When we were little, our parents told my brother and me that there was a battle between the germs and the leukocytes going on in our bodies. “Send down the sugar!” the germs cried daily, while the leukocytes called in response, “Send down the vegetables!”
I listened, and in adulthood I can claim pretty good health, yet I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Okay, a beast of a sweet tooth. In fact, my personal research supports the hypothesis that the only way I can stop eating Reese’s Miniatures is to eat them all.
Why, I ask myself over and over, can I not resist these sweets? Surely it is some moral failing on my part. What self-respecting adult can devour Valentine hearts, candy corn and jellybeans?
Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon news today that I might be able to blame something other than my will power. It could be my gut microbiome.
Cocktail party conversation has taught us that we house more microscopic beings, or microbiota, in our bodies than we do human cells. Research from the 1970s put that ratio at 10:1, but newer findings give only a slight edge to microbes, which is still astounding. Most of these little friends live in our digestive system and on our skin. Altogether, this wellhouse of bacteria, fungi, protists, archaea, and viruses weighs about 3 pounds in a typical adult. If this is not your usual cocktail party conversation fodder, you might be going to the wrong cocktail parties. Or maybe I’m going to the wrong cocktail parties.
What on Earth is this microbiome up to? Of course, digestion is one of its primary functions. We’ve all experienced the unpleasant tummy troubles when taking antibiotics, due to the good bacteria in our gut being killed off along with the problematic bacteria.
But oh, there’s more. There’s so much more. Exploring new insights into our microbiome is almost as much fun as a walk in the woods with a toddler. Behold the wonder and the awe of the tiny world of our inner ecosystem!
Here is a quick run-down of the latest findings. A healthy microbiome can help control type 2 diabetes, relieve symptoms of IBS, improve bone strength, decrease anxiety and depression, maintain a healthy weight, relieve stress, possibly prevent Parkinson’s disease, improve sociability, and decrease behavioral disorders in infants. This is only a partial list.
And that sweet tooth I mentioned? New research out of California Institute of Technology finds that specific gut bacteria may suppress “hedonistic” eating in mice. I love that choice of words, Caltech. Not only do these bacteria suppress hedonistic eating, but they’re selective to hedonic treats and not food that is part of a regular, healthy mouse diet.
Well knock me over with a chocolate chip cookie. It’s the lack of some tiny organisms inside that makes me grab the 20th Hershey’s kiss. Now I need to know what bacteria I lack in my gut and how I can get it back. While the Caltech team has identified the bacteria, as it relates to me and my sweet tooth, “further research is needed,” blah blah blah. In other words, there’s still no magic bullet. Yet.
I can, however, take care of the microbiome I already have. The recipe hearkens back to what my parents told me, “Send down the broccoli!” vs “Send down the cookies!” A diet rich in colorful, plant-based food; lean meats; healthy nuts and oils; and one low in sugar and processed foods promotes a healthy microbiome. Locally produced and seasonal foods are healthier than foods from far away that have sat in cold storage and traveled great distances to reach us. Added sugar, alas, is a major disrupter in the health of our microbiomes.
Our behaviors can also promote healthy tiny worlds within. Socializing with those we love*, which floods our brains with oxytocin and serotonin, is also good for our microbiota. Such community activity invites us to gather bacteria from friends, a bonus for the gut, as does being outside exposing ourselves to bacteria from Mother Nature. *(Covid restrictions apply, yet another dastardly effect of this virus.)
There we have it, the key to good health and to taming the sweet tooth: eat real food, play outside, and spend time with friends. It sounds a lot like what my parents taught me.
To learn more about your microbiome, which will improve your conversational skills and popularity at cocktail parties and other social functions, visit www.gutmicrobiotforhealth.com.
Mary Dansak is a writer and a retired science education specialist living in Auburn, AL. She can be reached at maryfdansak@gmail.com.
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