Does the Fast Work of the Intestines Weaken?

Our bodies contain trillions of bacteria. Most of these bacteria are found in our gut.

Gut bacteria play important roles in health, such as communicating with the immune system and producing certain vitamins.

Gut bacteria also affect how different foods are digested and produce chemicals that help you feel full. As a result, they are effective in slimming and gaining weight.

What Are Intestinal Bacteria?

Trillions of bacteria and microorganisms live in our skin and body. In fact, there may be more bacterial cells in our body than human cells.

It is estimated that a 70 kg male has approximately 40 trillion bacterial cells and 30 trillion human cells.

Most of these bacteria live in the part of the large intestine called the cecum. There are hundreds of different types of bacteria in our gut.

While some can cause illness, most perform necessary tasks to keep us healthy. For example, intestinal bacteria, Vitamin K and communicates with the immune system to help our body fight infections.

It also produces chemicals that help digest certain foods and make you feel full. Therefore, gut bacteria affect our weight.

Affects the digestibility of food

Since gut bacteria reside in our gut, they come into contact with the food we eat. This affects what nutrients are absorbed and how energy is stored in the body.

One study looked at gut bacteria on 77 twins, one obese and one non-obese. The study found that obese have different gut bacteria than non-obese twins. It has been stated that obesity affects the intestinal bacterial diversity.

Other studies have shown that obese people gain weight as a result of putting their gut bacteria on mice. This indicates that gut bacteria have an effect on weight gain.

Intestinal bacteria determine how fats can be absorbed in the gut, which affects how fat is stored in the body.

Affects inflammation

Inflammation occurs when our bodies activate the immune system to fight infection.

It can also be caused by an unhealthy diet. For example, a diet with too much fat, sugar, or calories can lead to increased inflammatory chemicals in the bloodstream and adipose tissue, resulting in weight gain.

Intestinal bacteria play an important role in inflammation. Some species produce chemicals such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that cause inflammation in the bloodstream.

When the mice were given LPS, their weight increased. Therefore, some gut bacteria that produce LPS and cause inflammation, weight gain and insulin resistancewhat could cause.

A study in 292 people found that those who were overweight had lower gut diversity and higher levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker in the blood.

However, some types of gut bacteria may prevent weight gain by reducing inflammation. Bifidobacteria ve Akkermaniaare beneficial strains of bacteria that serve to maintain a healthy gut barrier and prevent inflammatory chemicals from entering the bloodstream from the intestines.

Studies in mice Of Akkermansia It found that by reducing inflammation, it could reduce weight gain and insulin resistance.

Similarly, to mice in the gut Bifidobacteria When prebiotic fibers were given to help increase weight gain and insulin resistance decreased without affecting energy intake.

They produce chemicals that help you feel hungry or full

Our body leptin, ghrelinIt produces a number of different hormones that affect the appetite, such as the YY peptide (PYY).

Some studies show that different bacteria in the gut affect how much of these hormones are produced, feeling hungry or full.

Short chain fatty acidsare chemicals produced when certain types of gut bacteria are eliminated. One of these is known as propionate.

One study in 60 overweight adults found that taking propionate over a 24-week period significantly increased levels of PYY and GLP-1 hormones that affect hunger.

People who took propionate reduced their food intake and experienced a reduction in weight gain.

Other studies have shown that prebiotic supplements containing compounds fermented by gut bacteria have a similar effect on appetite.

People who ate 16 grams of prebiotics per day over a two-week period had higher hydrogen levels in their breath.

This indicates intestinal bacterial fermentation, less hunger, and higher levels of GLP-1 and PYY hormones, and therefore will feel full.

Useful and Harmful Foods for Intestinal Bacteria

Beneficial foods for gut bacteria include:

Whole grains

Whole grains are unrefined grains. Bifidobacteria It is digested by healthy gut bacteria and is high in fiber.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain very good amounts of fiber for gut bacteria. You can increase the variety of gut bacteria that are linked to a healthy weight by eating a variety of plant-based foods. 

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds contain lots of fiber and healthy fats that support the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. 

Foods rich in polyphenols

polyphenols They are broken down by beneficial gut bacteria, which are not digestible alone in foods but promote good bacterial growth.

Fermented foods

Yogurt among fermented foods, kefir and sauerkraut. Lactobacilli and may minimize other disease-causing bacteria in the gut.

Probiotics

Probiotics They are not always necessary, but after a course of illness or antibiotics, they can help restore healthy gut bacteria and even promote weight loss.

On the other hand, excessive consumption of certain foods can harm gut bacteria:

Sugary foods

Eating too much sugary foods causes the growth of some unhealthy bacteria in the gut, which can contribute to weight gain and other chronic health disorders.

Artificial Sweeteners

Like aspartame and saccharin artificial sweeteners It reduces beneficial bacteria in the intestines, which contributes to blood sugar spikes.

Foods containing unhealthy fat

While healthy oils such as omega 3 support beneficial bacteria in the intestines, too much of the saturated fat causes the growth of disease-causing bacteria.

Is There a Relationship Between Brain and Intestine?

Recent studies show that the brain affects gut health and the intestines can affect the health of the brain. The communication system between the gut and the brain is called the gut-brain axis.

How are the Intestine and the Brain Connected?

The gut-brain axis is the term for the network that connects the gut and the brain. These two organs are linked, both physically and biochemically, in a number of different ways.

Vagus Nerve and Nervous System

Neurons are cells in our brain and central nervous system that tell the body how to behave. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain.

Interestingly, our gut contains 500 million neurons connected to the brain via nerves in the nervous system.

The vagus nerve is one of the largest nerves connecting the gut and brain. It sends signals in both directions. For example, animal studies have indicated that stress destroys signals sent through the vagus nerve and also causes gastrointestinal problems.

Similarly, a study in humans found that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or Crohn's disease showed a reduced function of the vagus nerve.

An interesting study in mice found that giving them a probiotic reduced the amount of stress hormone in their blood. However, when the vagus nerve was cut, the probiotic became ineffective.

This suggests that the vagus nerve plays an important role in the gut-brain axis and stress.

Neurotransmitters

The gut and brain are connected by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are produced in the part of the brain that controls emotions.

For example, serotonin, a neurotransmitter, works for feelings of happiness and also helps control the body clock.

Interestingly, many of these neurotransmitters are produced by intestinal cells and the trillions of microscopic creatures that live there. A large amount of serotonin is produced in the intestine.

Intestinal microbiotaIt also produces a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps control feelings of fear and anxiety.

Studies in laboratory mice have shown that certain probiotics can increase GABA production and reduce anxiety and depression-like behaviors.

Microorganisms in the gut make chemicals that affect the brain

Trillions of microorganisms living in the intestines also produce other chemicals that affect the brain's working system.

Intestinal microorganisms, many short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, propionate and acetate (SCFA). They make SCFA by digesting fibers. SCFA affects brain function in a number of ways, such as reducing appetite.

One study found that propionate consumption can reduce food intake. SCFA, butyrate and the microorganisms that produce it are important for creating the barrier between the brain and blood, which is called the blood-brain barrier.

Microorganisms in the gut also metabolize bile acids and amino acids to produce other chemicals that affect the brain.

Bile acids are chemicals produced by the liver that help absorb fats from food. These can also affect the brain.

Two studies in mice found that stress and social disturbances reduce the production of bile acids by gut bacteria and alter the genes in their production.

Microorganisms in the gut affect inflammation

The gut-brain axis is also connected via the immune system. Microorganisms in the gut play an important role in the immune system and inflammation, such as controlling what is passed through the body and what is excreted.

If your immune system is hit for too long, it can lead to inflammation that is associated with many brain disorders such as depression and Alzheimer's disease.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an inflammatory toxin made by certain bacteria. If too much of this toxin passes from the intestine into the blood, it can cause inflammation. This can happen when the gut barrier leaks, allowing bacteria and LPS to pass into the blood.

Inflammation and elevated LPS in the blood have been associated with many brain disorders such as severe depression, dementia, and schizophrenia.

Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut-Brain Axis

Gut bacteria affect brain health, so changing gut bacteria can improve brain health.

Probiotics are live bacteria that provide health benefits when consumed. However, not all probiotics are the same. Probiotics that affect the brain are called "psychobiotics".

Some probiotics are said to improve symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

A small study of people with irritable bowel syndrome and mild to moderate anxiety or depression, over six weeks Bifidobacterium longum He found that taking a probiotic called NCC3001 significantly improved symptoms.

Prebiotics, which are fibers that are usually fermented by gut bacteria, also affect brain health. One study found that prebiotics called galactooligosaccharides for three weeks significantly reduced the amount of stress hormone called cortisol in the body.

As a result;

The gut-brain axis corresponds to the physical and chemical connections between the gut and the brain. Millions of nerves and neurons run between the gut and the brain. Neurotransmitters and other chemicals produced in the intestines also affect the brain.

By changing the types of bacteria in the gut, it may be possible to improve brain health.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fermented foods, probiotics, and polyphenols can benefit the gut-brain axis and improve gut health.