Two thousand years ago, Hippocrates is said to have noted,
“All disease begins in the gut.” As I see it, he was right: Our intestines
contain trillions of microbes of many species that metabolize food and make
vitamins accessible to us. Adding up to about 4 pounds of body weight, these
good bugs protect us against “bad” microbes like tetanus and E. coli, the
culprit behind traveler’s diarrhea. They are central to our health.
“Probably one of the most important services your microbes
provide is immunity,” says Martin Blaser, director of the Human Microbiome
Program at NYU Medical Center and chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. But for decades, researchers say,
we’ve been inadvertently annihilating microbes through various behaviors: excessive
use of antibiotics, scrubbing ourselves with antibacterial soap, and more.
The microbes that live inside us amount to a vast community, Blaser explains,
and when its balance is disrupted, the bad guys can flourish.
What can we do to support our beneficial bacteria? The
single quickest way to change gut microbes for the better is to be selective
about the foods we eat. Certified organic, high-fiber, and fermented
ingredients show promise in helping to bolster gut health. But so does plenty
of exposure to dirt, like you get through gardening. Conversely, processed
foods and products like hand sanitizers include chemicals that harm good
bacteria.
