{"id":10113,"date":"2022-09-14T13:26:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T11:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ingredients.saccosystem.com\/the-gut-microbiota\/"},"modified":"2024-12-02T16:00:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T15:00:18","slug":"the-gut-microbiota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ingredients.saccosystem.com\/en\/the-gut-microbiota\/","title":{"rendered":"The gut microbiota"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

What it is, what functions it performs, and how we can take care of this important ally of our health.<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From here and there on the Web and in magazines we have probably come across this somewhat edgy term. Gut microbiota<\/strong>. I can imagine eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement, eyes scrolling through the first line of the article until halfway through and then listlessly moving on to the next article.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I realize that, microbiota is not an attractive term. It sounds like something boring, distant, that doesn’t affect us-but there is nothing more false. In recent years the gut microbiota has been the focus of much study and research<\/strong>: what has emerged is that if he is healthy then he has beneficial effects<\/strong> on our whole body as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In this article, we therefore do justice to the populous community of little creatures living in our digestive tract. We will find out together what it is, what benefits it provides, and how we can take care of our gut microbiota<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The gut microbiota: what is it?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In advertisements we can easily recognize it: it is commonly – and improperly – called bacterial flora<\/strong>!
Here is a simple definition<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n

The gut microbiota<\/strong> is the set of microorganisms that populate the digestive system, found mainly in the intestines.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fun fact<\/span>: We tend to forget, but it is important to remember that there are plenty of “foreign” living things colonizing our bodies! So we are not only talking about the digestive tract but also intimate areas<\/strong> and skin<\/strong>, for example. It is estimated that in a healthy individual the number of cells in the microbiota<\/strong> is almost equal to the number of cells in our body! Not just peanuts, in short.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These microorganisms are our allies: they perform important functions <\/strong>in our bodies, such as protecting us from pathogens and helping regulate our sleep-wake rhythms. What kind of microorganisms populate our intestines<\/strong>? We are talking about more than a trillion bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that communicate with each other continuously and act as one organism<\/strong>. A little creepy said like that, isn’t it? But no fear, we must be grateful to have them with us!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The origin of the microbiota<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The moment we are born <\/strong>and the first few years of life <\/strong>are important in laying the foundation for a microbiota that, in the long run, influences overall health and can determine the occurrence of certain types of disease. Natural childbirth<\/strong> is an important occasion: it allows a greater exchange of microorganisms between mother and newborn, with the development of a richer microbiota<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Contact with the mother’s microorganisms also occurs during cesarean delivery<\/strong>, but only with those that inhabit her skin; only natural childbirth allows exchanges with the intestinal and vaginal microbiota. By the same principle,breastfeeding<\/strong> is an important step in the formation of the microbiota.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Not only from mom!<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As we will see in the next section, the maternal microbiota is not the only influence on microbiota formation. Contact with environmental microorganisms<\/strong> is also important, and contributes to the development of a good immune system in the newborn. They come from animals, the natural environment, other people or food.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Is the microbiota the same for everyone?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The gut microbiota <\/strong>changes depending onage<\/strong> and several factors such as environment and diet<\/strong>, which, over the course of a day, can transiently change much of its composition. An important characteristic is its resilience<\/strong>, that is, its ability to adapt to changes in environment or diet in order to perform its functions properly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Everyone’s microbiota is for all intents and purposes “unique”<\/strong> precisely because it depends on many factors. Suffice it to say that not even homozygous twins have the same gut microbiota! The diversity of microorganisms and the quantity of the different species that make up the gut microbiota depend on several factors<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n