Research has recently revealed how critically important your microbiomes actually are for your body. This is true not only for healthy digestion, but also for all around health and well being. Not everyone has learned the meaning of microbiome yet though. This microbiome refers to the collection of genes of positive and negative bacteria dwelling in your organism. Many individuals are stunned to learn how research is connecting the dots between the health of the intestinal microbiome to the body’s actual weight, mood, heart health, and even brain health.
Achieving a healthy microbiome is a choice you make today. Making this positive and life changing decision provides five key benefits that arise from having a healthy microbiome in your intestines. We look at these significant advantages in more detail in this article.
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How Can You Achieve A Healthy Intestinal Microbiome?
Creating a healthy, well balanced, even diverse microbiome involves getting the right combination (in your intestines) of bacteria and other tiny micro organisms such as fungi and eukaryotes. The best way to obtain this is through a healthy and balanced diet that encourages such diversity. It would necessarily include consuming a healthy, wide variety of foods (especially fermented foods) while avoiding those high in sugar and heavily processed food choices that are so easy and tempting to people.
Another method for encouraging such a well diversified microbiome comes from supplementing your own diet with quality omega threes and probiotics. Such high quality probiotics will create healthy and positive bacteria within your microbiome. While incomplete information is still available on the impact of omega three’s in the body’s microbiome, the studies so far reveal very positive results. Undoubtedly you will hear more about this research going forward.
Finally, it is important to keep in mind that the daily choices in lifestyle like exercise and diet produce a significant impact on your microbiome. This includes its diversity but also its resiliency and stability. Diversity proves to be the one element over which you actually have some significant and consistent control. The importance of attaining the right diverse mixture of microorganisms in your microbiome cannot be overstated here. This action will assist in ensuring that no bad organisms gain control over your intestines and the positive microbes inside of them.
The Five Main Benefits of Possessing a Healthy Microbiome in Your Intestines
There are a surprising number of benefits to be had when you take proactive steps to achieve and maintain a healthy microbiome within your intestines. These are explained below:
- A healthy microbiome supports healthy digestion – Unsurprisingly, when you have a healthy microbiome, it will be comprised of many different microorganisms that include (among others) bacteria which aid in good digestion. Such bacteria aid your organism in completely digesting food and using the nutrients and energy optimally from both proteins and complex carbohydrates that come from your consumed food.
- Diverse and balanced microbiomes support a strong immune system – Having a healthy intestinal balance performs a critical function in your body. It serves as the first and best line of defense versus pathogens that you ingest or breathe in. This happens as it will cause competition with the pathogens for the essential nutrients and through secretion of antimicrobial compounds. Such behaviors help your immune system through making it hard for the unwelcome pathogens to colonize and gain a strong foothold in your intestines.
- Balanced microbiomes encourage healthy bones – Calcium is a critical nutrient that the body needs to assure strong and healthy bones. Yet a large number of Americans simply have a deficiency of it. There is another benefit of having a diverse bacteria range in the intestines. They can assist in boosting the level of calcium absorption. Indirectly then, this means that a well balanced microbiome can aid in supporting healthy bones.
- Healthy microbiomes work for a healthy weight – many people are unaware of the importance of healthy microbiomes in having an ideal weight. This is in fact a critical element in maintaining your optimal body weight. To have a healthy microbiome, you need an appropriate balance of bad and good microbes living in your intestines. Now, studies have connected the dots on improperly balanced microbiomes and the correlation to obesity in individuals. Other studies have linked a well balanced microbiome with keeping an optimal body weight.
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- The right mix of bacteria support good brain health – When most people learn of the connection between good intestinal microbial balance and the resulting impact on their brains, they are completely surprised. The article from Microbe Formulas entitled Are Gut Microbiome Tests Accurate Or Worth It? What To Do Instead explains that the gut affects the brain, meaning an unhealthy gut can cause problems like brain fog, anxiety, and depression.” These are not problems to ignore lightly. This axis between intestines and brain is the way in which your gut talking to your brain. In fact the communication is influenced by some specific microorganisms living in your intestines. These actually releases neurotransmitters that have a definitive, proven impact on the brain. This is why the probability is exceedingly high that the microbiome can have a real and significant effect on both your daily ability to think and reason as well as your all around daily mood.
The old notion that good bacterial balance in your intestines only impacts your digestive health has been soundly disproved. This was an inaccurate and incomplete picture of how important your microbiome and its influence on the body really are. Instead, medicine and science have now acknowledged that many different parts of your body benefit from the proper mix of positive and negative bacteria living within your body’s intestines. This includes your immune system, bone health, ideal weight balance, and even your brain’s abilities and mood functions. It all goes to show why you cannot overemphasize the critical importance to properly balance your microbiome and then keeping this healthy balance stable going forward.