It’s all about the microbiome. It has been estimated that our cells are outnumbered three to one by microbes! This delicate balance between different strains of microbes has been shown to contribute to overall health. Our personal colony of microbes may influence our weight, immune system, mental health, and every system in our body. Further, many of our modern diseases—obesity, autism, mental illness, digestive disorders, allergies and autoimmune afflictions—may have their root in microbial imbalances.
Much attention has been placed on microbes as a promising way to improve and treat different conditions in the future of medicine. In 2007, the Human Microbiome Project was launched looking at the roles of different microbes in health and disease. Fecal transplants (yes poop!) have been used to effectively treat C Difficile, a difficult and dangerous infection. Mapping out these sequences and strains could provide new treatment avenues in the future.
The good news is that we can change our microbiome for the better through diet and lifestyle. Your biome can change by the season, by the week, or even by the meal. Make sure to feed your microbiome well!
☆ RD tips ☆
- Eat a diverse diet rich in whole foods. A diet consisting of different food types is likelier to lead to a diverse microbiota. A diverse microbiota is considered to be a healthy one, as the more species of bacteria you have, the greater number of potential health benefits. Choosing a variety of colors is an easy way to get diversity.
- Choose high-fiber plant-based foods such as vegetables, legumes, beans and fruit. Fiber feeds gut bacteria and stimulates their growth.
- Eat fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, miso and saurkraut. Fermented foods are rich in lactobacilli which can have many benefits.
- Take a probiotic supplement to obtain the right strains and amounts for health.
Here are three things to look for in a quality probiotic:
Make sure the strain is identified. There are hundreds of probiotics, but only a small subset of these have been studied. Many products list only the genus and species, such as Lactobacillus (genus) acidophilus (species). Look for labels that also list strain Lactobacillus Acidophilus NCFM (strain). The strain is linked to the specific function of the particular microbe. For instance, the 299v strain of L. Plantarum 299v has been studied for lower bowel inflammation.
For example, think of a guard dog versus a poodle…same genus and species, but two very different dogs. Strain matters.
Look for probiotics that are guaranteed at expiration. Probiotics can be guaranteed at manufacture or guaranteed at expiration. When a probiotic is “guaranteed at manufacture”, that means once it leaves the warehouse, the company cannot ensure the quality. Because levels of probiotics can decrease over time, probiotics guaranteed at time of manufacture may not be as potent after it is manufactured. When a probiotic is guaranteed at expiration, it means the company has taken the necessary quality steps to ensure the microbes will be viable and in the amount on the label at expiration.
Match the amount of CFUs to the amount in the research. Probiotic counts are measured in CFUs, or colony forming units, and can range from several million to several trillion CFUs per dose. More is not always better. What matters is do the amount of the CFUs match what is in the research? It’s all about the optimum microbial balance. A better approach is to take the probiotic strain and amount that was researched for the health outcome or condition you are addressing.
