Gut Health
The link between gut bacteria and well-being
Did you know our gut bacteria and gut health can affect our mental, heart health and immunity?
Gut health is a broad term to describe the relationship between our gut bacteria and the gut barrier. We have nearly the same number of bacteria cells in our body as our human cells. We have 38 trillion bacteria cells while there are 37.2 trillion human cells.
Most of the bacteria live in our guts. They control how we digest food and absorb nutrients and how our gut barrier behaves. There are 300 to 500 different types of bacteria, containing up to 2 million genes, that line our digestive system, mostly in the intestines and colons. They also live with other viruses and fungi there to form a “community”, called “microbiota” or “microbiome”.
A person's microbiota is influenced by what they were exposed to in the womb, the environment during birth and, of course, by lifestyle and diet. Many research has shown an imbalanced growth of those bacteria have linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation and autism.
So, what are the links?
Obesity and Type 2 diabetes and heart disease:
Our gut bacteria affect our body metabolism and how we absorb nutrients. They control how many calories we take and what kinds of nutrients we take from our food. Too much gut bacteria can turn dietary fibre to fatty acids and may cause fat tissues growth in our liver, which lead to “metabolic syndrome”. That condition leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Inflammatory bowel syndrome, eg. Crohn and Ulcerative colitis:
People with these conditions have found to have lower levels of certain anti-inflammatory gut bacteria. Scientists are still studying the exact connections but suggested that some bacteria may make your body to attack your intestine and set the stage for these inflammations.
Autism and depression:
Our guts are packed with nerves connected tissues to our brain cells, which called “gut-brain axis”. Studies have found there are significant links between gut bacteria and disorder of central nervous system like anxiety, depression and autism.
What can we do to get healthy gut bacteria?
Lifestyle and diet have a significant impact on gut microbiota. Although you can’t change what you inherited, you can make a difference through what you eat and how you live.
Lifestyle and diet have a significant impact on gut microbiota. Although you can’t change what you inherited, you can make a difference through what you eat and how you live.
Start with eating a nutritious diet that is high in fibre rich food, like fruit, vegetable and whole grain. Avoid foods that are high in unhealthy fat, processed sugar, salt and ultra-processed ingredients. These types of have shown to kill certain healthy bacteria in our guts and upset its balance, makes it less diverse.
Limit the use of antibiotics that wipe out all the harmful and good bacteria.
Exercise can encourage the growth of a variety of gut bacteria.
Unfortunately, the solution is not as easy as just taking probiotics to treat disease. More research is needed to pin down the exact ones that link to specific conditions. Maybe one day, we will find a medication or supplement made of certain strains of gut bacteria to reduce the risk or fight a specific disease. We can, however, make a big difference in our overall wellbeing and the management of certain diseases through diet.
This is why we focus on nutrition and well-being at Amino Mantra. Our products contain whole grains, legume, beans and vegetables, which provide a good source of dietary fibre and source of proteins, especially the essential amino acids, B vitamins and minerals. Diets that are rich on these whole food ingredients have shown to promote healthy gut bacteria in the colon, improve bowel health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. We also incorporated flaxseeds and sunflowers in the products to provide omega 3 and healthy fatty acids for brain and joint health. We focus on providing the essential nutrients for body functions rather than concentrating on one nutrient or one aspect. Whether you're plant-based every day or some days, you can trust our products will nourish your body.