Introduction
We’ve all heard the terms digestive system and gut health, but perhaps the term gut microbiome or gut microbiota are not as familiar to you. The gut microbiome or gut microbiota is also referred to as your gut flora.
The gut microbiome is essential in the metabolism and processing of the food ingested. As part of the digestive process, it is responsible for helping with the absorption and synthesis of nutrients.
Apart from digestive function, it also assists in keeping the intestinal lining intact and providing defense against pathogens.
Your gastrointestinal tract is host to about 100 trillion microorganisms that make up the gut microbiome, which is a biologically diverse environment consisting of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and archaea (which were once classified as bacteria. They are single-celled organisms.)
Every person comes with a unique set of microbial footprints, which have been classified further into different types known as one’s enterotype.
Falling into a certain enterotype is quite similar to being classified under a specific blood type, only that it is mainly based on the bacteriological composition of an individual’s gut microbiota.
More important than all the theory is the simple fact that your gut health and subsequent overall health and wellbeing are greatly influenced by what you eat and how you live.
By understanding how your gut microbiome affects you, and how you can affect it, you can make huge changes to all aspects of your health, including mood, longevity and pain management.
