"Gut microorganisms" refers to the tiny living organisms, like bacteria and other microbes, that exist in our digestive system.
Full definition
In a healthy person,
gut microorganisms limit infections but antibiotics are believed to disrupt the normal structure of these microoganisms, rendering the gut less able to prevent infection with C. difficile.
Dysbiosis — an imbalance between favorable and
unfavorable gut microorganisms — means you've got too many bad guys and not enough good ones hanging out, so you don't digest food well, you're not eliminating properly, and your gut can't effectively communicate with your brain to stop eating.
«The data suggests that there is a critical period early in life
when gut microorganisms affect the brain and change the behavior in later life.»
In fact, probiotics, along with a host of
other gut microorganisms, are so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to «a newly recognized organ.»
There are around 300 - 1000 different species and trillions of bacteria in our gut;
gut microorganisms make up 60 % of dry fecal weight.
Gut microorganisms play in an instrumental role in protecting the intestinal barrier, fine tuning the immune system and metabolising nutrients.
«This finding sheds light on the so - far - underestimated function of
the gut microorganisms in constituting energy reserves,» says Walter Wahli, a molecular biologist at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Until recently, little was known about how the microbiota influences the nervous system; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that
gut microorganisms can influence the brain and behavior.
We already know that the vagus nerve plays a major role in the gut - brain axis, but thanks to science, we now know that
gut microorganisms can actually activate the vagus nerve.
A few weeks later, Viome provides personalized analysis of your gut and recommendations to help you improve chronic conditions, feel better, and keep
your gut microorganisms happy.
By addressing important lifestyle factors and changing your focus to eating nutrient - dense foods that support optimal gut health (and optimal health of
your gut microorganisms), that restore levels of important nutrients and provide all of the building blocks that your body needs to heal and properly regulate the immune system, that help resolve inflammation and support organ function, you create an environment in your body conducive to healing.
Gut microorganisms can affect brain functions through the vagus nerve; after a vagotomy, the microorganisms will not be able to regulate behaviors.
Throughout your Viome lifetime, you'll receive an ultra-high resolution view of the composition and function of all of
your gut microorganisms — including bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, archaea, fungi, yeast, parasites, and more.