The Importance of Having a Healthy Gut Biome

We’re used to thinking about bacteria as something that gets us sick, but often the bacteria living inside you plays a huge role in keeping your healthy. This is especially true in your digestive system, where most of the bacteria in your body is concentrated. At Beverly Hills Center for Digestive Health, we know how important it is to keep yourself healthy on the inside as well as the outside, so we’re taking some time today to get you up to speed on why it’s so important to have a healthy gut biome.

What Is My Gut Biome?

Simply put, your gut biome is the ecosystem of over 100 trillion difference bacteria that lives inside of the intestines as part and parcel of your digestive system. These bacteria are responsible for doing a wide variety of tasks, from helping you digest fiber to controlling your immune system by breaking down a substance known as histamines. Your gut biome is also believed to ensure that your nervous system stays healthy.

Why Do I Need To Keep My Gut Biome Healthy?

If the bacteria in your gut biome get out of balance, this can lead to a wide variety of health problems. One of the most common problems that can result from an unbalanced gut biome is histamine intolerance, which can lead to increased inflammation, congestion, hives, migraines, and fatigue. Other intestinal diseases can also result from having too many negative microbes in your gut biome, as can obesity. On the other hand, a healthy gut biome can help someone lose weight and handle foreign bacteria introduced into the body.

How Do I Keep My Gut Biome Healthy?

That depends on what kind of bacteria you need more of! An important way to make sure your gut biome stays balanced is to make sure you aren’t consuming a lot of histamine-producing foods, like yogurts and fermented foods. Anti-inflammatory foods like artichokes, brussels sprouts, and asparagus are another way to help with this problem. If you’re introducing too many histamine-producing bacteria into your body, consuming foods that release histamine- degrading bacteria, such as blueberries or chocolate, is a great way to make your gut biome healthier. Probiotic medications can also help you to replenish any kind of bacteria that you might be low on.

However, it can be hard to know which bacteria you need more of to improve your gut biome’s health. Thankfully, though, the dedicated professionals at Beverly Hills Center for Digestive Health are here to help. All you have to do is book a quick consultation, and we’ll be able to tell you if your gut biome is healthy and what you need to do to make sure it stays that way.

Our Blogs

Checking Your Digestive Tract Starts with a Camera

Yes, a camera you can swallow is a real thing. Some parts of the digestive tract can be harder to visualize with traditional testing. That's where capsule endoscopy comes in. The process involves swallowing a small capsule containing a light and camera. As it travels...

Stop Blaming Your Last Meal

Your stomach hurts, so you blame lunch. Again. Was it the coffee? The dairy? The spicy food? Stress? That random snack from yesterday? When digestive symptoms keep coming back, it's easy to put one food on trial every time you feel uncomfortable. But one meal doesn't...

Your Gut Keeps Receipts

Your stomach hurts again. So you blame lunch.Then coffee.Then stress.Then that one thing you ate three days ago. But when digestive symptoms keep returning, the most important question may not be, "What did I eat?" It may be: What's the pattern? Pay attention to...