Your microbiome growth is most important than half the other healthy things you do each day.
The human body is full of microbes–far more than you could possibly imagine. Your immune system is comprised partially of good bacteria that live in your gut which control the bad bacteria, fungi, and pathogens that enter and live in your body. A healthy body has billions of tiny microbes floating around. These resident microbes are known as “human microbiome”, and they are your first line of defense against all outside threats. Microbiome growth can keep your immune system functioning properly, help to break down and digest your food, and prevent disease.
Let’s break this down:
It’s estimated that your body has 10 times more microbiomes than human body cells. That means that there are 10 microbes in your body for every single cell that makes you you. That’s a LOT of microbiome cells!
It’s believed that your genes may even contain microbial genes. The number of microbial genes may actually outnumber the human genes (kind of makes you almost more microbe than human, right?).
The human body acts as a host to the billions of tiny organisms known as microbiomes. Infants are born sterile and free of all microbes, but the microbes begin to colonize the human body from the moment we exit our mothers’ wombs. With every passing day, more and more microbes spread through our bodies, increasing our natural defenses, stimulating healthy body function, and keeping everything in good working order. Breast milk is actually full of microbiome growth helpers, including natural mom-made probiotics.
The majority of the microbes hang out in our intestines, where they help to break down food, eliminate waste, and control the spread of harmful pathogens. Microbiome growth occurs all over the body: on your teeth, in your mouth, in your ears, in your nose, in your eyes, on your hands, on your skin, in your stomach, and the list goes on.
READ MORE: 7 Health Benefits of Kombucha
There are certain things that can interfere with normal microbiome function. When you brush your teeth, you eliminate a lot of good microbes along with all the bad ones. Thankfully, the microbiomes can grow back, restoring your mouth to normal, healthy function. The same thing happens when you wash your hands, clean your ears, or take many types of medication. Taking medication like antibiotics can decimate the microbiome ranks, killing off most of the good bacteria and microbes living in your body–along with the bad ones, of course. Not only do medications reduce the microbe population, but they can also alter them.
Certain medications kill off most of the microbes, but the ones that remain are able to resist the medication’s effects. When they multiply, they increase the presence of antibiotic-resistant microbes, and eventually these become an entire strain of microbes that can survive medications. While this is great for the microbiomes in our bodies, it’s not as good when it comes to harmful microbes and pathogens.
If the medications affect our bodies’ microbiomes but DO NOT kill off the harmful pathogens, this can lead to serious problems. Your body can’t fight without an immune system, so the harmful microbes can take over. This is why so many antibiotic-resistant microbes are such a threat.
Thankfully, there is a silver lining: microbiomes may soon be used to make more effective medications. There are millions of applications for microbiome-based treatments that target the harmful microbes without affecting the resident microbes. Secondary infections can be prevented, disease may be more efficiently treated, and the patients’ health can remain unaffected.
Tip: eating probiotic-rich foods like cultured yogurt and natural kombucha may assist in microbiome growth, while eating a sugary diet may have the opposite effect.
