Is a balanced microbiome the key to good health?

How much do you know about the state of your microbiome? It’s a topic you may have heard being discussed more frequently in recent years, but microbiome is so much more than just a buzzword. In fact, advances in medical research have confirmed that a balanced microbiome can play a crucial role in your physical health and mental wellbeing.

Your body contains an estimated 10 to 100 trillion microbial cells, but if you’re still not entirely sure what that all means, read on as YourGP’s Dr Phimister answers your most frequently asked questions…

What is gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome is a collection of microbes or microbiota, namely bacteria, viruses, parasites, archaea, fungi and protists. They number up to 100 trillion and live in a symbiotic relationship with the human host. 90% of bacteria are Firmicutes and Bacteroides species.

Why is it so important?

The microbiome is a ‘super-organism’ as it controls the health of the individual. It is possibly formulated in utero and develops early through contact with vaginal microbes in childbirth, breast skin during breastfeeding, and the newborn’s environment. Throughout our lifetime, it is continually changing by food, sleep, exercise, stress, antibiotics and medications and even our pets. It’s important because it controls digestion, metabolism, immune system function, absorption of nutrients, prevents infections and diseases, and keeps the gut lining healthy.

What is the best way to look after your gut microbiome?

The best way to keep your microbiome healthy is to eat a high-variety plant-based diet with a low amount of varied fermented foods (e.g. cheeses, high fat natural yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and tempeh). Other fermented foods include vinegar, wine, dark chocolate (with more than 70% cocoa content) and coffee.

Exercising regularly, sleeping for 7-8 hours per night, managing stress and maintaining your mental health are also important ways to keep your microbes healthy.

What sort of things can disrupt your gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome can be disrupted by a diet high in ultra-processed foods, low in fibre, low in vegetables and plants, high in processed meats and red meats, and high in refined sugars. Plus, a sedentary lifestyle, sleeping less than 7 hours per night, living with unmanaged stress and mental illness all contribute to the cycle of unhealthy gut microbes, mental illness and chronic physical disease.

What happens if your gut microbiome is out of balance?

A microbiome that is out of balance, called dysbiosis, results in the immune system being overwhelmed. The gut lining is potentially breached, with a reduction in the absorption of nutrients, leaving you prone to infections, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and certain cancers.

Is there a link between gut microbiome and mental health?

Yes! The gut microbiome is directly related to mental health. This is a new concept that mainstream medicine is slow to adopt, as the science is only 10-15 years old. The common gut bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroides, have been linked to anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses.

Dietary components, such as probiotics (e.g. Lactoballicus and Bifidobacterium), prebiotics (e.g. fibre), postbiotics (e.g. short chain fatty acids – butyrate, proprionate and acetate), fermented foods (e.g. cheese, yohgurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut), fruits and vegetables, spices (e.g. curcumin and capsaicin) and medicinal herbs when combined together, most likely provide protective effects against mental disorders by enhancing ‘good’ microbes and suppressing ‘bad’ microbes.

How can you tell if your gut microbiome is healthy?

If you are feeling happy, energetic, enjoy satiety after meals, and experience little hunger between meals you likely have a healthy microbiome. You will likely look and feel younger as you age and have less chronic diseases. Your health span (years of being healthy) will increase too.

Are there any particular foods or supplements you would recommend to boost your gut microbiome?

Foods to boost your microbiome include ‘eating the rainbow’ with vegetables, green leaves, fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices. Lean protein (e.g. chicken, white fish, salmon and oily fish), whole grains (e.g. brown rice, wild rice, quinoa), and fermented foods (e.g. cheeses, high fat natural yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and tempeh) are recommended. And extra virgin olive oil is also highly recommended.

If you are low in omega-3 intake, then 1000mg omega-3 daily of a high quality supplement is recommended. Plus, consider taking 400 IU of Vitamin D3 daily between October to May, as per NHS guidelines (especially if you live in Scotland).

Discover more

If you would like to find out more about the state of your microbiome or you would like tailored advice to help improve your health and wellbeing, you can book an appointment at YourGP using our simple online booking system. Or you can email reception@your.gp, or call us on 0131 225 5656 and we’ll be happy to arrange an appointment at a time that suits you.

References

1. Rinninella E, Raoul P, Cintoni M, Franceschi F, Miggiano GAD, Gasbarrini A, Mele MC. What is the Healthy Gut Microbiota Composition? A Changing Ecosystem across Age, Environment, Diet, and Diseases. Microorganisms. 2019 Jan 10;7(1):14.
2. Valdes A M, Walter J, Segal E, Spector T D. Role of the Gut Microbiota in Nutrition and Health. BMJ 2018; 361 :k2179 doi:10.1136/bmj.k2179
3. Walker RW, Clemente JC, Peter I, Loos RJF. The Prenatal Gut Microbiome: Are We Colonized with Bacteria in Utero? Pediatr Obes. 2017 Aug;12 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):3-17.
4. Xiong RG, Li J, Cheng J, Zhou DD, Wu SX, Huang SY, Saimaiti A, Yang ZJ, Gan RY, Li HB. The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Disorders as Well as the Protective Effects of Dietary Components. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 23;15(14):3258.
5. NHS, Vitamin D