Your gut is teeming with microbes – around 40 trillion, in fact.
These microbes include bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts. Together, they play a key role in shaping the microbial landscape in your gut.
They are continuously working together in a collaborative way and against each other in a competitive way for the greater good of your gut.
The process of making new microbes and removing old ones is a fast and efficient process. The gut microbiome undergoes regular turnover every 24-48 hours which may be unsurprising given that microbes have the ability to double within an hour.
Although gut microbiome science has come on in leaps and bounds over the last few decades, there is still a lot that scientists are still trying to figure out.
In this short article, we’re going back to basics on the 5 things you should know about your gut microbiome.
1. It has wide-ranging capabilities
Different gut microbes have different capabilities (like a little factory of workers with different responsibilities).
Some microbes produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), while others are champions at generating neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Some can produce vitamins such as vitamin K and B vitamins, while others can reactivate oestrogen-like compounds for use by the body again.
2. It's mouldable
Your gut microbiome has a high level of plasticity. Microbes will change depending on what they are exposed to – how you treat them will determine how they behave.
Diet is well known for its effects on the gut microbiome. For example, studies have shown that changing your diet to a plant-based one can lead to rapid changes in your gut microbiome within 24-48 hours.
Although diet has been most widely studied, it’s not just what we eat that affects our microbes. Sleep, stress, exercise are just some of the factors that play a role in moulding your gut microbiome, for better or for worse.
3. It does things you can't
Your gut microbiome can perform tasks you (as a human) can’t. For example, breaking down important nutrients so they can be used by the body.
The first one is fibre. The human gut lacks the enzymes to break down fibre. Instead, fibre makes its way through the gut and is feasted on by gut microbes.
The second one is plant chemicals, such as polyphenols. Only a small proportion are absorbed in the gut - around 95% are broken down by gut microbes.
In return, they release health-promoting compounds such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These compounds have a solid reputation for playing key roles in gut health and beyond.
4. It affects your whole body (not just your gut)
Your gut microbiome has the power to communicate with other organs in the body – called the ‘gut-organ axis’.
For example, gut microbes can produce a range of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. It’s thought that these neurotransmitters can cross the gut wall, enter the blood stream, reach the brain and influence your thoughts, mood, and behaviour.
Beyond the brain, studies have shown that SCFAs can support heart health by reducing total cholesterol and LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels by lowering the rate of cholesterol production in the liver.
5. It's a promising target for personalising health
Advances in gut microbiome research over the last few decades has rapidly increased understanding of the key role of the gut microbiome in health and disease.
Although scientists aren’t quite there yet, this knowledge is paving the way for personalised gut microbiome-targeted approaches. For example, targeting the gut microbiome to predict and improve responses to treatments or therapies, as well as supporting with the diagnosis of disease.
In the near future, the gut microbiome will likely have a key role in supporting people to manage their health more effectively.
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
Sources
Diet–microbiota interactions as moderators of human metabolism. Nature. (2018). Link.
Neuromicrobiology, an emerging neurometabolic facet of the gut microbiome? Frontiers. (2023). Link.
Perspective: leveraging the gut microbiota to predict personalized responses to dietary, prebiotic, and probiotic interventions. Advances in Nutrition. (2022). Link.
The promise of the gut microbiome as part of individualized treatment strategies. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. (2022). Link.
Unlocking the potential of the human microbiome for identifying disease diagnostic biomarkers. Diagnostics. (2022). Link.
