What is the microbiome? Here's why your gut flora is so important

You hear more and more about the importance of healthy guts. You might know that your gut is crucial for your immune system, hormones, mental well-being, a glowing skin, and your overall health. But what does that actually mean? We explain why it's important to give your microbiome enough love and how you can do that.  

This is how the microbiome works 

Before you are born, your microbiome is like a blank canvas. From the moment you enter the world, this canvas begins to fill with bacteria and other microbes. During and after birth, you acquire bacteria that help you develop a unique microbiome. It takes about three years for your microbiome to be fully developed. This gut flora varies from person to person and depends on the bacteria you have been exposed to and the environment you are in. 

After those first few years, your microbiome continues to develop and change. You have significant influence over the composition of bacteria in your gut, and it works both ways: your choices affect your gut bacteria, and your microbiome affects your health. When your microbiome is in balance (symbiosis), you feel energetic and healthy. But if there's an imbalance (dysbiosis), digestive issues, skin problems, or mood swings may arise. 

The microbiome is thus the entirety of all microorganisms living in your gut: bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses, parasites, etc. They all work together to keep you healthy. Your microbiome helps you with much more than just digesting food. Of course, the gut flora helps you absorb nutrients in the intestines, but that's just one of its many roles. Your microbiome also plays an important role in the production of vitamins, essential amino acids, neurotransmitters, and other substances that are important for your body, immune system, mood, and skin. 

Fun fact: there are more bacteria in your gut than there are cells in your entire body! In fact, we are more bacteria than human. Moreover, it has been shown that our microbiome consists of more than 1000 different bacteria, all playing a crucial role in our health and determining how we feel. And your gut microbiome also weighs 2.5kg! That's quite a substantial amount of bacteria. 

Is the microbiome the same as gut flora? 

Although we often say 'microbiome' when we talk about our gut bacteria, it's actually broader than that. A microbiome is a combination of all the different microorganisms together. Your gut often gets the most attention, but you also have a microbiome on your skin, in your mouth, and in your lungs. Each of these areas has a unique composition of microbes, specifically adapted to that environment. 

For instance, your skin microbiome protects you against unwanted bacteria and helps wounds heal nicely. The microbiome in your mouth helps protect against pathogens and supports healthy teeth and gums.  

When we talk about 'gut flora', we specifically mean the gut microbiome. The gut flora is the microbiome that has been most researched and has the greatest impact on your overall health.  

The importance of a healthy microbiome 

But why is the microbiome so important? We now know that the microbiome contributes significantly to our health. In addition to being important for digestion, nutrient absorption, vitamin production, protection against pathogens, and neurotransmitter production, it also plays a crucial role in the gut-brain axis. This axis can be seen as a kind of communication line between your gut and brain. As a result, your gut flora also affects your mental health. 

On the other hand, an unhealthy microbiome can lead to various problems. More and more studies show that a disturbed gut flora can be linked to conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even depression. Dysbiosis can also weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and inflammation.  

How to determine if your gut flora is healthy 

How do you know if your gut flora is healthy? There are several signs you can recognise. For example, pay attention to your digestion: do you often suffer from stomach complaints, bloating, flatulence, constipation, or diarrhoea? If you experience this for just a day and it resolves itself, there's not much to worry about. But if you frequently have these issues, it might indicate that your gut flora could use some help.  

Your energy levels or mental clarity are also good indicators. A healthy microbiome helps you absorb nutrients properly and experience a more stable mood. If your immune system isn't functioning optimally and you're often ill or have inflammations, it could also indicate dysbiosis.

If you want to be really sure, you could consider doing a microbiome test. This allows you to find out exactly which bacteria are too abundant or lacking in your gut, so you can restore your gut flora with the help of an expert. 

What does healthy stool look like?

A healthy gut flora results in daily stool that is brown in colour, comes out easily, has a normal consistency, and is not pellet-like, too loose, greasy, or sticky. A handy way to determine if the consistency of your stool is healthy is by using the Bristol Stool Chart. This chart shows the full spectrum of stool consistencies, from hard pellets (indicating constipation) to very loose stool (diarrhoea). Types 3 and 4 are ideal – if you're not there yet, there's room for improvement.

How to keep your microbiome healthy? 6 tips 

Fortunately, you can relatively quickly influence your microbiome if you take good care of it daily. Research shows that a large diversity of bacteria is particularly important for a healthy and strong gut flora. Variety is the magic word: the more diverse the bacteria in your gut, the better your microbiome can withstand disruptions and diseases. With these 6 tips, you can make your gut flora flourish: 

1. Plenty of fibre (if you can tolerate it!)
   

   Fibre is the food for the good bacteria in your gut. They can ferment the fibres into short-chain fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation and strengthen the gut barrier. Variety is important in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. If you feel that eating fibre causes more stomach issues, it might be helpful to discuss this with an expert and find out why it's not agreeing with you. It might help to steam or grill your vegetables briefly instead of eating them raw to make them more digestible.

2. Eat more fermented products
   

   Probiotic foods like yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or self-fermented vegetables contain live bacteria that improve the diversity of your microbiome and increase the number of beneficial bacteria. Note: Are you sensitive to histamine? Then this might not be a good idea. Try it first in small amounts and see how you react.

3. Exercise regularly
   

   Exercise has a significant impact on your microbiome and can increase its diversity. Especially moderate to high-intensity exercise stimulates the gut, increasing gut motility and ensuring that stool doesn't linger too long in the intestines. Your mucous membranes also secrete more mucus, and your intestinal contents are better mixed. This creates a favourable environment for beneficial bacteria. Additionally, there is increasing research on the importance of exercise (“sitting is the new smoking!”) and it turns out that regular exercise reduces inflammation. Regular physical activity not only supports your physical health but also contributes to a healthy gut flora.

4. Stay hydrated!
   

   Adequate hydration is important for healthy guts. Fluids help remove waste products and support the movement of food through your intestines. That's important for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

5. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
   

   Sometimes antibiotics are necessary, and we are glad they exist, but they can also disrupt the balance in your microbiome by killing both harmful and beneficial bacteria. Therefore, only use antibiotics when really needed and consider taking probiotics afterwards to help restore your gut flora. Did you know that in Italy, it's standard to receive probiotics when you undergo an antibiotic course?

6. Limit stress
   

   Last but not least: keep your stress under control! Perhaps the most important of all. Even if you do everything else perfectly, it can all be undone if you experience a lot of stress. Through the gut-brain axis, chronic stress can disrupt your gut flora. From an evolutionary perspective, we only know stress when we had to fight or flee from a predator. We may have evolved, but our body and primal brain still only recognise that type of stress. When you need to fight or flee, digestion is not a priority, and the gut receives less energy. Try to manage your stress, as a life without any stress is impossible in 2024. Think about breathing exercises, yoga, regular short walks, or meditation to learn to cope with your stress and keep your gut microbiome healthy.  

Good to know 

Your microbiome is important for your overall health. It supports your digestion, immune system, and your mental health. By taking good care of yourself with a varied and fibre-rich diet, adequate exercise, sufficient hydration, and avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and stress, you can keep your microbiome healthy. As with everything, it's about finding the right balance.

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