What is a microbiome?

We all know how important exercise is to building strong muscles and keeping your heart healthy. But when was the last time you’ve done anything to keep your gut microbiome in shape?

“My what?” you ask.

Your gut microbiome isn’t something that you can target with ab crunches. It’s a big community of tiny, living organisms – good and bad bacteria – that populate your large and small intestines. Tens of trillions of them, actually, comprising a delicate ecosystem within your body. They’re living, breathing, feeding and growing within you every minute of every day.

You actually have microbiomes in other areas of your body, too, like the surface of your skin or your mouth. When it comes to your gut microbiome, those little organisms have a very important job. In addition to keeping your digestive system humming along so your body can absorb needed nutrients, they make up about 70 percent of your body’s immune system.

But the impact of your gut microbiome goes beyond that. The state of your gut microbiome can play a role in your mood, sleep quality, mental health, weight management, exercise performance and the health of your skin, liver and oral hygiene. That makes your gut microbiome a vital part of your overall wellbeing.

Good vs. bad bacteria

There are two basic kinds of bacteria that make their home in your gut: the good kind and the bad kind. Good bacteria help break down the foods you eat, add an extra layer of protection to the lining of the intestines and perform thousands of other functions that help to keep us healthy.

Bad bacteria can come from fast foods, diets full of simple sugars and saturated fats, frequent use of antibiotics, excessive alcohol, stress, sedentary behavior and exposure to environmental pollutants, keeping your microbiome from functioning like it should.

Gut microbiome: Your internal social network

Think of the good bacteria in there as your own personal social network – they are the trillions of little friends you never knew you had. Their role is to stick with you, creating a healthy immune system and keeping your digestive health running smoothly.

The bad bacteria are the troublemakers – the trolls. When there are too many, they need to be unfriended and blocked. The challenge is making sure your gut is full of good bacteria even when your lifestyle may invite in an overabundance of the bad bacteria at every turn.

These bad bacteria can overpower the good bacteria in your microbiome. This causes an imbalance, which can not only affect your digestive health but weaken your immune system and potentially impact all the other areas of your health we mentioned above.

Aiming for microbiome balance

The goal is to have a healthy balance of the good and bad bacteria and a healthy lifestyle is a good start. Getting plenty of rest, limiting stress, exercising regularly and eating a plant-heavy diet that can deliver the nutrients your gut needs for optimal function, like probiotics, prebiotics and fiber.

Your body works hard every day to try to keep your good and bad bacteria at ideal levels, but the modern lifestyle makes it far too easy to lose that delicate balance when stressful situations come up or we veer off our healthy lifestyle path. That's why it's crucial to be proactive in maintaining a balanced gut.

Gut health supplements

Another way to support your gut health and strive for a microbiome in balance is with gut health supplements. Food is the best way to give your body needed nutrients, but supplements can help fill in those nutrient gaps. Depending on your personal needs, you might choose targeted gut health supplements like digestive enzymes, fiber or probiotics.  

A probiotic supplement can help replenish the good bacteria in your gut. For example, each dose of Nutrilite™ Balance Within™ Probiotic provides 6.3 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) of beneficial bacteria to bolster your microbiome. There is also Nutrilite Stress Relief Probiotic, which helps reduce occasional stress and supports productivity in addition to supporting gut health.

Want to learn more about your gut and microbiome balance? Visit the Digestive Health page for helpful information, tips and a variety of products to support your journey to overall health and wellbeing.