The Microbiome Diet: Gut Health, the Human Microbiome and Your Health

February 10, 2025

Curious about gut health and whethere a microbiome diet is worth eating? Let's explore the science about the human microbiome, how it impacts your gut health and indigestion, and whether probiotics and a microbiome diet could improve your health.

What is the Human Microbiome?

The human microbiome is a community of microorganisms that live in your gut, on your skin, and in the hollow spaces throughout your body. It contains bacteria, yeasts, moulds, fungi, viruses and other microbes. A healthy microbiome has many health benefits. An unhealthy microbiome (dysbiosis) can lead to symptoms and disease.

What is the Gut Microbiome?

When you think of the microbiome, the gut often comes to mind. It stretches from your mouth to your colon and plays a central role in your health.

But the microbiome isn’t limited to your gut!

Other hollow spaces, like the lungs, urinary tract, and vaginal tract, have their own microbiomes too. Imbalances in these areas can lead to colds, urinary tract infections, or yeast infections. Even your skin has a microbiome, which helps maintain healthy skin or can contribute to issues like acne, dermatitis, or dandruff.

Each of these different spaces host microbiomes - but, the kinds of microbes that live in them can vary from place to place. For example, the colon contains 100x more Bifidobacteria than Lactobacilli. Meanwhile, the small intestine hosts more Lactobacilli than Bifidobacteria.

Your microbiome truly is everywhere, shaping your health in countless ways!

What Does the Human Microbiome Do?

Your microbiome is essential to your digestion. But, it does more — it’s key to your overall wellness!

1. Help maintain or rebalance microbiome

Balanced microbiome - contains sufficient helpful microbes (probiotics) to achieve health.
Unbalanced (dysbiosis) - an lead to symptoms and development of disease.

2. Enhance Digestion

Certain probiotics strains produce enzymes that help break down complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats into smaller, more easily absorbed molecules.(e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus helps break down lactose).
Enhance gut barrier function improving nutrient absorption and reducing “leaky gut” that triggers inflammation.
Maintain pH in the gut which improves solubility of minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron).

3. Reduce Digestive Discomfort and Indigestion

By breaking down fermentable fibres and sugars that would otherwise produce gas during digestion.
Crowd-out harmful microbes that if were to grow cause gas, bloating and diarrhea.
Reduce constipation by regulating motility in intestines.
Prevent diarrhea by enhancing water absorption in the colon.

4. Produce Beneficial Compounds

Synthesize vitamins (B12, folate, vitamin K)
Release short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) while breaking down certain fibres which benefits mucus layer which protects colon from pathogens.

5. Boost Immunity

Up to 70% of your immune cells reside in the gut; probiotics interact and stimulate these cells.
Probiotics help regulate immune responses

Can You Improve Your Microbiome?

Yes, you can improve your microbiome. And, you might need too! Your microbiome can be impacted by many everyday factors, including:

age
diet
environment
medications
stress
travel

When these influences negatively impact your microbiome, your health can suffer shows research. You can improve your microbiome, gut health and indigestion with a healthy lifestyle.

Ways to Improve Your Gut Microbiome:

sleep
reduce stress
eat more plants
eat foods that support the microbiome
use a quality probiotic supplement

What are Probiotics?

A probiotic is a microorganism that when administered in adequate amounts elicits a health benefit in the host, according to the World Health Organization.
Called “good bacteria” even though they can also be yeasts or moulds.
Identified by genus, species, strain (e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus XY112)

What is the Microbiome Diet?

Certain foods offer nutrients that the gut microbiome needs to flourish and offer you health benefits. In it's simplest form, research shows a microbiome diet is one that focuses on plants (vegetables, legumes, fresh fruit) which are rich in fibers that support many known probiotics found in the human microbiome.

Best Foods to Eat for Your Gut: Microbiome Diet

Whole grains (oatmeal)
Legumes (beans, lentils)
Vegetables (asparagus, onions, leeks)
Fresh fruit (bananas)
Fermented foods (kefir, saukraut, yogurt)

Why Does Fiber Help Probiotics?

Earlier we discovered probiotics produce beneficial compounds. When fibers from plants are present, probiotics can take these fibers and turn them into short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Without probiotics, these fibers would otherwise go undigested. Let's discover what these SCFAs your gut microbes make from plant-fibers help you:

SCFAs produced by probiotics include:

- Butyrate:
  - an energy source used by cells that line the colon
  - helps reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (reduces symptoms of IBD)
  - crosses the blood brain barrier to support brain health
- Acetate:
  - maintains gut pH (unfavourable for pathogens/harmful microbes)
- Propionate:
  - supports energy balance and liver metabolism

Learn More

Curious about the microbiome? It's a fascinating little world, and one that's impacting your health in so many ways. Here are some additional resources to help you learn more about your health and the human microbiome: