Extension extra: Did you know?
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Dr. Shannon Davis
Coosa County Extension Coordinator
The human body contains trillions of different cell types that make up our hair, nails, skin, bones, and organs.
However, you may not know that the body houses far more bacteria cells than it does actual human cells. Yes, you read that right! The human body is host to more bacterial and fungal cells (around 36 trillion) than human cells (around 30 trillion).
Each region of the external body is host to specific types, or species, of bacteria. While some types of bacteria can cause illness and disease in humans, we need our beneficial bacteria because they help us to maintain our overall health.
Of particular interest is a colony of bacteria that live within our large intestines. Researchers have referred to this intestinal population, called the gut microbiota, as a “living organ.”
Did you know that the gut microbiota can directly impact our own health?
Initially, the gut microbiota is started in the newborn from bacteria that was passed down from their mother. This is one reason that maternal diet type is so important. As the newborn grows, the gut microbiota population changes as the infant is exposed to different foods and the environment.
Around 5 years of age, the preschooler’s gut microbiota reaches its maturity in terms of its internal structure made up of the different types of bacteria species and the genes they express.
In the human adult, the gut microbiota is highly individualized, meaning that there is not just one type for all. Each person’s gut microbiota changes in response to the person’s diet type, health state, lifestyle, and to medications. The gut microbiota can change rapidly over the course of 1-3 days.
In the body the colony can directly communicate with the body’s central nervous system and brain. It preforms vital biological functions such as:
- A major dietary function in the breaking down of undigested fibers, such as resistant plant cellulose, pectin and starch.
- Gut microbiota also synthesizes necessary vitamins, including vitamin K, and various B vitamins.
- The dietary fiber that is fermented by the gut microbiota is in turn used to make molecules such as short-chain fatty acids. These acids are used by the body to impart anti-inflammatory, anti- obesity, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, cardiovascular protective, and neuro-protective properties.
- The population plays a role in the body’s appetite, metabolism and production/storage of energy molecules.
Human host diet type is one of the primary factors influencing the health of the gut microbiota. It is reported that eating a daily variety of fresh, whole foods (non-processed, low sugar/salt) is beneficial, with the bulk of fresh foods being from a combination of plant-based sources like whole grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and beans.
Alternately, highly processed foods and food additives can rapidly change the “healthy” gut microbiota composition. This type of change is directly related to increased inflammation in the human body.
In conclusion, understanding the vital roles that the gut microbiota plays in the human body, it is easy to understand why it’s known as a living organ. It is also understandable why the health of the gut microbiota is of importance to overall human health.
