The Great Gut-Microbiome & our Health

The Great Gut-Microbiome & our Health

 “All diseases begin in the gut.” ‐Hippocrates 

Hippocrates said,"Death sits in the bowels and bad digestion is the root of all evil." in 400 B.C. showing the importance of intenstine in human health, which seems to be ignored in modern medicine. However, there has been recently considerable increase in studies of effect of commensal microbes in human gut (stomach to intenstine).

                         

The term Gut-microbioata refers to total number of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses etc but majority of tham are bacteria. Sometimes the microbiome and microbiota are used interchangeably, these two terms have subtle differences. The microbiome, refers to the collection of genomes from all the microorganisms in the environment. Microbiota, on the other hand, usually refers to specific microorganisms that are found within a specific environment. Microbiota can refer to all the microorganisms found in an environment, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. We humans are mostly microbes. The majority live in our gut, particularly in the large intestine, numbered over 100 trillion having diverse roles in maintenance of immune health and metabolism.  

In recent years various studies indicate the association in reduced number/species of Gut-microbioata and large spectrum of human chronic deiseaes such as IBS(Irritable bowel sndrome), metaolic ailments, obesity, diabetes, allergic diseases.

                         

How this Gut-microbioata works?

The Gut-microbioata (G.M.) maintains a symbiotic relationship with the gut mucosa and provides metabolic, immunologial and gut protective measures in healthy human.

The G.M. provides essential capabilities for the fermentation of non-digestible substances like dietary fibers, which leads to growth of specialised microbes that produce Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) like acetate, butyrate and propionate.

Randomized controlled trials have shown that higher production of SCFA is related to reduced insulin-resistance hence favouring reduction in problems of  diabetes.

Lower bacterial (gut microbiota) diversity has been observed in people with IBS, Psoriatic arthritis, Diabetes, Eczema, Obesity, Arterial stiffness than in healthy individuals. This association between reduced diversity and disease, indicates that species-rich gut ecosystem is more robust against environmental influences, hence diversity seems to be good indicator of a healthy gut as well as healthy human.

Apart from SCFA, gut microbiota also make micronutrients such as vitamins. Vitamin-K producing gut bacteria anaerobically synthesize vitamin K2 which play important role in decreasing vascular calcification, elevation of HDL and lowering cholesterol levels, hence contributing to lower the risk of heart ailments such as coronary heart disease and artherosclerosis.

Gut microbiota also serve as an important source of vitamin B5 and B12 which act as co-enzyme for extensive range of host biochemical processes and production acetylecholine & cortisol which are required for the normal functioning of nervous system (brain).

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(Part-2 coming soon, healthy and gut microbiota friendly diet)

Critics/ suggestions welcome in comment section.