Our gut microbiome is made of billions of microscopic bacteria many of which play a significant role in our digestive system. Keeping these bacteria balanced, ensuring we have optimal levels of commensal ie good bacteria and reducing problematic bacteria ie bad bacteria, helps maintain a digestive system free from common complaints / symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, infection and more…
The bacteria in our gut microbiome can be described in simple terms as commensal (helpfu) and non commensal (unhelpful).
Commensal bacteria help us to break down and digest our food, convert dietary fibre into short chain fatty acids which are nutritionally important for keeping our gut lining healthy, create a physical barrier in order that harmful substances do not enter our bloodstream and also suppress bad bacteria by taking up their space as well as secreting natural anti-biotics.
Non commensal bacteria can cause stomach gas and make us bloated, may cause diarrhoea so that we don’t absorb important vitamins and minerals, can cause stomach infections and make our stomach lining more permeable so that harmful substances enter our blood stream thus leading to increased food sensitivity, changes in bowel habits as well as low energy.
Our guts are constantly bombarded with an increasing array of foods, additives, chemicals, hormones all of which it has to digest, absorb and eliminate. So keeping our digestive tract and our gut microbiome in optimum health is vital for our digestive health.