Key Messages
Unlocking The World Of Microbes Living Inside Us: Explore How Bacteria Affect Our Health And Mood
We’re all aware of the importance of cherishing our own bodies, but what about the beings that live within us? That’s right, I’m talking about bacteria – billions of them!
These critters fill and inhabit every corner of our being, from the depths of our digestive system to the tenacity of our immune system.
In the book Follow Your Gut, we explore how these microbes play an integral role in our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
From why C-sections can lead to negative consequences for microbial life down to how fighting germs with antibiotics can put us at risk, this book will make you realize just how vital these little creatures are.
So remember this: cherish not only yourself but also the microbes that live in the Petri dish that is your body.
You’ll be healthier for it in more ways than one!
Humanity’S Unique Microbiome: How Our Microbes Make Us Who We Are
Did you ever ask yourself, “What makes me human?” It might surprise you to know that the answer is not just the 10 trillion human cells you have in your body, but also the 100 trillion microbial cells living in and around it!
That’s right – while we all share 99.99 percent of the same DNA, only 10 percent of these microbes are shared by everyone.
Our bodies really are like ecosystems made up of extremely diverse, unique microbial communities.
We each have our own microbial fingerprint which is 85% unique from anyone else’s.
And these bacteria colonies do important work for us – processing dietary fiber, helping to determine how many calories we extract from food and how medication affects us as well as determining how attractive we are to mosquitoes.
It’s essential for our health to keep this balance between our human and microbial cells – if either one gets out of balance with the other, then it can cause problems.
So make sure you take care of your gut and all its little inhabitants!
Newborns Need Microbes – But C-Section Babies May Not Get Them Without Help
When it comes to a newborn’s health, natural birth provides the benefits of being inoculated with important microbes.
This means that babies who are delivered via caesarean section may be at risk since they do not get the same kind of protective layer that babies born naturally do.
Scientists have even discovered evidence linking the proliferation of certain microbes in a pregnant woman’s gut with ensuring that her child receives necessary nutrients.
During a natural birth, babies pick up these beneficial microbes as they pass through the birth canal.
In contrast, C-section babies are unable to acquire this protective layer and instead pick up microbes similar to those found on their mother’s skin.
As a result, research has indicated that children born via C-section could be more prone to diseases related to both microbes and the immune system such as asthma, food allergies and obesity.
The good news is that there is an easy way for parents to give their newborns born via C-section the important microbes naturally designed for a child at birth.
Taking samples from the mother’s vagina with sterile cotton swabs, then applying them to different areas—such as the mouth, skin and ears—can help provide infants with much needed protection against various illnesses.
The Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Gut Bacteria Can Affect Your Weight, Anxiety And Autism
We’re used to thinking of diet plans as the key to managing our weight, but microbes have a huge influence on how much we weigh too.
In fact, scientists ran an experiment in which they transferred different microbes to varying mice and discovered that when a slim mouse received the microbes from an obese mouse, it became obese too.
In addition to weight, gut microbes can even affect our anxiety levels and how our brain functions.
This connection is known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and has been observed in people with depression; depressive phases are often correlated with inflammation of the bowels which can lead to overproduction of natural tranquilizers like gamma-Aminobutyric acid which can cause depression.
The power of gut microbes extends beyond determining how much one weighs or their anxiety levels; they help prevent the onset of autism in mice when they are given the microbe Bacteroides fragilis.
It not only reversed some symptoms but also repaired cognitive and gut problems.
It’s incredible to think about just how much influence your gut health can have on your overall well-being, and this proves why it’s so important that you take care of your gut!
How We Can Support Our Microbiome With Probiotics And Prebiotics
Probiotics and prebiotics are two ways to improve your microbiome and have beneficial effects on overall health.
Probiotics contain strains of bacteria or live microorganisms that are often referred to as “good” or “helpful” bacteria.
These products are available in supplements, suppositories, and even natural yogurt.
Some only contain one strain of bacteria, while others may include several.
Although the FDA has not approved the health claims made about probiotics, studies indicate that they might be helpful for pediatric diarrhea & irritable bowel syndrome in adults.
On the other hand, prebiotics are foods that microbes love to eat like dietary fibers, such as inulin or nutrients like lactulose & galacto-oligosaccharides, These foods can help with digestive problems like constipation and inflammatory bowel diseases.
They also promote the production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate which is beneficial for gut & overall health.
People’s diets nowadays typically lack fiber compared to our ancestors who had more fiber in their diet; this is why using probiotics and prebiotic supplements helps restore a healthy microbiome and maintain good overall health.
The Dangers Of Overusing Antibiotics: How It Threatens Our Microbiome And Our Health
Taking antibiotics can be a necessary medical treatment for bacterial infections, but the overuse of antibiotics can be dangerous to our health and result in dangerous antibiotic resistance.
Studies have shown that when people are given antibiotic treatments within the first six months of their life, it can disrupt the normal development of Bifidobacterium, which is important for a healthy immune system.
As a result, people can be more likely to experience weight gain, asthma and allergies later in life.
Antibiotic treatments prescribed by your doctor must also be completed in order to ensure that any remaining bacteria do not become resistant to the antibiotics.
This poses a dangerous risk if left untreated.
Agricultural farming also plays a role when using antibiotics for animals; low doses are sometimes used for quicker weight gain and bring more money in faster – however there is potential that these low doses don’t kill all the bacteria, leading to resistant bacteria forming which then cannot be treated with normal antibiotics.
The EU has banned low-dose antibiotic treatments in light of this research but other countries still practice them, making it essential for everybody to understand both the benefits and dangers of using antibiotics too often.
Wrap Up
Follow Your Gut by Rob Knight is an amazing book that provides so much insight into the world of our gut health and its microbiome.
This book highlights the importance of the microbial balance in our bodies, as well as how to maintain it through sensible diet and lifestyle changes.
It even goes one step further: showing how American Gut’s donation-based microbiome testing program can help individuals gain a better understanding of their individual microbiomes.
By getting to know your own gut health, you can then make decisions about what diet, lifestyle and supplement choices will maximize your overall health.
In short, Follow Your Gut arms us with the knowledge to take charge of our wellbeing!
