Did you know that there are trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi in and on your body? You are literally walking around inside your own personal microbial cloud.

Like it or loathe it, more than half your body is bugs.

On our skin, up our nose, in every nook and cranny, our bodies are covered in bacteria. But what do we really know about the microbes living inside us? 

With all the buzz around the gut microbiome, it can be challenging to distinguish between scientific facts and marketing hype. In this blog, we’ve pulled together the latest scientific research to help you understand how to eat your way to better gut health.

Why does my microbiome matter?

Research into the gut microbiome is exploding. The field of metagenomics (the study of micro-organisms) catapulted in 2005 when next generation sequencing technology enabled the study of microbiota living in our digestive tracts. 

But the field is still in its infancy. Scientists are still working out what lives in our gut, what role each species plays, and how our microbiome affects our physical and mental health. 

The balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ micro-organisms in our gut is implicated in better weight management, heart health and mental health. When the microbiome becomes imbalanced by environmental factors, stress, antibiotics or poor diet, the gut barrier is compromised. This means that bacteria can “leak” into the bloodstream triggering your immune system.

While few associations have actually been demonstrated in humans, scientists believe that a healthy gut microbiome probably has wide-ranging implications for diabetes, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, autism, depression, Parkinson’s disease and more.

Scientists have recently established that the gut microbiome differs between healthy people and diseased people. Specifically, studies of people with diabetes (Halawa et al, 2019), obesity (Shen et al, 2019) and irritable bowel syndrome (Menees and Chey, 2018) confirm that if you suffer from one of these conditions, you have less diverse microbiomes than your healthy counterparts.

Is my microbiome unique to me?

Yes, fancy that! You really are one of a kind. Your gut microbiome is more unique than your fingerprint. But herein lies the problem. It’s difficult for scientists to determine a “normal” or “healthy” pattern of microbes because every body’s microbiome is different – even in identical twins! This makes working out what a healthy microbiome looks like really difficult.

Does my microbiome change as I get older?

Scientists now think that your gut microbiome develops in the womb and is affected by delivery type (vaginal or cesearean) and early feeding (breast or bottle). Our gut microbiome continues to develop until 2-3 years, after which it remains relatively stable throughout adulthood. 

As you get older, your microbial diversity decreases and this reduction in diversity is correlated with nutritional status, increased inflammation and frailty.

Hot off the press research now shows that long-living people (including those that live to 100 years) exhibit increased gut microbial diversity (Leite, et al 2021). If you want to live to a ripe old age, then you must nourish your gut bugs.

Eating a wide-range of plant-based foods such as seeds, herbs, spices, nuts, legumes, fruits and veggies – all provide fuel for our microbes. 

Conversely, sugar, antibiotics and processed foods decrease the number and diversity of our microbiota. 

So what can you do to improve your gut microbiome? Aim to eat 20+ plant-based foods per week and avoid antibiotics, where possible.

Here’s what Australia’s favourite doctor Norman Swan says about antibiotics in his latest book “So you think you know what’s good for you”:

 “Antibiotics are important if you need them but… There is evidence from both animal and human studies that antibiotic use increases the risk of cancers in general and bowel cancer in particular”.

Researchers have moved well beyond thinking about fibre as simply roughage to keep you regular. 

When fibre ferments in your lower intestines it produces short-chain fatty acids called butyrate. These fatty acids are critical to the health of the bowel lining (stops leakages) and stimulate immune messages. Without these fatty acids, the bowel lining becomes compromised and inflamed. 

And in even more good news, there’s good supporting evidence that eating a plant-rich diet with lots of soluble fibre (think oats, peas, beans, carrots, psyllium and citrus fruits) may prevent bowel cancer.

Bacillus coagulans has been used in Japan to make natto and functional fermented foods. It is believed to retore microecological balance by out competing the bad bacteria and by producing lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins which also keep the bad bacteria in check.

Our shakes also contain 7g of fibre, contributing to the prebiotics needed by the B. coagulans and other good bacteria.

You’ve come this far - want to read more?

Want to read more? Here are some research articles (and the video of Tom Spector eating McDonald’s) that will provide even more fuel for your brain:

·     2014 oldie but a goodie research paper on the gut microbiome  

·     How does food affect your microbiome (and what happens to your microbial diversity if you eat McDonald’s for 10 days) 

Check out our other Blog posts for more gut health information.