As I have been researching the microbiome and how best to support it, I thought I would put a list of tens way in which to optimize gut flora.

1. Make 75% of your plate vegetables and plant- based foods in general. Plants are high in fiber and accessory nutrients that feed good bacteria. Fruits and vegetables that are brightly coloured like pomegranates, kiwis, and cranberries fit the bill.
2. Eat more fiber. Aim for seventy grams which helps lower rate of chronic diseases. Nuts, seeds, and legumes are high in fiber and feed healthy bacteria.
3. Make sure you eat resistant starch found in yams, taro, plantains, rutabagas, celery root and konjac root noodles. Gut bacteria digest resistant starch and produce short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, acetate and proprionate which have a wide range of positive effects on health. These starches do not spike blood sugar.
4. Eat more prebiotics like broccoli, artichoke, asparagus, onions, leeks, garlic. These foods help the growth of bugs that nurture the mucous layer of your gut.
5. Cut out refined carbohydrates, sugar and artificial sweeteners. These are hard on your gut microbes.
6. Consume healthy fats such as omega 3 found in wild seafood and ground flax seeds or chia seeds or hemp seeds.
7. Exercise outdoors for at least 30 minutes daily. Hike in the woods to increase your exposure to microbes in your environment. (Exercise outside led to increase in beneficial butyrate producing bacteria. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid which can reduce inflammation in your body.)
8. Get more quality sleep. Aim for 7- 8 hours of sleep. Get to bed by 10 pm and wake at 6 am if possible.
9. Reduce your stress. Breathe and incorporate mind/body components such as yoga, tai chi or martial arts.
10. Minimize alcohol consumption which contributes to gut permeability.

The benefits of fiber and its importance for human health were emphasized on this webinar. Fiber amounts ideally would be upwards of 70 grams a day following a plant based diet. Minimum daily requirements that are recommended for men are 40 grams and 30 grams for women. Fiber adds bulking to stool reducing constipation and lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. Viscosity slows gastric emptying and decreases the absorption of cholesterol as well as estrogen (and improves the balance of estrogen/progesterone) and decreases the absorption of glucose. Fiber helps bind bile acids and increases feelings of satiety. 

Fermentation of fiber increases short chain fatty acids which are tremendously beneficial to our health. The SCFA such as butyrate, proprionate, and acetate feed back to inhibit NF Kapha-beta and provide energy for colonocytes. They also promote weight loss by influencing adipogenesis, enhance mineral absorption, decrease systemic inflammation, and improve T-regulatory cell production which helps keep the immune system in balance. Whole food plant based diets increase the diversity of the microbiome, increase the growth of short chain fatty acids, and increase polyphenols, which in turn, increase Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus colonization.

Plant protein decreases pathogenic bacteria and improves the balance of Bacteriodes/Firmicutes ratio. Animal protein increases Bacteriodes species and leads to more IBS and IBD. A diet high in plants increases the gut barrier and help reduce leaky gut.  It also improves the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat benefits. Food preservatives and artificial sweeteners negatively impact the microbiome as do pharmaceutical medications.  Antibodies given to a baby can negatively affect the baby for up to a year. 

Exercise improves the health of the microbiome. It increases new cell growth and decreases cortisol (the major hormone associated with stress). Exercising outdoors introduces more variety to your microbiome.

Following a Mediterranean diet decreased the risk of cognitive impairment. The risk of cognitive decline is 38% lower in those who eat higher vegetables in the age of 65 and older.  A healthy prudent diet of fresh vegetables, salad, fruit and fish was associated with a 47.5 mm larger hippocampal volume. A higher intake of legumes was associated with larger parietal and occipital cortical thickness.

A lower intake of whole grains was associated with higher inflammation markers such as IL-6 and accelerated cognitive decline. Cognitive function was negatively associated with saturated fats, omega 6 fats, and homocysteine but positively associated with intake of omega 3 fatty acids.  In ages of 65 and up, consuming saturated fats and transfats more than doubled the risk of cognitive decline. 

Brain healthy food includes green leafy vegetables, raw nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, wild seafood, poultry, olive oil and red wine. Ideally plant based food, exercise, cardiovascular risk management, brain challenging activity, meditation. 5 fruits, 5 vegetables, whole grains, lowest amount of salt, monounsaturated fats and olive oil. Strive to eat a wide variety of foods to positively influence your microbiome

Reference: Webinar on the Microbiome Asean Region Whole Food Plant Based Educational Webinar- Dr. Scott Stoll

I watched this webinar last week and I wanted to pass on the notes I made. Your health is based  largely on the status of your gastrointestinal tract. Your health begins in your gut (I am sure you have heard people say and it is true). The microbiome has 50 trillion bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa- adding up to 3 to 6 pounds. The ecological world that makes up the gut microbiome has a direct impact on the immune system. In fact, 75% of the immune system exists in the gut. The microbiome thus impacts the immune system, it influences inflammation, cognition, mood, blood vessel health and carcinogenesis. Leaky gut has been linked to the development of cancer and many other chronic inflammatory diseases including metabolic syndrome and the development of autoimmune disease. 

The status of the microbiome begins at birth. Babies born vaginally are much better off because by passing through the birth canal, they inherit their mother’s microbiome. This offers the baby a lot of protection right off the bat. In fact, the medical world is realizing this, so babies born my C-section are being swabbed with the mother’s vaginal fluid post birth to simulate the passage through the canal 9that is so important!). Babies born by C-section are more likely to have some pathogenic bacteria colonize their microbiome as a result. Breast feeding helps the child inherit the mother’s microbiome as well so it is to be encouraged rather than relying on formula. Children that grow up with pets have been shown to have less allergies because of their exposure to the pet . Exposure helps the development of their immune system and encourage ‘tolerance’ versus reactivity.

Good bacteria can modulate bone density, protect against epithelial injury, provide resistance to bacteria, break down food compounds, modify the nervous system, biosynthesize amino acids, vitamins, and help with wound healing. The microbiome plays a direct role in the development and training of the immune system (increases T-regulatory cells). 

Things that affect the microbiome development include the geography you are born into, your diet, medication that you take (antibiotics, metformin, statins, proton-pump inhibitors, oral contraceptives, etc), psychosocial factors including stress, lifestyle, exercise, surgery and exposure toradiation. 

These bacteria that colonize your gut give us health benefits; for instance, they produce short chain fatty acids such as butyrate which are an important modulator of your health and reduce inflammation stemming from your gut. These bacteria also produce B vitamins that you are able to use. Your microbiome regulates bile in terms of signaling, adipogenesis, satiety, gene expression, Immune modulation, produces neuroactive compounds like serotonin, and as stated previously modulates and regulates inflammation.  We rely as much as on them as they rely on us to provide them with good food and provide them a good home to colonize.

A balanced diet which is one with more plants and decreased red meat consumption, increased fruit and vegetable intake, increased variety of foods, absence of sweeteners and artificial preservatives, leads to a more normative microbiome which leads to better health outcomes. The Mediterranean diet is a good example of a diet which supports the microbiome. If you have a healthier microbiome you have a normal BMI and increased Nrf2 which affects blood vessel health and decreases inflammation.

You will develop a ‘barren’ gut from inactivity, c-section, early formula feeding, sleep loss, regular antibiotic use (antibiotics are like dropping a bomb on the microbiome!), Western diet (fast food, more red meat) and lifestyle, heavy stress load. An aberrant microbiome leads to disease, accelerated ageing, metabolic morbidity, increased BMI, decreased Nrf2, and increased inflammation. This is why it is so important to focus on the health of your gut. This is why I test people regularly for food sensitivities. When I test for IgG sensitivities- if a test result shows a lot of foods that come up sensitive, my suspicion is this patient has leaky gut and I give them gut support and counsel them on how to eat to build gut health. I will continue this post in part 2.

Reference- Webinar on the Microbiome Asean region Whole Food Plant Based Educational Webinar Focus- Gut and Brain Health- Dr. Scott Stoll, M.D.