Gut Health goes far beyond just tummy aches or irritable bowel syndrome. Our gut microbiome plays a huge role in the health of our skin, brain, and immune system. Symptoms in any of those areas can be rooted in an unhealthy gut. Looking to understand how they are connected? Keep reading!
Our gut microbiome is the good bacteria inside that keeps our internal ecosystem in balance. It helps with the absorption of nutrients, degradation of pathogens, promotion of nerve function, and the development of new healthy cells. Negative impacts on the gut microbiome leads to a plethora of undesirable symptoms. The key is to understand what impacts your microbiome both negatively and positively.
Negative Impacts on Gut microbiota
Toxicities
Unfortunately we will in a world with a lot of chemical toxicity exposure. Common toxic exposures on the gut come from pesticides, chemicals, and antibiotics. Our food nowadays is so heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals that damage that internal ecosystem and inhibits our microbiome from being able to thrive. Antibiotics aren’t able to distinguish good bacteria from bad bacteria and ends up killing both. This may be great for killing your short term pathogen, but not so great for long term gut health.
2. Methylation
Methylation refers to a small molecule (known as a methyl group) that gets added to DNA or other molecules in the body. When our DNA becomes methylated the gene sequence becomes modified, which can turn off the gene and essentially inhibit the function. This plays a role in our gut health because there are a few genetic variants that are associated with issues such as Leaky Gut. If the body’s biochemistry is out of balance, the microbiome is out of balance.
All of our chiropractic physicians are trained in techniques to address methylation and balance the body’s biochemistry. Click here to book an appointment.
3. Poor Diet
It’s a no brainer that what we eat affects our gut. Some foods are worse than others because they have an inflammatory response on the body, which breaks down that good bacteria and makes us feel gross. Generally speaking, there are 5 foods we recommend avoiding because they are inflammatory in nature. Those foods to avoid include:
Gluten
This one seems like a bit of a fad, and it isn’t because everyone is Gluten intolerant. But gluten contains a component called Zonulin, which actually breaks down our gut lining. So right now it may feel like eating Gluten isn’t an problem for you, but overtime it becomes an issue. It is also highly sprayed with herbicides and pesticides, which are pro inflammatory and also break down that gut lining, creating a Leaky Gut. Once that gut lining is broken our digested food molecules will seep into the bloodstream causing autoimmune-like symptoms.
Corn
Much like gluten, Corn is highly sprayed with glyphosate and chemicals that are not ideal for ingesting. These chemicals are destructive to our gut and microbiome. Not worth the damage it causes, especially for a grain with little to no nutritional value.
Dairy
The protein molecules in the cow milk we consume in the United States is pro-inflammatory. Generally speaking, milk is what is used to turn calves to cows… and ultimately has the same affect on humans. It makes us feel puffy and bloated, and dairy is a mucus producing substance so it also messes with our immunity.
Sugar
Not only is sugar also inflammatory, interferes with the reward-center in our brain. It creates a surge then crash of dopamine, which disrupt our neurotransmitters. This creates nerve interference, and also hormonal balance in the bloodstream.
Soy
Many people like to use soy as a primary source of protein. Unfortunately the soy we consume in this country is an incomplete protein, meaning we aren’t actually getting all the nutritional value and benefits from it that we think we are getting. Complete proteins are essential for the gut health because our microbiome breaks down the amino acids to feed our metabolic pathways.
Positive impacts on gut microbiota
Spore based probiotics
Unlike most probiotics, spore based probiotics actually have the ability to survive through the acidity of the stomach and make their way into the intestines to refurbish and repopulate the healthy bacteria in your gut. For all the stressors we come into contact with in day-to-day life that destroy our microbiome, it is essential to support your system in reproducing and diversifying our gut microbiota. Read about our top recommendation MegaSporeBiotic, here. This product is available for purchase in the office!
Exercise
Movement is pertinent for increasing systemic circulation in the body. Adequate blood supply to the gut is necessary to fuel the organs and maintain proper function. Without enough circulation, the environment in our gut becomes sick, , making it harder for the good bacteria to thrive.
That being said, over-exertional exercise is not the goal. When we work the body too hard, our body will actually push more blood out of our digestive organs to give more to our musculoskeletal system. This is doing the opposite of what we want, so prolonged high intensity exercise is not recommended if you are working out to support your gut.
Stress regulation
This is where our brain-body connection comes into play. Our Vagus nerve, which runs from our brain into our gut, is the main moderator of that gut-brain axis. It regulates our parasympathetic system which allows our body to rest and digest. When we are under prolonged stress, that state of agitation in our mind is translated to our gut as well. Engaging in stress relieving activities not only relaxes our mind but it eases the environment of our gut as well. Some of my favorite stress relieving activities are journaling, going for a walk, sitting in nature, and meditation.
Hopefully this article helped you achieve a better understanding of the positive and negative impacts on our gut microbiome. To learn more about optimizing your Gut Health, join for Dinner with the Doctors (Register here)! As always, we are here to support you on your health journey.
Dr. Naomi Smith, DC