Scientifically Supported Ways to Restore Gut Health

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Recently, words like “gut health” and “microbiome” have emerged as hot topics in the health and wellness realm. Researchers are beginning to see the interconnective role that microbes have in our body. Having a healthy gut with balanced microbes is not only vital for digestive health, but also mental health, immunity, disease prevention, improved complexion and weight control (among many other benefits). These scientifically supported ways to restore gut health have more than one health benefit and are easy to implement now.

What is the Gut Microbiome?

Let’s take a step back and talk about the microbiome and what exactly it is.

According to Healthline, “The gut microbiome refers to the genome of all the microbes in your intestines, which act as another organ that’s crucial for your health.”

This collection of microbes, mainly located in the large intestine, controls our gut health by a few ways:

• Communicates with the intestinal cells
• Prevents certain “bad bacteria” from sticking to the intestinal wall
• Helps to digest certain foods

When we talk about microbes, we mean the roughly 100 trillion bacterial cells in our body (Healthline, 2017). While there are many other types of microbes that live inside us, bacteria are the most studied microbe. To complicate things further, there are actually up to 1,000 different types of species of bacteria in the human gut microbiome and they each play a different role in our body.

Additionally, we each have an entirely unique network of microbiota that is originally determined by our DNA. Later on, environmental exposures, lifestyle choices, age and diet can change our microbiome to be either beneficial to health or place us at risk for disease.

Benefits of a Healthy Gut Microbiome

Here a just a few of the many benefits of having a healthy gut microbiome:

• Reduced bloating, gas, and abdominal pain
• Increased absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals
• Decreased symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Weight loss and weight control
• Better heart health through improved cholesterol levels
• Reduced risk of diabetes by controlling blood glucose levels
• Increased mood and better brain health through the gut-brain axis
• Better immunity and reduced infections
• Improved complexion and skin tone
• Decreased behavioral issues in children

Scientifically Supported Ways to Restore Gut Health

Now that we know what the microbiome is and the overall health benefits, let’s get to the ways in which we can restore it back to balance.

These ways of improving gut health are researched, studied and tested. While there are some uncontrollable factors which influence the microbiome such as age, genetics and environment- this list is compiled of controllable factors such as dietary and lifestyle changes.

1. Avoid artificial sweeteners

Evidence has shown that artificial sweeteners like aspartame increase blood sugar by stimulating the growth of unhealthy bacteria in the gut microbiome (Healthline, 2017). Artificial sweeteners are found in foods such as:

• Soft drinks, powdered drink mixes and other sweetened beverages
• Baked goods
• Candy
• Puddings
• Canned foods
• Jams and jellies
• Dairy products

2. Eat plenty of fermented foods containing live cultures

Probiotics are live microorganisms that you can get by either taking a daily supplement or in your diet through fermented foods. A smart approach would be to take both a probiotic supplement and eat a diet with plenty of live cultures.

Some good examples include zero sugar Greek yogurt with live cultures, kefir, kombucha, miso, kimchi, tempeh, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables.

3. Eat foods rich in polyphenols

Dietary polyphenols are natural compounds occurring in plants, including foods such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds, nuts, spices, dark cocoa, tea, coffee and red wine.

So, why are they important to our microbiome and gut health? Studies have shown that foods rich in polyphenols may promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria while fending off harmful ones.

4. Include a variety of plants in your diet

Research suggests that eating a variety of plants help the good bacteria flourish by supplying complex carbohydrates that the human body can’t digest- so they become the bacteria’s food (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Fiber-rich plants are considered prebiotics and it is important to include them in our diet so they can “feed” our microbiome.

Foods high in prebiotics include:

• Lentils, chickpeas and beans
• Oats
• Bananas
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Nuts

5. Spend more time outside in the dirt

An exciting new area of research that is generating buzz in the medical community is the relationship between our microbiome and soil. While the research is still not yet clear, we are beginning to find that lack of contact with natural microbiota found in soil can negatively affect the human gut microbiome (Microorganisms, 2019).

Regular contact with organic soil (not treated with pesticides and chemicals) has been essential in the evolution of our microbiome. It seems that spending time in nature, gardening, eating organic plants and limiting processed foods may positively influence the gut.

6. Get enough restful sleep

The topic of sleep and gut health seems to be a two-way street. Research is showing that the more diverse your gut microbiome, the better sleep you may get. Adversely, getting 7-8 hours every night of restful sleep has been shown to increase gut health.

When we sleep, our brain recharges our body and “takes out the trash”. Since the gut-brain axis is such a strong communication mechanism, it would make sense that poor sleep would affect the microbiome. On the other hand, improving our microbiome may positively influence the amount and quality of sleep we get.

7. Get regular physical activity

A study published by the Public Library of Science in 2017 indicates that physical activity performed at low doses but continuously can increase the abundance of health-promoting bacteria (Bifidobacterium spp, R. hominis, A. muciniphila and F. prausnitzii) in the microbiota.

The study compared the gut flora of 19 physically active women to 21 non-active women. They found that the women who were sedentary had an inverse association of microbiota richness compared to the women who were active. Thus, not only are simple activities like walking, jogging and biking important, so are avoiding long periods of inactivity and being sedentary in daily life.

8. Decrease stress

According to the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, “Exposure to stress results in alterations of the brain-gut interactions (“brain-gut axis”) ultimately leading to the development of a broad array of gastrointestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal diseases, food antigen-related adverse responses, peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).”

Put simply, stress alters our gut flora in many really negative ways. While further studies are needed on the gut-brain axis, it is clear that reducing daily stress increases our gut health.

Regular exercise, meditation, deep breathing, journaling, being in nature, and talking with a counselor or mentor are all great ways to lower stress.

Honorary Mentions (cigarettes and alcohol)

This one goes without saying, as it is so detrimental to overall health, but smoking cigarettes is one of the worst risk factors to gut health. Giving up smoking can improve gut health by increasing the diversity of the gut flora, and this can occur only nine weeks after cessation (Healthline, 2017).

Generally speaking, chronic alcohol consumption can cause dysbiosis- an imbalance of the microbiota in the gut. However, a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that red wine actually increased the abundance of bacteria known to promote gut health and decreased the number of harmful gut bacteria like Clostridium.

The beneficial effects of low to moderate red wine consumption on gut bacteria appears to be due to its polyphenol content.

Final Thoughts

The topic of the microbiome and gut health is an emerging field that is sure to make strides in the biomedical community for years to come. What’s clear is that each individual human harbors a distinct microbiome that is as unique as a thumbprint.

While genetics and age may play a factor in our microbiome, we have substantial power over our gut health. Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy and diverse diet, limiting sugar, getting adequate sleep, spending time gardening, exercising and reducing stress levels are all great ways to help improve gut flora.

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Join the Discussion

What did you learn about gut health or the microbiome? Tell us below in the comments.

If you want to learn more about health and longevity, these articles may interest you:

The Best Wat to Live an Organic Lifestyle

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Author

Sara Halcumb is a registered nurse, health writer, mother and wife. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. She loves nothing more than spending her days exploring the great outdoors with her family. Hire Sara to write or edit your next health article HERE!

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DeSanto, Lara. “Sleep and Gut Microbiome.” HealthCentral, HealthCentral, 10 Dec. 2019, www.healthcentral.com/article/link-between-sleep-gut-microbiome.

Bressa, Carlo, et al. “Differences in Gut Microbiota Profile between Women with Active Lifestyle and Sedentary Women.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0171352.

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