A
healthy, balanced diet rich in probiotics and prebiotics is the key to developing a thriving,
diverse gut colony. But you can't expect your happy and healthy microbiome to
withstand the gut bombs many of us throw their way—sometimes every single day.
Here are some common enemies of
your beneficial bacteria and how to protect your microbiome from harm.
Antibiotics
It's right there in the name—antibiotic.
There's no doubt that these drugs are an essential part of our modern medical
arsenal and have improved and extended lives worldwide. They are also being
horribly abused and overused.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) estimates that about half of all antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary,
since many illnesses are actually viral and therefore will not respond to
antibiotics. If you have a cold, sore throat, or other upper respiratory
infection, chicken soup (with plenty of garlic) and rest is the way to go.
Spare your gut flora the decimation caused by antibiotics.
You'll have better immunity in the long run when and if you really need
them. In your home, soap and water are just fine for washing hands and cleaning
up; avoid
antibacterial products.
Anti-inflammatories
This one's important on a few levels. Women often
take NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) for menstrual
cramping. These medications work by decreasing the production of certain
hormone-like substances called prostaglandins that are the culprits behind
cramps. There are also prostaglandins that protect the lining of the stomach
and intestines. NSAIDs decrease the production of them, too.
This leads to
erosion of the protective mucosa of the gut, which in turn leads to a condition
called leaky
gut, where the gut wall becomes too
permeable, allowing toxins from your gut to spill into your bloodstream and
wreak havoc in the form of inflammation, GI distress, autoimmune disorders, and
poor athletic performance.
This issue is especially important if you're
active, because your gut is already prone to damage from the stress of
exercise-induced hypoxia, where the oxygenated blood gets pumped away to your
working muscles, leaving the gut to fend on its own. Probiotics
help keep your gut barriers strong,
even under these circumstances. Knocking them out with NSAIDs opens the
door—and your gut wall—to trouble.
Artificial sweeteners
Recent research shows that artificial
sweeteners alter your gut bacteria in
ways that produce glucose intolerance. This usually occurs when your body can't
cope with heavy sugar loads in your diet, and it sets the stage for obesity and
metabolic disease such as diabetes.
The development of glucose intolerance may
be partially why people who drink lots of diet soda are actually more likely to
be overweight despite taking in less sugar and calories.
Processed foods
Refined sugary foods, and processed
foods, cause an explosion of Firmicutes in
the gut. When this type of bacteria takes over your gut, weight gain typically
follows, so steer
clear of all processed foods in the
grocery store.
Oral contraceptives
It's something nobody talks about, but it is
emerging as a major health concern. Birth control pills and other hormone
therapies interact with your gut flora in ways that may put you at risk for
autoimmune disorders (in a nutshell, when the body's immune system attacks
healthy cells). That's because they don't just affect your reproductive system.
As you've learned, estrogen and
progesterone affect the hypothalamus, the central nervous system, the kidneys,
and ultimately the gut, just to name a few, which can alter immune responses,
triggering autoimmune disorders. Women who take oral contraceptives have a 50
percent higher risk of developing lupus.
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