How Much Do You Know About Your Gut?
Gut microbiota is a fancy word for flora that lives in our gut. Flora means plants that live in a particular habitat. In this case, our gut is our habitat and the flora are microorganisms such as bacteria.
Our gut microbiota is made up of tens of trillions of bacteria which is ten times more cells than make up our own bodies. There are 1000 different species of known bacteria in our gut and these bacteria contain over 3 million genes. This is more than 150 times than human genes. Although there are 1000 different species of known gut bacteria, only 150-170 species reside in one person at a time. One third of our gut flora is common to most people and the other 2/3 are specific to each person. Therefore, each person has their own individual unique gut flora.
Amazingly the gut microbiota can weigh up to 4.5 pounds which gives you an idea of how many of those critters are in you working on your digestion.
Our gut flora seems to have a brain of its own making many neurotransmitters which can control our moods. The majority of serotonin, a feel good neurotransmitter, is made in the gut. Therefore, depression can be because our gut flora is out of balance, and hence, can be treated by correcting the gut flora.
Our gut flora is one of our first line defenses to the environment and our toxic world. It helps create a barrier to toxins that may harm us. It helps produce vitamin B’s and Ks.
Of course, a balanced gut flora plays a key role in our digestive processes. When we are born, our guts are sterile and colonization happens as the baby goes through the gut canal. It is important after C-sections, the baby gets colonization immediately after birth or the child with have problems with their immune system. It is also important to breast feed for the baby’s gut flora to develop normally and be protective.
Our gut flora definitely changes as we age. During the aging process, our bodies make less digestive enzymes and hence our flora changes. To enhance our gut flora it is important we eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, Kefir, and Kombucha with our meals.
Toxins in our environment are stressing our guts and pushing our guts normal limits. More and more people are being diagnosed with “leaky gut” syndrome as the toxins force apart the cells lining the gut allowing toxins and abnormal flora into our bodies. This creates auto immune and chronic diseases to flourish. In addition, autoimmune and chronic disease has flourished since we have become an “antiseptic nation” having hand wipes at every entrance door. This has narrowed the diversity of our gut flora. Without a diverse flora our guts are less protective especially against our toxic environment, mold, and even electronic frequency. To make sure your gut is working for you, Regenerative Medicine Center recommends everyone does the GIMap Test which is a DNA test of your microbiota as well as a functional test of your gut. Having knowledge about how your gut is working and if your flora is in balance will enable you to better take care of one of your most precious organs.
Thank you for being proactive with your health. Call our office to schedule a consultation to start your healthy journey to wellness with Valerie Donaldson, MD. (412) 767-9890
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