The “Microbiome” - Master Controller of your Health

Do you ever stop to think about the bustling community inside you, one that plays a vital role in your health and wellbeing? I'm not talking about a trendy neighbourhood or a bustling city. I'm referring to your microbiome – the busy metropolis of microorganisms that call your body home sweet home. Unless you have digestive problems, you probably don’t normally give this a second’s thought - but you should. 

The “microbiome” is the guardian of your health, and your gut environment could be the reason you have anxiety or low mood, painful periods, terrible menopause symptoms, or difficulty losing weight.

What is the microbiome?

Think of it as your very own ecosystem, but on a microscopic scale. It's made up of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microscopic critters that live in various parts of your body, from your gut to your skin and everything in between.

You might be thinking, "bacteria? That doesn't sound healthy’. Although we used to hearing about bacteria as the bad guys, not all bacteria are bad.  In fact, many of them are crucial for keeping you in good health. They help with digestion (of course), support your immune system, and even play a role in regulating your mood, hunger levels, sleep, stress and hormones. 

That’s because what happens in the gut doesn’t stay in the gut. 

The microbiome and mental health

There is a constant two-way communication with your brain and your digestive system. In my world, we call it the gut-brain axis. It’s been the subject of a lot of research in the last decade and there is increasing evidence that your gut bacteria heavily influence your mood. 

Your gut bacteria make chemicals that affect your brain. They produce neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that help transmit signals in the brain. One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin, often referred to as the "happy hormone" because it plays a crucial role in regulating mood and emotions.

A whopping 90% of your body's serotonin is produced in your gut. The balance of bacteria in your gut can directly impact your serotonin levels, and subsequently, your mood. When you have a healthy and diverse microbiome, it's like having a team of cheerful little helpers churning out serotonin to keep your spirits high.

But here's where it gets interesting: your brain can speed up your gut (very simply, how quickly food moves through your body) and change what microbes are present.

And when your gut bacteria are out of whack, it can throw this delicate balance off-kilter. Imbalances in the microbiome have been linked to conditions like depression and anxiety. 

The microbiome and immunity

If you’re the kind of person who catches every bug going, consider this might be down to what’s happening in your gut. The microbiome and your immune system are heavily linked.

Imagine your immune system as your body's very own security team, constantly on the lookout for intruders and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. The microbiome plays a crucial role in training and coordinating this defence force.

The bacteria are like the teachers in an elite military academy, helping to educate and train your immune cells to distinguish between friend and foe. Your gut bacteria also produce molecules called metabolites, which act as messengers in the intricate dance between your microbiome and your immune system. These metabolites help regulate the activity of your immune cells, ensuring they respond appropriately to threats without going overboard and causing inflammation.

Inflammation is a bit like setting off a fire alarm – it's a necessary response to danger, but too much of it can cause chaos and damage. Luckily, your gut bacteria are there to keep things in check, helping to maintain a delicate balance between fighting off invaders and keeping the peace within your body.

But the relationship between your microbiome and your immune system is a two-way street. Your immune system also plays a crucial role in shaping the composition of your microbiome, keeping the peace by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and keeping harmful bacteria in check.

The microbiome and your hormones

Your gut bacteria aren't just masters of digestion and immunity; they also have a hand in regulating your hormones. One of the key players is cortisol, often referred to as the "stress hormone".

When you're feeling stressed out, your body releases cortisol to help you cope with the situation. Your gut bacteria can influence the production and regulation of cortisol, potentially shaping how your body responds to stress.

Certain types of gut bacteria can affect the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, a complex network of hormones involved in the stress response. By producing metabolites that interact with this system, your gut bacteria can influence the production and regulation of cortisol, potentially impacting how your body responds to stressors.

But that's not all – your gut bacteria can also influence other hormones, like insulin, which plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that imbalances in the microbiome can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where your cells become less responsive to insulin, potentially leading to high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes.

The microbiome and female hormone health

One of the hormones especially affected by gut health is oestrogen, one of the main female hormones. In fact, there is a collection of specialised bacteria in the microbiome called the “oestrobolome”. The oestrobolome contains, among other things, the bacteria responsible for breaking down and eliminating hormones, principally oestrogen. 

In short, the microbiome plays a key role in oestrogen metabolism, so an imbalance in healthy bacteria can result in too much or too little circulating oestrogen, which can lead to an imbalance between oestrogen and other hormones. This can have a knock-on effect on your weight, sex drive and your mood.

For healthy oestrogen levels, you want optimal levels of an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. If levels of this enzyme are too high, oestrogen that might have been marked for excretion gets reactivated, potentially leading to too much oestrogen in relation to other hormones (unopposed oestrogen or oestrogen dominance). This can create a range of problems ranging from PMS, infertility, obesity and metabolic syndrome, and oestrogen-related cancers.

The microbiome and your skin

Your skin is your body's largest organ and serves as a vital barrier between you and the outside world. And just like your gut, your skin is home to a bustling community of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that make up your skin microbiome.

Again, bacteria on your skin might sound like a recipe for disaster but the vast majority of these microbes are harmless or even beneficial, playing essential roles in maintaining healthy skin.

One of the skin microbiome's primary functions is to act as a barrier against harmful pathogens, preventing them from invading your body and causing infections. When your skin microbiome is in balance, it helps keep your skin healthy and resilient, warding off pesky invaders like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Your skin microbiome isn't just a passive bystander; it actively interacts with your immune system, helping to educate and train immune cells to distinguish between friend and foe. Studies have shown that imbalances in the skin microbiome can lead to inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis, suggesting that maintaining a diverse and balanced microbiome is crucial for healthy skin.

When the microbiome misbehaves

Any disruption to the microbiome may result in an imbalance in the microbiota leading to ‘dysbiosis’. Dysbiosis means:

• A loss or lack of friendly bacteria
• Overgrowth of potentially pathogenic (bad) bacteria
• Loss of overall bacterial diversity

When your gut health gets imbalanced and dysbiosis happens, you’re more likely to have stomach and other health issues. These conditions can include:  

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular problems 
• Anxiety and low mood

Typical symptoms of dysbiosis include:

• Wind and gas pain
• Bloating
• Poor digestion and reflux
• Lower abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea and/or constipation

Testing can be invaluable in finding out what is happening with your microbiome. A comprehensive stool test can map out your microbiome, detailing friendly bacteria, and potentially pathogenic bacteria, funguses or parasites. If you’d like to know more, why not get in touch? Just book a link here.