Restoring A Healthy Ecosystem – Probiotics supplements to support a healthy gut microbiome

Restoring A Healthy Ecosystem – Probiotics supplements to support a healthy gut microbiome

Humans and microbes co-evolved, sharing a mutually beneficial relationship

Lifestyle factors such as hygiene, diet, and certain medications can lead to imbalances within the microbiome, known as dysbiosis 

Dysbiosis is linked to many health imbalances

A combination of healthy lifestyle choices and probiotic supplements can help support the gut microbiome, which also supports overall health and well-being 

Your microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microscopic life that match human cells in a roughly 1:1 ratio—your microbiome is not just a part of you, it's "you" the other half". [1]

The partnership that exists between you and your microbiome is a give and take.

When you provide food, shelter and protection, the natural microbes in your gut provide a variety of health benefits in return. Some of these include:

Supporting digestive and gut barrier health 

Producing nutrients 

Protecting against infection 

Regulating your metabolism 

and supporting a healthy immune system.[2]

 

If you ask me - this is a great deal!

Humans and microbes have co-evolved over millions of years to create this mutually beneficial and harmonious relationship. However, sometimes certain lifestyle factors can create discord within the microbiome - leading to an imbalance of microbes, known as dysbiosis. [3]

What is dysbiosis? 

After a critical period established in our childhood, our microbial balance becomes relatively stable in our adulthood. [6] However, daily lifestyle choices, such as the food we eat, our hygiene habits, exercise habits, and certain medications, can destabilize this stability and lead to dysbiosis. [4][5]

Dysbiosis is a medical term that refers to an unhealthy balance within the microbiome, in which healthy microbes decrease in number and unhealthy ones increase. [6] Interestingly, the term dysbiosis means "difficulty in life," which is an apt description for a health imbalance that is closely linked to our lifestyle choices.

Dysbiosis and the gut-organ axis 

Traditional medical systems have long viewed the gut as the center of human health, and it turns out they may be well ahead of their time. [7] Recent studies have shown that, thanks to the discovery of the "gut-organ axis," the balance of our gut microbiome is not only important for our digestion, but also for the health of distant organs. This network-like connection between our gut and the rest of our body (and mind) demonstrates the ability of the gut microbiome to influence the health of multiple organ systems through communication pathways such as the immune system, neurotransmitters, and hormones. [8]

While a healthy, balanced microbiome can support physical and mental health, dysregulation of the gut microbiome is associated with many health imbalances, such as mild anxiety, mild acne, and medically diagnosed IBS. [9] [10]

Microbiome diversity – A sign of resilience? 

Just as diversity has long been recognized as a feature of healthy environmental ecosystems, it is also a feature of healthy internal ecosystems (aka the gut microbiome). [3]

One of the key aspects of a stable and resilient gut microbiome is microbial diversity, so dietary and lifestyle choices that help support gut microbial diversity also help support our overall health and well-being. [11]

Support a healthy microbiome with multi-strain probiotic supplements

Supporting a healthy and diverse gut microbiome may also help support your health and well-being [7], and one way to support a healthy microbiome is by supplementing with probiotics. [12]

The human microbiome contains a variety of microorganisms that work together to support health. [13][14] For example, one strain may help support healthy gut function, while another strain may help support healthy immune system function.

You may be wondering why some probiotic formulas contain only one strain of probiotics, while others contain multiple strains.

While a single probiotic strain can provide health benefits, research has shown that combining multiple probiotic strains in a multi-strain probiotic formula has the advantage of providing the probiotic benefits of a combination of different strains. [15] Combinations of multiple strains with different functions can provide broader health benefits, mimicking the natural synergies present in the gut microbiome. [9]

Life-Space probiotics offer multi-strain probiotic formulations that contain up to 15 probiotic strains.   

Why? 

At Life-Space, we are led by science and inspired by nature. 

Consult your health professional for specific advice on which probiotics are best for you.

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[1]Abbott A. Scientists bust myth that our bodies have more bacteria than human cells. Nature. 2016 Jan 8;10.

[2] Rowland I, Gibson G, Heinken A, Scott K, Swann J, Thiele I, Tuohy K. Gut microbiota functions: metabolism of nutrients and other food components. European journal of nutrition. 2018 Feb;57(1):1-24.

[3] Prescott SL, Wegienka G, Logan AC, Katz DL. Dysbiotic drift and biopsychosocial medicine: how the microbiome links personal, public and planetary health. BioPsychoSocial medicine. 2018 Dec;12(1):1-2.

[4]Kriss M, Hazleton KZ, Nusbacher NM, Martin CG, Lozupone CA. Low diversity gut microbiota dysbiosis: drivers, functional implications and recovery. Current opinion in microbiology. 2018 Aug 1;44:34-40.

[5] Dudek-Wicher RK, Junka A, Bartoszewicz M. The influence of antibiotics and dietary components on gut microbiota. Przeglad gastroenterologiczny. 2018;13(2):85.

[6] Fassarella M, Blaak EE, Penders J, Nauta A, Smidt H, Zoetendal EG. Gut microbiome stability and resilience: elucidating the response to perturbations in order to modulate gut health. Gut. 2021 Mar 1;70(3):595-605.

[7] Bischoff SC. 'Gut health': a new objective in medicine?. BMC medicine. 2011 Dec;9(1):1-4.

[8] Ahlawat S, Sharma KK. Gut–organ axis: a microbial outreach and networking. Letters in applied microbiology. 2021 Jun;72(6):636-68.

[9] Kriss M, Hazleton KZ, Nusbacher NM, Martin CG, Lozupone CA. Low diversity gut microbiota dysbiosis: drivers, functional implications and recovery. Current opinion in microbiology. 2018 Aug 1;44:34-40.

[10] Dudek-Wicher RK, Junka A, Bartoszewicz M. The influence of antibiotics and dietary components on gut microbiota. Przeglad gastroenterologiczny. 2018;13(2):85.

[11] Lloyd-Price J, Abu-Ali G, Huttenhower C. The healthy human microbiome. Genome medicine. 2016 Dec;8(1):1-1.

[12] Kumar R, Sood U, Gupta V, Singh M, Scaria J, Lal R. Recent advancements in the development of modern probiotics for restoring human gut microbiome dysbiosis. Indian Journal of Microbiology. 2020 Mar;60(1):12-25.

[13] Kwoji ID, Aiyegoro OA, Okpeku M, Adeleke MA. Multi-Strain Probiotics: Synergy among Isolates Enhances Biological Activities. Biology. 2021 Apr;10(4):322.

[14] Sarkar S. Whether viable and dead probiotic are equally efficacious?. Nutrition & Food Science. 2018 Mar 12.

[15] Kwoji ID, Aiyegoro OA, Okpeku M, Adeleke MA. Multi-Strain Probiotics: Synergy among Isolates Enhances Biological Activities. Biology. 2021 Apr;10(4):322.

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