Take care of yourself, take care of your microbiota

Lately, the topic of the microbiota and its importance for health seems to be on everyone's lips, being the subject of many articles, but what exactly is the microbiota?

The microbiota is the collection of microorganisms that live in our mucous membranes, playing an important role in our digestion, immune system, and mood. We often talk about the gut microbiota, but we also have oral and vaginal microbiota, among others. The vaginal microbiota is implicated in the development of infections and yeast infections.

The microbiota, specifically our gut microbiota, which is located at the end of our intestine, in the colon, has important functions:

• It helps us maintain good digestion and properly absorb nutrients. Furthermore, these microorganisms synthesize important nutrients such as vitamin B12, folic acid, and vitamin K.
• It keeps our immune system stronger. Our gut microbiota creates a "barrier" effect, preventing pathogens and toxins from entering our bloodstream, and also training our immune system to know when to attack.
• It improves our mood and cognitive function. The role of the gut microbiota in depression, anxiety, and stress is only recently being studied, and all indications point to a significant role. These disorders often involve an alteration of this microbiota, and improvements in behavior are observed with dietary changes and the use of probiotics. It is possible that in the near future, diet and probiotics will be a promising complementary treatment to therapy and psychotropic medications.

Research on the gut microbiota, this vital and delicate ecosystem, is recent, but it increasingly provides evidence that we need to take care of it to maintain good health. Ensuring its proper functioning helps prevent allergies and intolerances, digestive issues such as bacterial overgrowth or irritable bowel syndrome, skin problems, migraines, and even mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.

However, our Western lifestyle, living in a rush and with no time for anything, leaves our health and ourselves last, and as a consequence, our microbiota deteriorates.

Many factors alter our microbiota, but the following stand out:

• Poor diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Stress
• Tobacco
• Alcohol
• Antibiotics

These factors are very common in our lifestyle, which is why it's important to improve our habits: good nutrition, exercise, rest, stress management… But nutrition stands out as a fundamental factor in improving our gut microbiota. In fact, diets with a higher proportion of vegetables, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with a healthier gut microbiota.

So, how can I improve my gut microbiota through diet? Here are some tips you can start putting into practice right away:

• Eat enough fiber: Fiber is food for your gut bacteria and a prebiotic, so base your diet on fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Nuts, seeds, and fiber supplements like psyllium husk or chicory inulin are also very beneficial.
• Consume probiotic foods: unpasteurized yogurt, kefir, pickles, kombucha, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut or kimchi… These foods help populate our gut with beneficial bacteria.
• Take probiotic supplements: Probiotic foods are great allies for your gut, but probiotic supplements allow you to ingest a greater quantity of these beneficial bacteria and, moreover, to choose specific bacteria. This last point is especially interesting if you want to treat a specific problem. For example, in cases of constipation, the bacterium Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM 17938 has been shown to improve intestinal transit. While in cases of diarrhea, strains such as Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 are recommended.

I hope you found this article useful and interesting.

And don't forget to take care of yourself and your gut microbiota.

Coral Martín is a dietitian and psychologist. Every Tuesday she offers nutritional counseling at Salud Mediterránea Manuel Becerra: C/Ortega y Gasset 77.

Click here for more information and pricing for this service.