What your gut NEEDS

It’s no surprise that gut bacteria have taken the world by storm.

They’ll turn out to be the KEY to most health outcomes, if we can only figure them out.

Of course, science likes to pose one singular question of one thing at a time—and that’s difficult when it comes to our guts, which host trillions of bacteria.

So, let’s see if we can crack part of the code…

Diversity is key

Inside your gut, different microbes constantly compete for nutrients to stay alive and healthy. They also compete against invaders, like pathogens, for nutrients.

If the pathogen wins, it colonizes and invades the body—making you, the host, sick.

But when you have a large, diverse community of gut bacteria, they’re more likely to eat many varying nutrients, lessening the amount of fuel “floating around” for a pathogen to thrive. Without this fuel source, the pathogen likely starves.

And research is starting to support this theory…

In test-tube experiments, researchers pitted 100 common strains of human gut bacteria against two common pathogens: Klebsiella pneumoniae (which leads to pneumonia) and Salmonella typhimurium (which results in food poisoning).

Turns out, no single bacteria alone could prevent colonization of either invading species.

However, after combining 10 gut bacterial strains, protection was much more robust—and the same findings were observed in rodents.

Take action

So, how do you support a diverse microbiome?

It all boils down to diet. A varied diet, with plenty of vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and some seasonal fruit, is a nice guideline. (Eating seasonally helps as well.)

You also want to eat as little sugar as possible, which fuels pathogenic invasions.

Of course, we can’t talk about a healthy gut microbiome without mentioning probiotics.

But the above scenario is precisely why choosing a product with billions of one colony forming unit (CFU) scares me. (Many products try to WOW consumers with this number.)

Because I can’t stress enough how important it is to ingest different types of bacteria.

You need a multi-strained blend with live cultures—one that contains prebiotics, which feed healthy probiotic bacteria, and postbiotics, which are produced BY the good probiotic bacteria after feeding on prebiotics.

I like Dr. Ohirra’s, which checks all boxes for me. Take as directed.

And in the meantime, take steps to protect your gut. Those include avoiding antibiotics when you can, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep and exercise.

To learn more about the importance of maintaining a large, diverse gut microbiome, check out back-to-back features in the March and April 2019 issues of Logical Health Alternatives.

Subscribers can access those archival issues by clicking here. Otherwise, scroll down to learn about becoming a member!

Source:

“Diverse gut bacteria communities protect against harmful pathogens by nutrient blocking.” ScienceDaily, 12/15/2023. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231215015445.htm)