There’s a place in our body, 5 feet in length, where over 1,000 species of bacteria numbering into the billions call home. It’s our large intestine also referred to as the colon.  The large intestine is just one part of our digestive tract spanning roughly 25 feet in length beginning in the mouth and ending with the anus.  It has a pivotal role in helping to digest and absorb our food with the help of bacteria permanently residing there.

Why is there bacteria living in my gut?

The idea of having billions of bacteria living in our colon may sound disgusting but this actively teeming little ecosystem is crucial for our health.  We’ve been living with them since the beginning of our lives and without them, we would struggle to survive. Whatever does not get absorbed through the walls of the small intestine – mainly some water, a few nutrients and fiber – will pass on into the large intestine where they will be moved through the colon by peristalsis movement which helps form our feces.  It’s this slow movement through the colon that favors growth of good bacteria which is called our intestinal microflora. 

Having the right mix of bacteria coexisting in the large intestine helps promote strong immune functioning, synthesizes vitamins, helps regulate blood pressure, assists proper growth and development of colon cells, and promotes optimal intestinal motility and transit time.  In other words, a healthy mix of microflora can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria helping reduce diarrhea associated with antibiotic use and reduce the duration of diarrhea resulting from intestinal infections.  This same healthy microflora may also reduce constipation, allergy symptoms, inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.  In other words, they’re very busy keeping us healthy and we need them.

Why overuse of antibiotics can upset good bacteria

There are times when we need to take an antibiotic to help us get over an infection.  But there is a balancing act on the frequency and dosage of the antibiotic prescribed.  Over the years, antibiotic use skyrocketed, leading to the upset of good bacteria.  When a physician prescribes an antibiotic, it should only be for treating a bacterial infection and not a viral infection.  The course of treatment should be as short as possible to reduce the chance of unsettling the balance of good bacteria.  This overuse of antibiotics has also lead to the problem of drug resistance.

When oral antibiotics are used they can cause a significant rise in the availability of carbohydrates in the gut within 24 hours after administration.  This surplus of carbohydrates can cause a reduction of the good bacteria allowing bad bacteria to grow and multiply.  When this occurs, our intestinal microflora is disrupted and our immune system is weakened.  One type of   nasty bacteria that can take a foothold within our gut is Clostridium difficile also known as C. diff.  As this bacteria flourishes and grows, toxins are released attacking the lining of the intestines causing an infection called Clostridium difficilecolitis, resulting in diarrhea and abdominal pain.  Once this inflammation occurs, it is not conducive for restoring back good bacteria. 

What helps is when physicians use better diagnostic tests to pinpoint more accurately the cause of an infection.  Doing so leads to less use of broad-spectrum antibiotics which can kill all different kinds of bacteria, both good and bad, and instead leads to using an antibiotic that specifically targets the bug causing the disease. 

What can restore good bacteria?

There are certain functional components in food that can improve and restore good bacteria in our colon – prebiotics and probiotics.  Both of these substances are found naturally in many foods and are absorbed best when obtained by eating the foods they are found in. 

Prebiotics are essentially food for good bacteria and will pass undigested into the colon stimulating the growth and activity of bacteria. 

Probiotics are substances that contain live bacteria that when consumed temporarily live in the colon and favor health benefits for us as the host. 

Prebiotics and probiotics work together synergistically with prebiotics feeding probiotics to keep our colon and digestive tract healthy.  When you combine foods that contain both a prebiotic and a probiotic, this is called symbiotics.  Below are examples of foods containing this dynamic duo:

Prebiotics:                                                        Probiotics:

·         Asparagus                                                   Yogurt

·         Chicory                                                       Kefir

·         Dandelion root                                            Sauerkraut

·         Jerusalem artichoke                                     Dark chocolate

·         Leeks                                                           Sourdough bread

·         Onions                                                         Soft cheeses such as Gouda

·         Bananas                                                       Miso soup

·         Garlic                                                           Tempeh

·         Honey                                                          Sour pickles

When your digestive system is working well, life is good.  Regularly consuming both pro- and prebiotic foods will keep your colon and the good bacteria living there, very happy.