Gut health: Exercise, fermented food, sleep are crucial steps to strengthen your microbiota

Regular exercise, stress management, and maintaining eight hours of sleep help diversify gut microbes. (Image: Canva)

The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of microorganisms, including bacteria, protozoa, viruses, fungi, and their genes, located in the gastrointestinal tract. The microbiota synthesises vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids, playing a crucial role in the absorption of minerals and nutrients and the production of fatty acids. It also helps maintain and develop the human body, harvest energy, protect against pathogens, regulate the immune system, and strengthen the biochemical barriers of the intestine.

Here are the steps to restore, activate, and strengthen your microbiota

Leafy vegetables and probiotics: Dr Sushrut Singh, additional director - gastroenterology, Fortis hospital, Noida, says that Fibre-rich foods like leafy vegetables cannot be digested by humans but are consumed by gut bacteria. A fibre-rich diet stimulates gut bacteria and decreases the likelihood of disease-causing bacteria growth. Probiotics, full of good bacteria, ensure your gut is populated with beneficial microbes.

Avoid antibiotics, processed food, and sugar: Antibiotics eliminate all bacteria, both good and bad, from the gut, which can affect the microbiota despite curing diseases. Fast digesting sugars are quickly absorbed, leaving no food for gut microbes, says Singh. Processed foods have a similar effect. Replacing fast-digesting sugars with complex sugars found in fruits and honey can satisfy cravings and benefit gut health.

Prebiotics and fermented food: Prebiotics, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, act as supplements for microbiomes. Probiotics like fermented foods stimulate the growth of good bacteria and increase their population.

Exercise, stress management, and sleep: Regular exercise, stress management, and maintaining eight hours of sleep help diversify gut microbes. These practices prevent the risk of inflammatory diseases and maintain a healthy microbiome.

Importance of the gut microbiome:

Nutrition: Microorganisms in the gut help digest complex molecules in food, such as plant cellulose, and absorb nutrients. A diverse diet positively impacts the diversification of gut microbes.

Immunity: Studies suggest that the body's first exposure to these microbes occurs before birth, helping build adaptive immunity, which reaches full composition after 3-5 years. This immunity helps ward off disease-causing organisms through quick and effective responses. Low microbial diversity affects gut health and is linked to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other gut conditions.

Behaviour: The gut and brain communicate almost continuously through the gut-brain axis, affecting intestinal functions. Some studies have shown a link between gut microbiota and psychological, neurological, and mood disorders.