Humans are made up of over 100 trillion microbes, which outnumber human cells 10 to 1. The majority of our microbes live in the gut, specifically the large intestine, as well as on the skin and in the mouth. The whole organism can even weigh as much as five pounds. While this organism is so important, it was not recognized to exist until the 1990s and still, many people are unaware of it. Scientists have just begun to scratch the surface with research work on this organism. What exactly am I referring to? The microbiome.
The microbiome is all of the genetic material that lives in our bodies, and it is made up of our microbes which includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses and it is crucial for our health. Humans also are not the only ones with a microbiome— the sea, earth, and atmosphere have one too.
Now, what exactly does the microbiome do and why is it so important? The microbiome decreases our susceptibility to infectious diseases, determines how people respond to drugs, and overall plays a huge part in our general health because it directly communicates with our cells. In fact, 70 percent of our immune system resides in the gut lining. For example, autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia are associated with the microbiome. Additionally, disease-causing microbes accumulate over time, changing gene activity and metabolic processes which results in an abnormal immune response against substances and tissues normally present in the body. Obesity and Type 1 Diabetes are also closely associated with a poor combination of microbes in the gut. Each person has an entirely different network of microbia determined by their DNA, and each person’s microbiome grows and changes throughout their lifetime. According to the University of Washington, some inherited autoimmune diseases are often not passed by DNA inheritance, but by inheriting the family’s microbiome. Humans’ first exposure to microorganisms occurs at birth from the mother’s breast milk, so at the beginning of our lives, the microbiome is based on our DNA and what we are exposed to from our mothers. After three years, humans have fully developed their own microbiome and the environments we are exposed to and our diet plays a huge part in either keeping us healthy or putting us at a greater risk.
Microbial diversity is the biomarker of health —this means that the more diverse the microbiome is, the healthier a person tends to be. There are numerous ways to diversify a microbiome; one way is by breastfeeding for at least six months. Studies have shown that infants who were formula-fed have altered microbiomes with less Bifidobacteria than infants who are breastfed. Breastfeeding is also associated with lower rates of allergies, obesity, and other diseases that may be due to gut microbiota. Another way to achieve diversification is by consuming products that support increased levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). These foods include garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, seaweed, and dandelion greens. Probiotics are helpful in diversifying the microbiome as they naturally contain microbiota and live bacteria; yes, some live bacteria can actually be healthy! Next, fermented foods and drinks contain active cultures that are great for the gut. Kombucha is a fermented drink that I love and drink almost daily. However, for those of you that cannot stand the taste or smell, other fermented foods include yogurts, pickled vegetables, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, and tempeh. Finally, foods that contain polyphenol are great since they cannot always be digested by human cells so they go to the colon where they are digested straight by gut bacteria. Polyphenol foods include blueberries, broccoli, almonds, green tea, grape skins, cacao or dark chocolate, and red wine.
Microbiome supplements have been developed to specifically support gut health. The one my family and I use is called Ion Biome, an all-natural, soil-derived, liquid supplement rich in a variety of substances, trace minerals, and amino acids. It boosts immunity, aids gluten digestion, enhances mental clarity, and supports overall digestion. Ion Biome was discovered and produced by Dr. Zach Bush, a triple board-certified physician with expertise in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care, a leading cancer researcher, and an internationally recognized educator on the microbiome.
I’ve saved the easiest and most beneficial thing you can do to diversify your microbiome for last. The microbiome is made stronger not just by the food and drinks that are put into your body, but by the air you breathe. Every day we breathe in up to million microorganisms and the microorganisms present in the air are different in every place. The air we breathe in Winston-Salem is very different from the air in Colorado, Japan, or even just in our neighbor, Virginia, because each atmosphere has a different diversity. For example, one study based in Singapore found that tropical air is as diverse as seawater and the gut. The air you breathe in your own home can even have effects – according to the University of Washington, infants who live in homes with dogs or cats have been found to less likely develop childhood allergies because “dust from homes with dogs may reduce the immune response to allergens and other asthma triggers by changing the composition of the gut microbiome”. Traveling, and I don’t mean across the world, but just taking more walks outside in different places around where you live whether it is by a stream, mountain, beach, or forest, is remarkably beneficial for your microbiome. In an interview, Dr. Bush explains that he has his patients in Virginia drive along the coast to the beaches and then down to the swampy parts of the state and then to the Appalachian trail for the purpose of breathing diverse climates. Dr. Bush says, “I really have a profoundly strong conviction that the more you can breathe in new environments, the longer you’re going to live”. The Hadza’s, a rural African tribe, have one of the diverse human microbiomes due to the wide range of raw foods and vegetables they eat, as well as their environment and deep connection to the earth.
The microbiome is the missing human health puzzle piece and it is in our hands to strengthen our own and rebuild the earth. So breathe as many diverse climates as you possibly can, eat a wide range of natural foods, keep drinking kombucha, and walk barefoot in the dirt. We are not simply human– we are in fact, superorganisms. 50% human, 50% bacteria, 100% you.
Sources:
www.depts.washington.edu/ceeh/downloads/FF_Microbiome.pdf
www.kavlifoundation.org/about-microbiome
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/
www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-gut-bacteria#section4
www.blog.daveasprey.com/eat-dirt-the-secret-to-a-healthy-microbiome-zach-bush-458/.