The Microbiota

There are quite a lot of microbes living in our gut. In fact, there are about 100 trillion. They have lived in harmony with us humans for millions of years. It’s a symbiotic relationship: we can’t live without them, and they can’t live without us. But lately, perhaps in part because of the modern world we live in, the relationship has soured.

These little fellas come in all shapes and sizes, and different species can have different effects on us. Take E. coli, for instance. Terrible little microbe, right? Well, sometimes he’s against us, and sometimes he can work very obediently for us, it depends on what company he’s keeping. You see, there are good guys and bad guys, or to be more precise, beneficial microbes, and opportunistic microbes.

A microbiota is a community of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses – and all these bugs (both good and bad) live inside the colon, and to a lesser extent, in the small intestine. The composition of the gut microbiota can play a major role in how tolerant and understanding the gut will be to environmental insults. Tolerance, in this context, is really referring to the non-reactivity of the immune system towards stuff being absorbed through the gut. Immune cells constantly have to 'decide' how to deal with the onslaught of microbes that it’s exposed to. It has been repeatedly shown that diet has a considerable effect on the composition of the gut microbiota (i.e. the ratio of good guys to bad guys, as well as the diversity of species)

The composition and products of the gut microbiota have a huge effect on immune and inflammatory responses. In fact, the gut microbiota and its activities are involved in practically all the biological processes that constitute health and disease. So, making sure you have a gut microbiota that is diverse and populated with numerous beneficial microbes is the key to health. If the balance tips in favour of pathogenic (bad) bacteria, this can lead to poor immune tolerance and an inflammatory cascade that can cause a whole host of harmful downstream consequences.

So, the beneficial microbes, as the name suggests, are friendly and make it their life’s work to provide health benefits for us. I’m talking here about Bifidobacteria, Lactobacteria, Propionobacteria, Enterococci, and many others, including E. coli. While the opportunistic microbes are species like Staphylococci, Streptococci, Clostridia, Yeasts, Enterobacteria and many others.

The trick is to make sure the opportunistic microbes don’t rise up and conquer the gut. They have to be kept in check. Together, all these microbes living in the colon, (and to a lesser extent the small intestine and stomach) are called the microbiota.

What we eat can have a big say in how we control various immune pathways. The food you provide to your microbiota will select the species that grow there.

One of the most important jobs of the microbiota is to ferment the food that cannot be digested (non-digestible carbohydrates) by us, the host. This basically comes under the banner ‘fibre’. During the fermentation process, microbes are able to produce a variety of very useful compounds. It might surprise you to know that they can even make vitamins that you might not be getting enough of in your diet. The aforementioned E. coli is particularly good at synthesizing vitamin K, and some B vitamins, for example.

“The interaction between fiber and microbes that consume it, is the fundamental keystone interaction that everything else is built on in the gut. It may lie at the heart of the symbiotic pact between microbes and humans.”

— MOISES VELASQUEZ-MANOFF, GUT MICROBIOME: THE PEACEKEEPERS

Without enough of the friendly gut microbes, you risk moving toward a state of dysbiosis. The cells in the gut wall become undernourished, and unable to properly absorb the nutrients from the food you are eating. The normal digestion and absorption of food is impossible without a well-balanced gut microbiota.

So, if you’re experiencing gas issues such as gas, bloating, abdominal pains, cramping, loose stools, constipation, know that although these things tend to be very common, they don’t have to be normal! There are many things you can and should do to enhance the health of your gut microbiome. In fact, the gut microbiome is at the heart of how I treat almost all of my clients, no matter what their starting point may be.

If you're interested in knowing more about how to optimise your gut health in order to achieve long term health and vitality, you might consider doing a Complete Microbiome Mapping Stool Test. I often perform and analyse these tests with patients, and it’s enormously beneficial in resolving gut dysfunction.

If this appeals to you or you want to know more, feel free to get in touch or schedule an appointment.

Kind regards,

Brady