February 22, 2024 – Injectable weight reduction medications like Wegovy, Saxenda, and Zepbound have been gaining popularity recently, but they're not for everybody. If you don't mind the inconvenience or cost of weight reduction medications, a special approach could also be helpful Your gut microbiome.
So how do you do that and the way does it work?
“Of course, many different factors play a role in weight gain and loss, so the gut microbiome is certainly not the only factor,” said Dr. Chris Damman, a gastroenterologist on the University of Washington. He studies how food and the microbiome affect your health. “With that caveat, it probably plays an important role.”
Trillions of microbes
The concept that your gut is home to an infinite number of tiny organisms – microbes – has been around for greater than 100 years, however it wasn't until the twenty first century that scientists had a probability to delve into the small print.
We now know that you just want a strong collection of microbes in your gut, particularly within the lower intestine, your large intestine. They feed on fiber from the food you eat and convert it into substances your body needs. These substances send signals throughout the body.
If you don't have enough microbes or too most of the unsuitable species, it affects these signals, which may result in health problems. Over the past 20 years, research has linked problems within the gut microbiome to a wide range of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases akin to rheumatoid arthritis, metabolic diseases akin to diabetes, in addition to heart problems, asthma and even autism.
Thanks to those efforts, we all know lots concerning the interactions between your gut and the remainder of your body, but we don't know of course How Lots of things occur – whether some little critters in your microbiome are causing the issues or vice versa.
“That’s the problem with so many microbiome topics,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hohmann, physician and researcher on the Massachusetts General Research Institute. “Olympians have a better gut microbiome than most people. They definitely do that – because they pay attention to their diet and get enough rest. Correlation does not make causation.”
The American food plan is bad in your gut
If you're a typical American, you eat lots of highly processed foods – made with an extended list of ingredients that contain additives or preservatives. According to a study, these foods make up 73% of our food plan. This can have serious effects on gut health.
“When you process and grind a food, it turns a whole food into tiny particles,” Damman said. “That makes the food easy to digest. But when you eat a stalk of broccoli, a large amount of that broccoli goes into your lower intestine in the form of fiber and other things, where it feeds microbes.”
On the opposite hand, with highly processed foods, most of it's digested before it may possibly reach the lower intestine, leaving your microbes deprived of the energy they should survive.
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, PhD, is director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes at Arizona State University. Her lab studied how microbes use the undigested food that enters your intestines. She describes the issue with processed foods like this:
“Think about a Coke. When you drink it, all the sugar goes into your bloodstream and the microbes in your gut don't even realize you ate it. If you eat an apple or something with fiber instead of a cola, some of it goes to you and some goes to the microbes. You feed them and give them energy.”
Weight and your gut microbiome
The connection between gut health and body weight has received lots of attention. Research has revealedFor example, individuals with obesity have lower diversity of their gut microbiome, and certain specific bacteria have been linked to obesity. In animal studies, transplanting gut microbes from obese mice into “germ-free” mice resulted in these GF mice gain weight. This suggests that obesity is definitely brought on by certain microbes. However, up to now there may be little evidence that this can also be the case in humans.
Krajmalnik-Brown's group conducted an experiment wherein they'd people follow two different diets for 23 days each, with a break in between. Both provided similar amounts of calories and macronutrients every day, but through different foods. The study's typical Western menu featured processed foods—think grape juice, turkey and white bread sandwiches, and spaghetti with jarred sauce and ground beef. The other menu, which the researchers dubbed a “microbiome-enhancing diet,” included foods like whole fruits, vegetable sandwiches on multigrain rolls, and steak with a side of whole-grain spaghetti.
Although the study wasn't designed for weight reduction, something interesting happened when researchers analyzed participants' bowel movements.
“We found that when subjects are fed a diet designed to provide more energy to the microbes, not the.” [body]“Our subjects lost a little weight,” said Krajmalnik-Brown. “It looks like feeding the microbes makes people healthier and maybe even loses a little bit.”
Another possible mechanism involves the identical hormone that powers these injectable weight reduction medications. The lower a part of your intestine produces hormones that tell the complete intestine to decelerate and in addition help control metabolism and appetite. Among them is GLP-1. The drugs use an artificial version, semaglutide or tirzepatide, to supply the identical effect.
According to Damman, you'll be able to stimulate your gut to supply these helpful hormones with the food you eat—giving your microbes the correct fuel.
Eat to feed your microbes
The foods you eat can affect your gut microbiome and subsequently your weight. But don't search for the one perfect ingredient, experts warn.
“A lot of times we have this microfocus: Is this a good food or a bad food?” warned Katie Chapmon, a registered dietitian whose practice focuses on gut health. “You just want to make sure your microbiome is robust and healthy so it signals your body running, you've done it.”
Instead, try giving your body more of it Research has shown that foods can nourish your microbiome, a lot of that are plant-based. “Those are the things that are largely removed during processing,” Damman said. He calls them the “Four Fs”:
- Fiber: When you eat foods wealthy in fiber, akin to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and beans, your body cannot digest the fiber while it's within the upper parts of your gastrointestinal tract. It enters your lower intestine, where it's fermented by healthy bacteria. This creates short-chain fatty acids that send signals to the complete body, including those related to it Appetite and feeling of satiety.
- Phenols: Phenolic compounds are antioxidants that give plant foods their color – once you discuss eating the rainbow, you're talking about phenols. The microbes in your gut also feed on it. “My goal for a meal is five different colors on the plate,” Chapmon said. “This completes the basis for the various polyphenols.”
- Fermented foods: You can get a special sort of health profit from eating food already fermented – akin to sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, miso, tempeh and kombucha. Fermentation allows the phenols in foods to turn out to be more accessible to your body. Plus, every bite brings good bacteria into your body, a few of which also makes its solution to your intestines. The pre-existing bacteria feed on these latest strains, helping to extend the range of your microbiome.
- Healthy fats: This isn't a lot about feeding the nice bacteria in your microbiome. Damman says that omega-3 fatty acids, that are present in fatty fish, canola oil, some nuts and other foods, Reduce inflammation in the liner of your intestines. Plus, healthy fat sources like extra virgin olive oil and avocados are filled with phenols.
Eating for gut health shouldn't be a panacea relating to weight reduction. But the advantages of a healthy gut go far beyond shedding just a few kilos.
“I think we need to strive for health, not weight loss,” Krajmalnik-Brown said. “Keep your gut and microbes healthy, and that should ultimately lead to a healthy weight. You make your microbes happy and your microbes contribute a lot to your health.”