High fiber-diet and gut bacteria – Have we missed something?
Mukta Agrawal
What do we know about them?
Do you have any idea that we are only 10 percent human and 90 % of our cells are nonhuman as well as microbial cells? This is because our diet influences our microbes. Yes… It is true. We are what we eat. But the good news is that we can cultivate a new microbiota, in other words, gut flora. We can do it in just 24 hours by simply changing what we eat. The bacterias that live in our intestinal tract which is also known as gut bugs is colorful, plant-based flourished foods.
The latest research and studies on gut bacteria continue to show us how the process works, and this explains why the mere mention of these gut bacteria sparks conversations in both research labs as well as newsrooms.
The healthy gut bacteria act as quarterbacks in our intestinal tracts. These bacterias control the tempo and call the shots by helping our bodies in order to synthesize certain vitamins, digest and absorb nutrients and finally rally against intruders, like influenza and toxic cancer-forming carcinogens. These gut bacterias not only boosts our immune system but also it sends messages to our brain and helps in regulating our metabolism.
But why Fiber?
Do you remember what your health authority will say often? Exactly! Eat more fiber… The basically want you to load up with fruits, veggies, legumes and whole grains! All fiber rich foods…In addition to that, they might as well told you why! This high fiber diet keeps you far away from cholesterol and constipation and relieves you from all sorts of diseases.
There are different types of fibers like there are different types of fats such as
Soluble fiber
Insoluble fiber
While some of the fibers have vital health benefits the others are blunt. There are almost 500 different sorts of bacteria lives in our intestine where the total number could be 100 trillion. But you don’t want to worry about it since we have a mutual relationship with these bacteria which is actually beneficial.
These bacteria help in various aspects of our health such as blood sugar control, weight, brain functions as well as immune control…
Let me be straightforward about the situation… Well… Like all the other organisms, bacteria needs to eat as well. Isn’t is important to get energy from somewhere in order to functions and survival? But there is an issue. Most of the carbs, fats, and proteins get absorbed into our bloodstream even before they make it to our large intestine. So, there is nothing left for the gut flora. And this is where our fiber steps in… Since we don’t have the enzymes that digest fiber it directly reaches our large intestine relatively unchanged. However, our intestinal bacteria DO have all the enzymes to digest plenty of these fibers. Now, don’t you think this is one of the most important reasons to consider that some dietary fibers are important for our health? They feed the ‘good’ bacteria in our intestine, which functions as prebiotics.
The health benefits:
By this way, means by eating fibrous food we are increasing our levels of the good bacteria, which can lead to various positive effects on our health. These friendly bacteria produce nutrients for our body, including short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate, of which butyrate appears to be the most important fatty acid.
Moreover, these short-chain fatty acids can also feed the cells in the colon, which leads reduced inflammation in our gut and the improvements in various digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
When these bacteria ferment the fiber, they also produce gasses. This might be one of the reasons where high-fiber diets can cause flatulence as well as stomach discomfort, but this goes away with time as your body adjusts usually.
Benefits of Gut Bacteria
Improves mental health
Boosts energy level
Decreases bad cholesterol
Regulates hormone levels
Decreases yeast infections
Improves oral health
Supports a healthy weight gain
Contributes to longer life
Simple Fiber diet:
Bananas
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower
Blueberries
Beans
Fermented plant-based food like soy
Still, more research is needed in order to determine how important this bacteria is to our health. It is still a long way off, but a high-fiber diet, along with a dose of long-extinct microbes, may one day be a way to optimize the gut bacteria in our body.
