Chapter microbiome. A small but such an important word. Did you know that from the moment we are born and for our entire lives, we are never truly alone? Yes! And this is because we are followed by a multitude of micro-organisms, whose “transport vehicle” we seem to be. In other words, we are talking about the trillions of bacteria that live in our bodies and naturally affect our health.
What is the microbiome and how does it affect our health?
The microbial populations that live in the human body constitute the term human microflora or human microbiome. It consists of approximately 1014 bacterial cells, a number higher than the total number of cells in the human body. The disruption of the balance of the microbiome negatively affects our health by causing pathological conditions.
What does it offer to our organization?
The bacteria in the gut interact with each other and with our body. They coexist with him and there is a two-way relationship. Our body functions as a growth and nutrition area for intestinal bacteria. Bacteria in turn favor our body, facilitating the absorption of digested food and synthesizing essential components such as vitamins. They also protect the intestine from inflammation by producing anti-inflammatory substances and contribute to the body’s resistance to various types of infections.
Why is it important to care for the microflora of our body? And how can we ensure it to the maximum?
The health of our gut and the avoidance of nutritional inflammation leads us to improve our weight, while ensuring maximum energy and well-being. Prevention through the systematic control of the microbiome, proper nutrition and its individualized support with specialized strengthening protocols, are the most important factors for maintaining a normal intestinal microflora.
Does each of us have our own microbiome? What factors affect it?
The intestinal microbiome of each person is unique and changes throughout their life, from birth to old age. It is influenced even by the way of birth but also by many factors such as lifestyle, age, environment, health, treatment, genetic material, metabolites, hormones, defense and nutrition.
The relationship between the immune system and the microbiome.
The microbiome protects us from pathogenic bacteria by strengthening the intestinal mucosal barrier and the body’s defenses. Dysbiosis, i.e. the imbalance of microbial populations both in number and diversity, is associated with damage to the gut. Then there is an increased risk of bacterial substances moving through the vulnerable intestinal mucosa into the bloodstream, causing a series of changes that disrupt the normal function of the immune system resulting in the creation of chronic inflammation as well as damage to various human organs.
Scientific studies have “blamed” these microorganisms for serious diseases. How true is such a claim?
Dysbiosis has been linked to complex and multifactorial diseases such as autoimmune diseases, idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), colon cancer, obesity as well as different types of allergies that appear as atopic dermatitis and acne.
Does diet play a primary role in maintaining microbiome balance?
Diet appears to have an extremely important effect on the composition of the gut microbiome. In the pathological conditions mentioned above, high levels of unwanted microorganisms appear, the reduction of which occurs, according to studies, by adopting the right type of diet. In particular, the type of Mediterranean Diet contributes to their reduction and at the same time promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms, i.e. beneficial microbes for the composition of a balanced intestinal microbial community.
Why hadn’t we heard about microbiome analysis sooner? What is it that makes our knowledge about it so important?
The human microbiome is today one of the most interesting topics in the scientific community. The modern views concerning it come mainly from two large research programs that started in 2007. The technology and the methodology of its analysis are constantly evolving, with the result that the research up to this day, is constantly feeding us with new data.
How can we make the microbiome our best “ally”?
Its systematic preventive control and the correlation of the findings resulting from its analysis with hematological and metabolic indicators, allow us to thoroughly recommend personalized nutritional recommendations which, if necessary, are accompanied by specialized reinforcement protocols that ensure the presence of normal intestinal microflora.
Who is his greatest enemy?
For the modern man with the intense daily life in his life where stress and the feeling of chronic fatigue dominate, the adoption of a lifestyle with a Western-type diet high in saturated fat, sugars, animal proteins and poor in vegetable fiber, is his main enemy our microbiome.
