Gastrointestinal microflora, or just gut flora for short, is a collection of bacteria that live inside your digestive system and are primarily responsible for the very process of digestion. They are a vitally important part of us, which is the reason why they are called ‘good bacteria’. Considering the importance of their role and the fact that 80% of the immune system resides in the gut and is supported by these microorganisms, any distortion in their function has a strong negative effect on human health. Today we’ll focus on explaining what exactly gut bacteria do, how they can be harmed, and the ways to restore them to a healthy level.
What Is Gut Flora in Humans and How It Works
All people have bacteria living in their guts and the level of them is settled by the time we turn about two years old. At this age, the mucous membranes of our digestive system develop immunity to these ‘good bacteria’ as well as the mechanisms of using them to fight off any dangerous microorganisms that are non-native to the human body. Simply put, this is how our immune system is established.
The bacteria that live in our guts are not only responsible for fighting off alien pathogens and helping us digest foods, their other roles include:
- Processing of bile acids, xenobiotics, and sterols
- Producing vitamins K and B from ingested foods
- Turning fiber into short-chain fatty acids
The effect of gut flora on the synthesis of hormones in the human body elevates the digestive tract to the status of an endocrine system. This means that any imbalance in this area may lead to a hormonal imbalance by extension.
There is also a connection between these bacteria and the nervous system. A recent study from Lund University indicates that the brain cells pathology associated with this form of dementia is reflected in a gut microbiota pathology. The study has garnered interest from many researchers who are currently working on developing a way to cure and/or prevent Alzheimer’s using specifically generated probiotics.
Gut Flora Imbalance: Causes
As you can see from the wealth of functions it encompasses, any distortion in the balance of these bacteria within the body can lead to various health issues.
The reasons that cause this problem are:
- Stress
- Poor dietary habits
- Antibiotics
- Pregnancy
How to Fix a Gut Flora Imbalance
It must be noted that the changes in a women’s gut flora during pregnancy are an inevitable physiological process and do not cause any problems to either mother or the baby. The only way any issues can occur is when this change is also affected by other factors that are detrimental to the normal levels of gut bacteria.
Stress and poor diet are the most common damaging factors that wear down your gastrointestinal microflora little by little. Our bodies strive to restore the balance naturally, so the damage short bouts of bad eating and a stressful week at work can usually be undone by leading a healthy lifestyle the rest of the time. However, if the ‘conditions’ are chronic, their damaging effects accumulate and the normal restoration rate cannot cope with the problem on its own.
Antibiotics simply kill off all the bacteria in the gut. These products see no difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ microorganisms, so they always damage the body at the same time they help cure some disease.
The simplest way to try and restore gut microflora is through diet. You’ll need to load up on foods rich in probiotics (the ‘good’ bacteria) in order to repopulate the affected ecosystem of your intestines. The best products for that are fermented foods, such as kefir, kombucha, yogurt, and natto.
However, diet alone may not be enough, especially when the damage is serious. In this case, you can restore the balance of microbiota via supplements, such as Ultra 60 Probiotic or Pro-Biotic 30.
