Out gut health is more than just our digestive system, it affects other aspect of our health. Ever heard of the gut-brain connection? This is true. With an imbalance in gut bacteria, your mood can worsen. There is a gut-brain axis that links the two, further contributing gut issues to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Thus it becomes important to take care of your gut health by optimizing your gut microbiome. What is gut microbiome?Your gut microbiome is a microscopic world within your body. There are trillions of microorganisms that lives in the environment, some of which also live in your digestive system, which is known as gut microbiome. It is an ecosystem characterized by its environment and inhabitants. It includes microorganisms like bacteria, as well as viruses, fungi and parasites. Babies for the first time inherit their first gut microbes during vaginal delivery or breastfeeding, which is why it is also important for mothers to take care of their biomes. Why Is It Important?Like discussed, your gut influences many aspects of your health, include the health of your child if you are a new mother. This means we must take care of the food we eat to ensure a symbiotic relationship between gut health and rest of the mental, emotional and physical health. Gut microbiome can help with digestions, absorb important nutrients, can train your immune system to tell apart from the unhelpful and pathogenic contents, affects your nervous system, secrete hormones through the interaction with endocrine cells, and can in fact cure Hepatic encephalopathy (HE).ALSO READ: Stress Is Affecting Different Parts Of Your Body, Know HowSo, how can one optimize gut health?Exercise: As per the 2023 study titled Optimizing the Gut Microbiota for Individualized Performance Development in Elite Athletes, exercise is one of the ways one can optimize gut microbiome.There have been many studies which have proven exercise to be one of the first ways to affect the shape of your gut microbiome. Other studies too have shown that exercise, especially for those leaving a healthy, yet sedentary lifestyle has proven to be beneficial.The study noted that people who had a sedentary lifestyle versus athletes, the microbiome differed. In athletes guts, there was an abundance of bacteria, beneficial for a healthy gut microbiome, like Bacteriodetes, Prevotella, Methanobrevibacter, Akkermansia, and Akkermansia muciniphila. It also noted that such guts also had the maximal oxygen intake. Probiotics and Prebiotics: Another 2018 study titled Microbiome restoration diet improves digestion, cognition and physical and emotional wellbeing notes the use of probiotics and prebiotics to manipulate gut bacteria. The study saw a difference in people with IBS who consumed pro and prebiotics. It noted a reduction in IBS type symptoms and also in negative symptoms related to cognition, memory and emotional wellbeing.What are prebiotic?These are non-digestible fibres that feed the beneficial bacteria in our guts. Foods such as onions, garlic and asparagus can help improve gastrointestinal health by fostering a favourable environment for prebiotics. One this that forms the major difference between this and probiotics is that prebiotics do not contain any live organisms and it promotes the growth of existing probiotics in the gut. What are probiotic?These are live beneficial bacteria that can improve gut health. Foods like yogurt, kimchi, or sauerkraut can help balance the gut microbiota and support immune function. It can also add new probiotic strains to the gut microbiome. Change Your Diet: The 2018 study also noted that exclusion of certain food items could also help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. These include:Refined sugarsGrains and pulsesAlcoholCaffeineDairyOther ways to improve your gut health:Lower your stress levels: Exercise also helps in lowering one's stress levels. Other activities include meditation, getting a massage, practising yoga, spending time with a pet, etc. Get Enough SleepEat SlowlyStay Hydrated: A 2021 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, noted that drinking water helps in shaping a healthy human gut microbiome.
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