Written By: Tavishi Dogra | Updated : June 23, 2022 10:45 AM IST
THE GUT AND ITS MICROBIOTA: Around 60 tons of food pass through the human GI tract, along with an abundance of excellent and harmful microorganisms. These microorganisms colonize the GI tract and form flora and fauna of our gut, or in simple terms called the 'gut microbiota, which has co-evolved with the host over thousands of years to develop an intricate and mutually beneficial relationship. The number of microorganisms inhabiting the GI tract has been estimated to exceed 1014, which encompasses about ten times more bacterial cells than the number of human cells itself. When the gut is said to have good integrity, the good bacterial colonies help check the harmful bacteria by hardly giving them room to grow. Hence, the gut is free from maladies.
However, in conditions where an individual eats highly processed and fatty food, consumes too many antibiotics, takes too much stress, or consumes excess alcohol and cigarettes, the amount of harmful bacteria colonizing the gut exceeds the good bacteria and leads to a state called "Dysbiosis". As defined by the Oxford dictionary, dysbiosis is when there is a disruption in the gut microbiota. Dysbiosis may contribute to various afflictions such as weight gain, increased blood sugar, and lipid levels.
MEANS AND MODES OF IMPROVING GUT INTEGRITY:
To prevent dysbiosis, our focus should be on ways to improve our gut health. That is only possible by a healthy proliferation of good bacteria in our GI tract. The good bacteria in our gut not only help us digest food, but they also enhance the immunity of an individual, help combat obesity and alleviate the symptoms of depression and hence bring in good physical and mental health.
Dr. Narendra Shetty, Chief Wellness Consultant, Kshemavana Shares The Following Ways In Which One Can Improvise Gut Integrity:
A review published in the PubMed journal in 2013 on the health benefits of probiotics by Maria Kechagia reveals that probiotics help in conditions such as lactose intolerance, infectious diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, and allergies; the gut bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. In addition, it decreases the levels of carcinogenetic enzymes produced by colonic flora, thereby preventing colon cancer, reducing blood pressure, reducing blood lipid levels and possibly contributing to coronary artery disease prevention.
