Why you should keep your gut bacteria in balance! Become slimmer. Become happier.

What you should eat for a healthy gut and what you should avoid.

You are 90% non-human

Your body is made up of around 10 trillion cells. But you are also home to around 100 trillion bacterial cells. Do the math - 90% of you are not human.

This means that there are more bacteria in your body than there are people in the world. There are even more bacteria in your body than there are stars in the Milky Way. Together, the bacteria in your body represent about 3000 species with a collective pool of 3 million different genes. Compare this to the paltry 19,000 genes that make up the human body.

These bacteria not only play a huge role in regulating your digestive system and immune system, but also your emotions, the way you think, your body fat levels and maybe even the size of your testicles.

What we've learned from wet mice

Neuroscientist John Cryan conducted a very strange experiment. He took mice and split them into two groups. One group was the control group and the other group was given Lactobacillus Ramnosis, a bacterium that is often used to make ordinary yogurt.

After a few weeks, he threw all the mice into two bowls of water to see how they reacted to water stress. Rodents are very good swimmers, but they hate water - it makes them go crazy. The control group tried desperately to get out of the bowl. Their efforts continued for four minutes until they were exhausted and gave up. This is also known as "behavioral despondency".

But what about the mice that had been fed with bacteria? They tried to get out of the bowl, but their efforts were far less desperate. They continued to swim even after the four minutes after which the mice in the control group had given up. After six minutes, Cryan pulled the soaked rodents out of the water.

You're no doubt thinking that the yogurt somehow gave the test group extra stamina, right? Wrong. Cryan found that stress hormone levels were 100 times higher in the control group. All this panic is not good. They burn out and give up after a few minutes, as was the case with the mice in the control group.

The Lactobacillus mice, on the other hand, had only half as many stress hormones coursing through their veins. In addition to this, they showed a profound change in the distribution of their GABA receptors towards a pattern associated with calm, non-stressed animals. GABA has pretty much the opposite effect of stress hormones. It makes them calmer, so they don't panic when thrown into a bowl of water - they don't reach the point of "behavioral despondency".

How was it possible that bacteria in the mice's digestive tract somehow had a calming effect on the mice's brains? Cryan asked himself the same question, so he repeated the experiment, this time cutting the mice's vargus nerve - the large headward nerve leading from the abdomen to the brain - before throwing them into the water.

The swimming Lacto mice with the severed nerve behaved in exactly the same way as the mice in the control group. Desperate paddling. "Behavioral despondency". Cries of "Help me, you bastard!" They gave up after about four minutes. In fact, all positive reactions to the Lactobacillus bacteria were no longer present.

The conclusion is that a colony of Lactobacillus bacteria living in the gut of the long-swimming mice had somehow manipulated the vagus nerve so that it sent a signal to the brain to release the calming chemical GABA.

But is this in any way transferable to humans? Can bacteria actually affect the neurochemistry of humans and change the way we think and react to stress and who knows what else? The short answer is yes, it seems so.

A similar study was conducted in France with humans and without any water sports. The subjects were given massive amounts of two probiotics - Lactobacillus and Bifidobacillus.

After a few weeks, standardized psychological tests indicated that the subjects were less stressed, less anxious and less depressed. These results were confirmed by testing their 24-hour cortisol levels.

The theory is that the bacterial strains produced a huge amount of serotonin - a calming chemical whose levels often rise when you have eaten carbohydrate-rich foods, for example. The human brain normally contains only very small amounts of serotonin, while 80% of our serotonin supply is located in the digestive tract, so it is quite conceivable that bacteria influence this supply.

The results of these experiments, along with other study results, have led the National Academy of Sciences to consider whether they could treat mental disorders with "medicinal" yogurt instead of drugs. But mind control is just the tip of a fermented chunk of cheese of biological processes influenced by bacteria.

Probiotics vs. pathogens

Virtually everyone knows the role that bacteria play in digestion, how they help break down complex carbohydrates and help retain nitrogen from the breakdown of proteins, and that a large portion of your stool is made up of dead or dying bacteria, but I don't want to focus on this. Instead, I want to explore the lesser-known properties of these strange organisms.

For example, the "good" bacteria, probiotics, are believed to be involved in the constant life-and-death battle with pathogens. They do this by damaging or killing these pathogens - sometimes by releasing chemicals, sometimes by changing the pH of the environment or sometimes simply by displacing these pathogens.

These good bacteria also produce nutrients as a by-product of their metabolism, such as certain B vitamins and vitamin K, which are vital for our immune system. In fact, probiotics are believed to make up about 70% of our immune system. Even the appendix, once thought to be an atrophied organ - appears to be a storehouse of probiotics, releasing them when needed during infections.

Many illnesses that plague us could simply be caused by dysbiosis - an imbalance between probiotics and pathogens. There are obvious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease, but other, less suspicious conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes could also be caused or exacerbated by dysbiosis. Dysbiosis could be linked to virtually any autoimmune disease you can think of - from asthma and arthritis, to ulcerative colitis and white spot disease.

What happens is that an imbalance of bacteria, stressful chemicals or hormones cause the gut lining to become more permeable. This increased permeability could then allow unwanted substances to enter your bloodstream, where they alert the immune system and lead to local or systemic inflammation.

The bacteria that made me fat. There's also a lot of research on the idea that bacteria may play a big role in determining body fat levels. Gastric bypass surgery was previously thought to be effective purely for physical reasons, as a smaller stomach leads to fewer calories being consumed, but up to 20% of weight loss could be based on a consequent shift in the balance of bacteria in the gut.

Mice that underwent gastric bypass surgery lost weight as expected, but when scientists transplanted the gut contents of the bypass mice into mice in the control group, the mice in the control group also lost weight rapidly. The same could work in humans.

Another study, which included 792 subjects, found that overweight people may harbor a certain type of bacteria that could contribute to weight gain by helping other organisms around it digest certain nutrients, making more calories available. The authors of the study theorized that this type of bacteria may have been useful to humans thousands of years ago, when fiber played a much larger role in the diet and it was essential that every possible calorie could be squeezed out of the available food.

Scientists also suspect that an imbalance of gut bacteria could increase insulin resistance and increase fat storage in fat cells by suppressing something called FIAF (fasting-induced adipocyte factor).

Yes, they may even contribute to the size of your testicles

Studies into the link between bacteria and obesity even led to the puzzling but welcome observation that mice fed a vanilla-flavored yogurt grew substantially larger testicles - so large that they assumed a gait not unlike that of John Wayne.

Two groups of mice were involved in the study. One group was fed junk food and yogurt and the other was fed a healthier diet plus yogurt. The junk food mice experienced a 15% increase in testicle size, while the healthy eaters only experienced a 5% increase in testicle size (the junk food mice had smaller testicles to begin with, hence the difference in percentages).

The mice that ate a healthy diet plus yoghurt fertilized their mates faster and produced more offspring. They also grew a shiny coat and had a 10-fold higher follicle density compared to normal, non-yogurt eating mice, making them look like little, white-haired Alec Baldwins.

Is this also transferable to humans? It would appear that it is. Nutritional epidemiologist Jorge Chavarro has found that eating yogurt improves sperm quality in men.

Don't like bacteria? Then you would have been better off staying in the womb

The first and last time you were ever sterile - completely free of bacteria - was in the womb. But then, as you were rudely pushed out into the world through your mother's birth canal, you were literally flooded with bacteria (babies born by caesarean section miss out on this seemingly vital bacterial bath and are believed to be more prone to certain allergies, eczema and even obesity as a result).

They were exposed to a world of microorganisms. During the weeks and months that followed, you were cared for by a bacteria-laden mother and father, exposed to bacteria-laden air, kissed by your aunts' bacteria-laden lips, licked by a bacteria-laden dog's tongue, and licked a bacteria-laden carpet. All of this played a role in the development of your personal bacterial ecosystem, which, if you were lucky, flourished and thrived.

If you weren't so lucky, you may have been the child of bacteriophobic parents, exposed to multiple antibiotic cycles or had your bacterial population decimated over the years by antiseptic soap, disinfectants, antibacterial mouthwashes and various prescription bacteria-killing drugs.

Metaphorically speaking, your bacterial ecosystem is the rainforest and you have willfully and unchecked let in hordes of loggers, farmers, miners, industrialists and poachers who have trampled your immune system and most likely caused a severe case of dysbiosis. In this case, it is very likely that your bacterial population is out of balance.

Yogurt and probiotics are not the cure

Let me clear up a common misconception. Eating a cup of yogurt every day isn't going to do much when it comes to reestablishing the right bacteria in your gut. There are hundreds or thousands of species of bacteria in your digestive tract and a typical yogurt may contain two different strains of bacteria.

However, if you insist on going the yogurt route, it's best to avoid brands that contain sugar, as these are likely to feed competing bacteria. It's also recommended to avoid any brand advertised on TV by women who fake orgasm when they eat the yogurt, instead look out for yogurt made by shepherds using yak milk or similar - stuff that may even have been strained through jute and contains nasty clumps of bacteria (and I'm only half joking here).

And there's more discouraging news: Taking most probiotics supplements often doesn't work either. No study to date has been able to show that supplemented probiotics became permanent gut residents.

Now before you throw the aforementioned studies in my face - the studies about the mind-controlling yogurt and the mice with bigger eggs, let me mention that there are certain strains of bacteria that can have medicinal effects in high doses over a short period of time, but that doesn't mean they become permanent gut residents.

Part of this problem may have something to do with the supplements themselves, which are often mishandled. Capsules and tablets should be stored in a cool place - and not just after you have bought them, but immediately after they have been manufactured.

If you decide to go down the pill or capsule route, then you should ensure that these supplements meet the following standards:

• The amount of bacteria should be in CFUs (colony forming units) and not milligrams.
• The product should be stored in a cool place regardless of the label claims.
• The product should be protected by a protective medium such as oil, nutrient cultures or coated tablets.

A better way: fermentation

A better tactic is to eat foods that are probiotic and prebiotic. These are fermented foods that contain beneficial bacteria and provide them with nutrients at the same time.

Admittedly, most of these fermented foods - like the aforementioned yogurt - rely heavily on the action of one or two microorganisms (Lactobacillus and Bifodobacillus), which is only a small sample of the microorganisms in a healthy gut, but it looks like these bacteria can create an environment conducive to the growth of other healthy bacteria in the same way that a rising tide lifts all boats.

Regardless, some experimentation is necessary to see which fermented foods work for you. Try at least one of the foods in the following list each day. (Keep in mind that one serving of sauerkraut contains about the same amount of bacteria as an entire can of certain brands of probiotics in capsule form).

• Kimchi
• Kombucha (a bacterial culture and yeast used to brew a tea)
• miso
• Umeboshi (fermented, pickled plums from Japan)
• Sauerkraut
• Tempeh (fermented soybeans)
• Sour preserves (only those labeled as fermented)

In general, these are foods that normally contain indigestible carbohydrates such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). We cannot digest these carbohydrates, but the lactobacilli and bifidobacilli feed on them.

If you buy any of these foods, then you should only buy them from the chilled section of your supermarket, otherwise there is a chance that most of the bacteria they contain will not be viable or will already be dead. Of course, you must also keep these foods in the fridge at home.

You should also refrain from overheating these foods. Many people like cooked sauerkraut, for example. However, heating it too much makes sauerkraut practically sterile.

Foods for gut bacteria health

Foods like the following provide your new gut bacteria with things like FOS and inulin, which these bacteria need to thrive:

• Onions
• garlic
• milk
• bananas
• wheat
• Oats
• artichokes
• Asparagus
• leek
• chicory

If these foods don't sound tasty to you, you can also buy an oligofructose supplement and supplement your diet with at least 5 grams of this per day (hopefully getting you close to 20 grams of prebiotics per day).

As for GOS, it may be an even more effective prebiotic compared to FOS and inulin. It has recently attracted the interest of researchers who have shown that it can significantly reduce anxiety and depression in human subjects - both thought to be the result of inflammation.

Foods that are rich in GOS include:

• Lentils
• Chickpeas/hummus
• Green peas
• Lima beans
• Kidney beans

Half a cup of each of these foods should be enough to keep your bacteria growing. Each of these foods contains about 6 to 7 grams of prebiotic fiber, of which about 3 to 4 grams are GOS.

What can you expect

Let's say you do all of this. You will become a foster parent to trillions of new bacteria. How will you know that this is good for you?

In the short term, you might suffer less bloating, develop more regular bowel movements, experience a less bloated feeling, develop a better complexion and notice stools that are more "aerodynamic".

In the long run, this approach could help you alleviate any autoimmune issues you may be suffering from, including asthma, skin allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, etc. In addition, you may also become more resistant to disease.

References

1. Brockman, John (editor), "This Book Will Make You Smarter," Harper Perennial, New York, 2012.
2. Choi, Charles Q, "Probiotic Bacteria May Help Treat Depression," LiveScience website, Aug. 29, 2011.
3. Dolgin, Elie, "Mice That Eat Yogurt Have Larger Testicles," Scientific American, Friday, May 4th, 2012.
4. Grady, Denise, "Bacteria in the Intestines May Help Tip the Bathroom Scale, Studies Show," The New York Times, March 27th, 2013.
5. Radiolab broadcast of "Guts," April 2nd, 2012.
6. Roach, Mary, "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal," W.W. Norton and Company, 2013.

From TC Luoma

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/balance-gut-bacteria-get-leaner-get-happier