So as it turns out, not all bacteria are harmful! We actually have a crap ton of them living in our gut all the time and need them to perform normal daily processes like digesting food and extracting energy from it. They like us because they get a place to live, and we like them because they keep us healthy – its mutualism. The mix you have can even influence your figure and can make you predisposed for being slim or thiccc.
The more ya know, right?
Tummy Aching?
A healthy microbiome is one that is extremely diverse, just like what a healthy forest looks like. You would expect a forest to have lots of different kinds of trees all living densely together and teeming with life. The same goes for your gut microbiome. So what happens when your forest gets clear cut? Or when it’s selectively harvested by antibiotics? Well you can experience a range from some mild discomfort to the whole “Bridesmaids” movie catastrophe. You know the scene I’m talking about.
A page by The Clevelands Clinic explains how many people who take antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection may experience an addition of an upset stomach to their symptoms list. Worst case scenario, people may develop a severe Clostridioides difficile infection that causes colitis, or inflammation of the colon. Ouch. While they were trying to kill off other pathogens they wiped out the healthy microbiota in their gut as well, leaving them susceptible for Clostridioides difficile to come in and set up shop.
So like, how do we get better from anything without making ourselves sicker?
You should be Pro Probiotics
Probiotics are a supplemental form of the microbiota living in your gut and they can have a number of health enhancing benefits, including prevention for some diseases evident in a variety of age groups. An article by The National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health outlines a few recent studies that have been conducted to explore the link between probiotics, our microbiomes, and disease. For example, they explored the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, including that caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria, and the analysis of 31 studies concluded it is moderately certain probiotics reduce the risk of diarrhea in patients taking antibiotics. Whew! Isn’t that good to know. Probiotics are also very helpful in supporting the microbiome of babies. When infants are born, they start with a clear cut forest, and it takes them about three years to plant, grow, and cultivate a strong and lively ecosystem. This leaves them extremely susceptible to disease over the first three years of their lives. It has been found that babies with colic, a disease that makes them cry a lot a lot, have differences in their microbial community compared with babies that don’t. A review with 471 participants found that a Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 probiotic was associated with successful treatment for colic in infants. Music to tired mamas ears!
Probiotics can also just be taken for people who are relatively healthy to enhance their digestive and immune systems along with helping your body recover from a disturbance. So when you go to pick up your vitamins, immune gummies, and melatonin why not add a probiotic to the list?
microBIOLOGY 