The gut microbiome is essential for maintaining gut health. According to research, the gut can communicate with and influence other parts of the body to support our overall health. There are external and internal factors that influence our gut microbiota and focusing on how we can adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle may help to promote the growth and maintenance of beneficial gut bacteria.
In this blog, we will look at how you may be able to alter the microbiota in your gut to improve your gut microbiome, which may influence your immunity, metabolism, digestion, mood, and susceptibility to certain health conditions.
Meet Your Gut Microbiota
When reading about gut health, you've probably come across the term "probiotics". In fact, you may have seen commercials promoting the benefits of foods such as yogurt in providing these beneficial bugs. However, the science extends beyond a spoonful of fermented foods. There is an exciting world in our gastrointestinal tract, where food components, healthy flora, and food byproducts support this extremely sophisticated environment.
So, let's talk about the three most important factors influencing your gut health: prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics.
Probiotics
Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria that naturally live in our bodies. To ensure the viability and to be beneficial to the host, these healthy bacteria that are ingested from food or from a probiotic supplement, must be able to survive stomach acids and make their way to the intestines where they will reside. These "good" bacteria may provide health benefits for its host.1
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are the fermentable, soluble dietary fiber found in certain foods that help to feed the gut's probiotics. They act as food for the probiotics to help support their survival.2
Postbiotics
According to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), a postbiotic is a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or other components that confers a health benefit on the host.3,4 For example, when the probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila is pasteurized it becomes a postbiotic which makes it more stable to reach your small intestine and colon more effectively.*
As you may be aware, there is a community of microbes inside and outside of our bodies that work around the clock to protect us from pathogens and environmental toxins. So, let's look at how we can improve the gut microbiome.
Your Diet — Supporting Your Gut Health
A person's dietary intake may greatly influence their gut microbiota. A greater diversity of gut microbiota was linked to higher dietary quality.5 In a study that looked at overweight and obese women who were pregnant (less than 18 weeks gestational) and their dietary intake of a healthy diet, revealed that they had the highest diversity of gut microbiota compared to the group that didn't consume a healthy diet.5
A healthy diet generally consists of eating fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, fish, low-fat dairy, low-sugar foods, and low-fat meats. It's interesting to note that the makeup of the gut microbiota has been linked to the same healthy eating habits.5
Though there are other factors that can influence the gut microbiota besides diet, it is important to remember that diet alone does not completely impact the number and diversity of gut microbes, but it is still an important contributor to a healthy gut microbiome.
So take a look at what you are eating on a daily basis. Do you see any opportunities to improve your dietary intake?
Fill Your Plate With Whole Foods
Think whole foods — unprocessed foods such as whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats and nuts, seeds and legumes. By expanding the type of foods you eat regularly, you are enhancing the diversity of food choices which may improve your gut microbiota, supporting a healthy gut ecosystem.
Prebiotic dietary sources
Some fiber-rich foods include fruits like berries, bananas, and apples, vegetables such as leafy greens, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, beans, garlic, onions, and legumes, and grains – such as barley, oatmeal, rye, wheat, and also chicory root, and flax.
Probiotic dietary sources
Some probiotic-rich food choices that have been naturally fermented with live cultures are what you want to look for when purchasing fermented vegetables like kimchi, sauerkraut, as well as kombucha, kefir, and yogurt. According to an article in Harvard Health, it's important to look for "naturally fermented" on the label to ensure that live and active bacteria have been the catalyst for the fermentation process.6
Foods rich in fiber and prebiotics also help to fuel the production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which supports our gut and overall health.
How Lifestyle May Influence Your Gut Microbiome
There are other factors that may influence your gut health in addition to genetics and diet that we delve into below.
Medications
In addition to a healthy diet that bursts with hearty servings of fiber-rich plant-based foods, factors that also impact the gut microbiota include external factors such as medications like antibiotics that may wipe out natural microbiota. Always discuss with your healthcare provider if you have concerns about your health and if you need to supplement with a probiotic to help restore balance to your gut microbiome.
Watch Processed Foods
Processed foods or ultra-processed foods have been attributed to decreasing the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Added sugars in the diet may also contribute to increased inflammation. Research from one study shared that even plant-based foods should be monitored so that the choices you make don't include additives that are not beneficial for us, like added sugar, saturated fats, sodium, and preservatives.7 Also when choosing foods, limit red meats and saturated or ultra-processed animal-based products.
Choose Polyphenol Rich Foods
When it comes to fueling up some healthy microbes, nature's polyphenols or antioxidant-acting nutrients can support your gut. Some examples include nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and even coffee and green tea. Just hold up on adding any sugar to the tea and coffee — enjoy its natural flavor and nutritive properties.8 Some polyphenols might even increase the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut.9
Other factors that may impact healthy microbiota include staying physically active, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting the use of antibacterial hand sanitizers.
Stay Connected
We'd like to invite you to stay up to date on what's going on in the exciting and ever-changing world of health and the gut microbiome. If you're interested in learning more about pre, pro, and postbiotics, such as Akkermansia muciniphila, sign up for our email communications.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements - Probiotics. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional. Accessed July 23, 2024.
- Danielle. Prebiotics - International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP). 30 Mar. 2023, isappscience.org/for-consumers/learn/prebiotics.
- Salminen, Seppo, et al. "The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) Consensus Statement on the Definition and Scope of Postbiotics." Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, vol. 18, no. 9, May 2021, pp. 649–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6.
- https://isappscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Postbiotics_FINAL.pdf. Accessed September 2, 2024.
- Laitinen, Kirsi, and Kati Mokkala. "Overall Dietary Quality Relates to Gut Microbiota Diversity and Abundance." International journal of molecular sciences vol. 20,8 1835. 13 Apr. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijms20081835. Accessed July 23, 2024.
- Bilodeau, Kelly. "Fermented Foods for Better Gut Health." Harvard Health, 12 Sept. 2023, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fermented-foods-for-better-gut-health-2018051613841.
- Asnicar, Francesco, et al. "Microbiome Connections With Host Metabolism and Habitual Diet From 1,098 Deeply Phenotyped Individuals." Nature Medicine, vol. 27, no. 2, Jan. 2021, pp. 321–32. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-01183-8.
- Spector, Tim. "15 Tips to Boost Your Gut Microbiome." BBC Science Focus Magazine, www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-to-boost-your-microbiome. Accessed July 23, 2024.
- Rodríguez-Daza, María Carolina, and Willem M. De Vos. "Polyphenols as Drivers of a Homeostatic Gut Microecology and Immuno-Metabolic Traits of Akkermansia Muciniphila: From Mouse to Man." International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 24, no. 1, Dec. 2022, p. 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010045.