Annie Ahern ’24
Health & Science Editor
Whether you are aware of it or not, there are thousands of bacterial species in your gut working very hard to keep you happy, healthy, and safe, as said in an article by Northwestern Medicine. This collection of organisms makes up something called your Microbiome, which assists in digestion, controlling your immune system, and destroying harmful foreign bacteria. These tiny friends work around the clock to clean up the nutrients that your stomach lining doesn’t absorb (almost 90% of all nutritional value!) while also improving mental and physical health, according to Northwestern Medicine.
Altering the microbiome in your gut can also help alleviate certain chronic symptoms just by changing up your diet, according to Northwestern Medicine. This allows new, healthy bacteria to enter the system and keep things running smoothly. Probiotics and fiber-rich foods are just a couple more wonderful ways to spice things up and keep your intestinal health in tip-top shape. Bacteria, both inside our bodies and out, are fantastic chemists and work nonstop to provide chemical advantages to every part of our bodies. When our own personal chemists aren’t taken care of, we often feel the effects.
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS is a chronic illness which affects almost 24 million people around the globe. Symptoms include intense exhaustion, trouble sleeping, hair loss, dizziness, muscle aches, and more, according to Medical News Today. Until recently there has been no known cure for this illness, until two new studies linked the gut microbiome and ME/CFS. With these breakthrough studies, it was found that butyrate and tryptophan were two key metabolites which eased the main symptom of ME/CFS: chronic exhaustion, according to Medical News Today. Furthermore, the research shows increased evidence that healthier gut flora significantly decreases one’s risk of chronic inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, strokes, or cancer.
Another well-known effect of a healthy gut microbiome is improved mental health. According to a recent study about this topic4, probiotics have demonstrated an ability to restore normal microbial balance, indicating they may be effective in supplementing the treatment or prevention of anxiety and depression, according to the National Library of Medicine. This is exciting news because it would suggest that various mental health issues which were previously stigmatized as nigh-incurable without medication could be alleviated tremendously without the necessity for such pills. Common side effects of this type of medication are increased weight gain, loss of appetite, and loss of motivation. With the simple changing of gut flora, these issues could be circumvented entirely.
This groundbreaking research has infinite implications for mental and physical well-being. Whether it will be curing diseases and illnesses previously thought incurable, or simply making our day-to-day lives a bit easier, maintaining a healthy microbiome in your gut is a fantastic way to practice self-care.