29 Mar Gut bugs & weight gain
The bacteria that live in your GI tract are one of the most overlooked and vaguely understood components of both weight loss and longevity. There are a host of weight and health related problems that come from imbalances or problems with your intestinal flora.
The term gut flora refers to the delicate balance of microbes and other ‘germs,’ both good and bad, that live in the human gut (the stomach, small and large intestines and colon). The gut flora balance is the perfect scientific example of a communal relationship—an otherwise symbiotic relationship where only one side benefits (in this case, the human).
There are billions of gastrointestinal flora bacterial cells in the human body, compromising over 400 different strains. In fact, the bacteria in your stomach can comprise up to 22lbs of your total body weight!
Though many of types of bacteria living in our stomach have been identified, there are still several types of gut flora that have yet to be explored, mainly because many are resistant to the latest culturing techniques, making them nearly impossible to study. The problem is that many types of intestinal flora can’t survive outside of the warm, incubating human body and therefore can’t be studied alive.
A partial list of the physiological processes that are influenced by our composition of intestinal bacteria would include our immune system, digesting carbohydrates, preventing irritable bowels, maximizing the absorption of nutrients, energy production and more.
For the purposes of healthy weight maintenance we must consider that proper nutrition is essential. Our intestinal flora have a very large influence over the assimilation and absorption of what we eat. Conversely, an equally important consideration that is usually overlooked is that what we eat can influence our composition of intestinal flora.
“For the purposes of weight loss and fitness we must consider that proper nutrition is essential to be lean and fit. Our intestinal flora have a very large influence over the assimilation and absorption of what we eat. Conversely, an equally important consideration that is usually overlooked is that what we eat can influence our composition of intestinal flora.” More from the NYT article here : https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/health/studies-focus-on-gut-bacteria-in-weight-loss.html?_r=0