Gut Bacteria and Health

There are 10 x more bacteria cells than human cells in our body. There are literally trillions of bacteria living on or in us.

The GI tract is the most heavily colonised body site. As you travel down the GI tract it increases in bacterial density and anaerobic (can't grow in presence of oxygen) conditions. The survival of the bacteria depends on the food we eat as it becomes their food. Research has shown that people who live in remote rural environments have more bacterial diversity which is believed to be important for gut and general health. This is due to eating less highly processed food and more whole food vegetables compared to the protein rich processed urban diet.

Probiotics are live micro-organisms (good bacteria) usually in dairy products (yogurt, and milky drinks). They can help restore a good bacteria balance and prevent pathogenic bacteria becoming established. Probiotics can help people with IBS and a range of other health issues. We still don't know the full extent of the benefits.

Prebiotics are a specific type of dietary fibre that is food for the bacteria that already live in the gut. Prebiotics are found naturally in some foods like leaks, tomatoes, asparagus, onions, garlic, artichokes, and green bananas. They reach the gut relatively unchanged as the body can not digest them. They can be supplemented in some foods like cereal and yogurt. The prebiotics can also reduce the time that faeces exits the body and increase the bulk of the faeces which both aid health. Changing the food we eat we can change the composition of the bacterial microbes in our gut. Raw food, fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grain cereal products will help good bacteria survive and produce lots of compounds to make us healthy.

This lecture helped support that a whole food plant based diet is very healthy from the gut's perspective.