If you’ve been following health news, you’re probably
one of the many who are swallowing down your capsule containing of billions of
bugs daily. Of course, I’m speaking about your probiotics.
Probiotics are supplements that consist of various
species of microorganisms that exist in our bodies, our microbiome, and have
been found to modulate various health conditions. Due to the fact that our microbiome’s collective genes of the 10,000+
species outnumber human genes 150 to 1, they have a wide array of functions.
A healthy microbiome
functions in supporting:
- the production of various vitamins
- immune modulation
- cardiovascular health
- oral health
- weight management
- mood support
- comfortable elimination
- detoxification support
- hormonal health
(These were reviewed in more detail
in my latest blog).
Now, three more recent
studies provide further support on the importance of out gut health and its
impact on health outcomes.
Gut
Bugs and Their Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders
According to the American Society of Microbiology:
Increasing
evidence suggests that children with ASD have altered gut bacteria. In
order to identify possible microbial metabolites associated with ASD Kang and
his colleagues looked for and compared the compounds in fecal samples from
children with and without ASD. They found that children with ASD had
significantly different concentrations of seven of the 50 compounds they
identified. (1)
The researchers suspected that the gut microbes may
play a role in altering levels of neurotransmitter-related metabolites,
affecting the gut-to-brain communication and impacting brain function. Children
with ASD were found to have lower levels of the neurotransmitter metabolites
for dopamine and N,N-dimethylglycine , a building block for proteins and
neurotransmitters. (1-2)
Probiotics May Help with H.pylori
Eradication
Two new studies demonstrated
that oral probiotics added to the conventional drug protocols for Helicobacter
pylori increased the effect of eradicating
it. Helicobacter pylori is the most
common bacterial pathogen worldwide, and a main driver of peptic ulcers. (3)
Another
Way to Support Your Good Bugs, Exercise
According to an article in Medscape:
Professional
athletes are big winners when it comes to their gut microflora, suggesting a
beneficial effect of exercise on gastrointestinal health, investigators report
in an article published
online June 9 in Gut.
(4)
The researchers reported that a combination of exercise
and diet had an impact on gut microbial diversity. Furthermore, those who had a
lower body mass index (BMI), along with the athletes, had overall lower levels
of inflammatory markers than controls and those with high BMI. Athletes were
found to have the most diverse gut microbiota. (4-5)
To learn more health tips on how to increase your happy
belly bugs, visit my homepage which discusses choosing the proper probiotics,
when to use prebiotics, and when gut bugs and diet isn’t enough for digestive
health.
Sources and
References:
(1) American Society for Microbiology. Can chemicals produced by gut
microbiota affect children with autism? gm. asm.org. May 19, 2014.
( 2) Jurgelewicz, M.Children with autism spectrum
disorders (ASD) have significantly different concentrations of certain bacteria
in their stool compared to children without ASD. designsforhealth.com. May 23,
2014.
(3) West, A. Probiotics Add
Punch To Treatment of H. Pylori . Holistic UpShots. May 28, 2014.
(4) Osterweil, N. Exercise Linked to More Diverse
Intestinal Microbiome. Medscape Medical News. Medscape.com. June 10, 2014
(5) Clarke, S. et al. Exercise and associated dietary
extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut. March 2014.
doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2013-306541
