skin and a reduced risk of many diseases²

That’s the good news. The bad news is most of us have a bacteria ratio that is off. We have far more bad bacteria in us than good bacteria. This skewed ratio is the result of stress, poor diet, and prescription medications, most notably antibiotics. If you’ve ever taken antibiotics, you most likely do not have the strong microbiome your gut should have. This is because antibiotics kill all bacteria, good and bad.

In order to replenish the good bacteria in your gut, it’s necessary to supplement with probiotics, which either come in fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kimchi or supplements that contain the friendly bacteria our bodies need.

The Link Between Gut Health and Diabetes

The incidents of diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate. While poor diet can be blamed for much of the disease in the Western world, researchers are now finding there may be an important link between the health of our gut and whether or not we will develop diabetes.

For example, some bacteria inside of us form toxins that enter the gut and cause inflammation in the body. This in turn affects our liver and fat cells, resulting in insulin sensitivity and an overall change in our metabolic processes. Other bacteria seem to determine how we use carbohydrates, another aspect of metabolic syndrome and the development of type 2 diabetes.

One study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland ³ found that certain intestinal bacteria may protect against diabetes. A high concentration of indolepropionic acid in participants’ blood serum was discovered to protect against diabetes. Indolepropionic acid is a metabolite produced by intestinal bacteria. A higher concentration of indolepropionic acid also seemed to promote insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells, which may explain the protective effect.

How to Help Your Gut Bacteria Thrive

If you want to optimize your gut health and protect yourself from diseases like obesity and diabetes, here are some things you can do to help your good bacteria thrive:

Eat Like Our Ancestors

As I mentioned earlier, the bacteria in our guts predate us, by millions of years. While the clock has ticked on, these bacteria haven’t caught up to our modern ways of eating.

Our ancestors ate pretty simple foods that were available to them, namely wild meat, fish, and some tubers. Some fruits in the tropical regions. Grains and legumes and some deadly nightshades, all of which contain harmful lectins that wreak havoc on our guts, have only been around for about 10,000 years, as long as agriculture has been around. Actually, deadly nightshades and other crops from the new world (like corn) have only been part of the human diet for 500 or so years.

One of the best things you can do to protect your gut’s microbiome is to eat more like our ancestors ate, focusing on meats, fish, sweet potatoes and some vegetables. Fruits are fine in moderation, but remember, for most of our ancestors, fruits were only available during a few months out of the year.

Also, consider eating more fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut. These will help replenish the good bacteria you’ve lost.

Avoid Artifical Sweeteners

Not only do artificial sweeteners impair insulin response, they have also been shown to increase  Clostridium and Enterobacteriaceae bacteria in rat intestines, both of which are associated with disease when present in very high numbers.

Avoid Stress

I know, easier said than done, but avoiding stress, or at least the effects of it, can be best for your overall health. Consider exercising and meditating to help counteract the effects stress can have on your gut’s microbiome.

Final Thoughts

The health of your gut is incredibly important to guard against diabetes and a host of other diseases. After all, 80% of our immune system is located in our gut. So protect your good bacteria and they will protect you.

Resources:

[1] Jose C. Clemente, Luke K. Ursell, Laura Wegener Parfrey, Rob Knight. The Impact of the Gut Microbiota on Human Health: An Integrative View. Cell Volume 148, Issue 6, 16 March 2012, Pages 1258-1270

[2] West CE, Renz H, Jenmalm MC, Kozyrskyj AL, Allen KJ, Vuillermin P, Prescott SL. The gut microbiota and inflammatory noncommunicable diseases: associations and potentials for gut microbiota therapies. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015 Jan;135(1):3-13

[3] Vanessa D. de Mello, Jussi Paananen, Jaana Lindström, Maria A. Lankinen, Lin Shi, Johanna Kuusisto, Jussi Pihlajamäki, Seppo Auriola, Marko Lehtonen, Olov Rolandsson, Ingvar A. Bergdahl, Elise Nordin, Pirjo Ilanne-Parikka, Sirkka Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, Rikard Landberg, Johan G. Eriksson, Jaakko Tuomilehto, Kati Hanhineva, Matti Uusitupa. Indolepropionic acid and novel lipid metabolites are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7: 46337 DOI: 10.1038/srep46337