Page 47 - Retail Pharmacy March 2021

and anxiety, because they play such a crucial role ... in the production of neurotransmitters in the gut – your ‘happy’ and ‘sad’ brain chemicals. “They help with appetite, mood, sleep and reduction of inflammation,” she said. “They even contribute towards supporting cognitive function. They also help with other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Certain microbes have been shown to be beneficial and certain microbes have been shown to be deleterious to type 2 diabetes.” Ms Dahia points to a recent study published in The Lancet showing that specific genres of Ruminococcus, Fusobacterium and Blautia were positively associated with type 2 diabetes, whereas specific bacteria such as Bifidobacterium Longum ... “showed improvements in glucose tolerance”. She says the “science of probiotics” is more than just a good multi-strain probiotic. Community pharmacist and accredited herbalist Gerald Quigley agrees that while “we still don’t know much about the role of the microbiome in terms of chronic disease”, the gut “essentially determines whether we’re going to be healthy or not”. He says the health of the microbiome, which he describes as effectively “another organ”, can “determine how we sleep, how efficient our resistance to infection is, what our mental health is, whether we’re prone to things like eczema and asthma, all allergic diseases that we know – they’re all influenced by the microbiome”. “We’re learning a lot in that a person with a chronic disease usually finds they have an altered microbiome,” he said. “That can be shown with stool testing ... there seems to be increasing research showing that a person with a chronic disease will usually have some sort of alterations with their microbiome – so, an imbalance in that good and bad bacteria combination that we often talk about.” “How we sleep, how efficient our resistance to infection is, what our mental health is, whether we’re prone to things like eczema and asthma, all allergic diseases that we know – they’re all influenced by the microbiome.“ Prebiotics, probiotics and the microbiome As mentioned, conversations around the microbiome and gut health often include topics such as prebiotics and probiotics – both nutritional components known to assist with maintaining the health of the microbiome. “Prebiotics are like fertiliser for our gut because they encourage the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus,” Dr Crowe said. “To keep your gut ecosystem thriving, aim to eat more foods high in different types of fibre, HEALTH NUTRITION 45 including soluble and insoluble fibre and resistant starch.” Conversely, he says probiotics “add more of the beneficial bacteria in our gut”. “The potential gastrointestinal health benefits of probiotics include helping to alleviate diarrhoea, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers, allergies, lactose intolerance and infant colic,” Dr Crowe said. Nutrition and the microbiome While a number of factors influence the health of the microbiome, including illness, stress, medications and antibiotic use, diet plays a significant role in maintaining (or destroying) the microbiome. “The lifestyle choices you make for the foods you eat have the biggest impact on this,” Dr Crowe said. “The key to keeping your gut in good health is to be eating a diet full of minimally processed, high-fibre foods such as vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and fruit. These foods are like fertiliser for your gut to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. “Combine that with including some good fermented probiotic foods, such as yoghurt or a probiotic supplement, and limiting things like alcohol, and you’ll be on the way to a healthy microbiome.” Ms Dahia adds that the microbiota in the gut develops from fermented foods such as “yoghurt, kefir, pickled vegetables, tempeh, kombucha, kimchi, miso and sauerkraut”. TO PAGE 46 GUT • JOINT • SKIN • IMMUNITY • COLLAGEN RICH Just one cup for an instant warm hug Nutrient dense bone broth, a whole food source of healing nourishment for the whole family. Simmered for 24 hours. Convenient for busy lifestyles. Available at API API codes 59661 59662 59788 59789 59790 API Description NAKED BROTH 100G PERFORMANCE BOOST 100G IMMUNITY PLUS 100G COMPLETE HEALTH 12X5G SCH GUT LOVING 12X5G SCH ✓ 100% Australian ✓ Gluten Free ✓ Grass Fed ✓ All Natural ✓ FODMAP RETAIL PHARMACY • MAR 2021