WEIGHT-LOSS AND THE ROLE GOOD BACTERIA PLAY IN YOUR BODY:
Sharing an extract from Dr David Perlmutter’s book, Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain – for Life….and specifically relating this to weight-loss issues:
“We’ll see in upcoming chapters just how critical the gut-associated lymphatic tissue is in preserving your body’s overall health. It’s your body’s military, on the lookout for any threats coming down the intestinal pipeline that can adversely impact the body all the way up to the brain. Both human and animal studies show that bad or pathogenic gut bacteria can cause disease, but not just because they are associated with a specific condition.
Good Bacteria
Good bacteria try to minimise the amount and effects of the bad guys while also interacting positively with both the immune and endocrine systems. That is to say, the good bacteria can turn off that chronic immune system response. They can also keep in check cortisol and adrenaline – the two hormones associated with stress that can wreak havoc on the body when they are continually flowing.
Each large group of gut bacteria has many different strains, and each of these strains may have different effects. The two most common group of organisms in the gut, representing more than 90% of the bacterial population in the colon, are Firmicutes and Bacteroides.
Fat-loving bacteria
Firmicutes are notorious as “fat-loving” bacteria, for it’s been shown that the bacteria in the Firmicutes family are equipped with more enzymes to digest complex carbohydrates, so they are much more efficient at extracting energy (i.e. calories) from food. They also were just recently found to be instrumental in increasing fat absorption. Researchers have discovered that obese people have elevated levels of Firmicutes in their gut flora, compared to lean people, who are dominated more by Bacteroidetes. In fact, the relative proportion of these two groups to each other, the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (or F/B) ration, is critical for determining health and risk for illness. What’s more, we’ve just learned that higher levels of Firmicutes actually turn on genes that increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, and even cardiovascular disease. Think of that: Changes in the ratio of these bacteria can change the actual expression of your DNA!
Although you can’t change how you were born, how you were initially fed, and what kind of microbiome developed in (and on) you as an infant, the good news is that you still have the power to change, heal, and nourish a healthy microbiome through what you eat, what you’re exposed to in the environment and what kind of lifestyle you lead.
The inescapable fact is that we have evolved with these micro-organisms over millions of years. They are as much a part of our survival as our own cells are. We require them for life and health. Unfortunately, we treat the intestinal flora with disrespect. They are doing vital work under hazardous conditions. It’s time to give them due regards and take care of them as they deserve. Only then will we be able to make serious, meaningful headway against our modern afflictions.”
Imsyser to the Rescue
Taking IMSYSER MICROBIAL STABILISER Probiotics will greatly contribute to the well-being of your microbiome. Contact IMSYSER today on 086 010 3859 or visit www.imsyser.co.za for more on this and other products assisting in weight-loss.
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