Amanda Wilde (Host): Microbes are tiny living organisms that are all around us and inside of us. Trillions of microbes live in our intestines, and that ecosystem is called the gut microbiome. You may not have heard of it and you definitely can't see it, but the gut microbiome is crucial to healthy digestion, metabolism, your immune system. It even affects mental health. Next, Family Nurse Practitioner Elizabeth Haun explains how to understand and support your gut microbiome.

Welcome to Mountain Medicine, a podcast from Northern Inyo Healthcare. I'm Amanda Wilde. Welcome, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Haun: Thank you.

Host: Did I explain that correctly? What is the gut microbiome exactly, and why is it so important to good health?

Elizabeth Haun: So, you did. The gut microbiome is a makeup of bacteria, archaea, which is similar to bacteria; fungus, and viruses, and even parasites that live in our digestive tract naturally. And as you said, there are between thirty and four hundred trillion different bacterias, probably about 5,000 different species that live inside of us, which is actually 10 times more than lives on the rest of our body on the outside. And if you were to gather it all up into a bucket or something, it would weigh about five pounds. And this is important to our health, because it really does help with all aspects of our general health inside and outside.

Host: This is astonishing to think about, all these living organisms inside of us. How is it they do affect our health? Are there good ones and bad ones or is there a balance or what's going on with those microbes in there?

Elizabeth Haun: So, the old saying "You are what you eat" kind of applies to this. Because if you eat foods that promote bad bacteria growth, you're going to have problems, whereas if you eat foods that promote the good bacteria growth, then it helps support good health and energy and all sorts of different aspects of your health. This is a new emerging area of science, really. And it's very difficult to study because you can't take human beings and put them in a room for years and make them eat crappy food and see what happens. So, it's more something that we study observationally. We just observe and try to make connections. And so we don't have any definitive information about it, but we're starting to make connections.

Specifically, we're starting to make connections between if you have bad bacteria growing in your gut, it can cause potentially anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, other cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, and even some cancers, and not necessarily cause, but definitely contribute to them. That's why to have a healthy gut microbiome is very important to help prevent some of these diseases.

Host: So, there's definitely a connection between the gut microbiome and the diseases that you just mentioned. And we don't even know if there may be others as well.

Elizabeth Haun: Yes. And one thing we do know is that there's a cranial nerve, there's a nerve that comes out of the brain through the base of your skull and down through your body and innervates your organs as well as it just wraps around your whole intestinal tract. And so, there's a direct line of communication between the gut and the brain and the brain and the gut. It's like a super highway. And we do know that good bacteria produce neurotransmitters that are used for the nervous system to communicate. And so, if you have what we call dysbiosis or an overgrowth of bad bacteria, it can affect your brain as well as if your brain, if you're under stress or you're having problems with your brain, it can affect your digestion.  

Host: And if your brain's affected, I would assume your decision-making abilities and your critical thinking could be affected as well.

Elizabeth Haun: Absolutely. As well as depression can create depression and anxiety.

Host: So, diet plays a big role in a healthy gut microbiome. Let's talk a little more about that and some other things, if there are, we can do to improve our gut microbiome. So, thinking about diet first, what should we be thinking about in terms of a healthy gut?

Elizabeth Haun: When we talk about the gut, and nowadays it's referred to as the gut just because we're always fascinated about bowel movements and poo and stuff, but I just want to emphasize that the microbiome isn't just in your intestines. It starts at your lips and goes into your mouth and down your esophagus and all through the gastrointestinal tract, as well as in your bladder and, for women, in the vagina as well, there's microbiome in there. And so, it's important to understand that it's not just the gut. It's the whole digestive tract. And so, studies have found that gut microbiomes are varied within each person has their own individual microbiome, and there are even studies where families who live in the same house have similar microbiomes to each other and separate from other people who live outside of their house, they have different microbiomes.

And so, for example, tooth decay has been linked to poor diets and changes in the microbiome in the mouth, which caused the cavities and the decay. And so, it's a whole body kind of thing. And so, when we think about the do's and don'ts of improving one's microbiome, it is related to overall health and diet of what we know today as a good versus poor diet. And so, it's the same basics for that. So, what that means is that a healthy diet is good for your microbiome. So, fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grains are all the good things to do. The don'ts would be like a high sugar, high fat diet. Basically. We know about that.

One thing that plays a significant role in producing a good gut microbiome is what we call resistant fiber or resistant starch. So, these come from the whole grains, the bran that's around whole wheat or brown rice, that kind of thing. Beans, lentils, the food items that have a lot of fiber on it is really what feeds that good microbiome. They really like it and they thrive on it. We don't digest it, but they like it. And as a result, these good bacteria produce these neurotransmitters and other things that are healthy for us to maintain good health.

Host: So, it's the same healthy diet that every doctor in every podcast recommends. And like you said, I think we do know it's whole grains, it's whole foods, it's no processed foods, it's keep down the sugar and corn syrup and things you can't pronounce. So, generally, a healthy diet is recommended for all medical conditions, but it seems like it most would affect your gut. And then, there's the probiotics that I've seen in so many different forms, the liquids, capsules, "Oh no, they don't absorb this way or that way." Should you be taking them? And how do they fit into all of this? Does that help with a healthy gut?

Elizabeth Haun: one thing I want to add I find interesting to the diet connection is that if you're eating a lot of sugar, it feeds the bad bacteria and they will produce a neurotransmitter, which we've heard of as dopamine. That's like the feel good hormone. And so, that goes to your brain and your brain says, "Oh yeah, this feels really good." And then, it'll cause cravings for you to eat more of sugar because it wants to continue to feel good. And so, that's an important connection between the diet and the gut.

As far as probiotics go, it's still somewhat controversial because we don't really know the connection with probiotics and the way it helps our good bacteria. We don't know that it does. However, because everybody is an individual, and so if you're taking probiotics, you should take a kind that has the widest variety of bacterias in it, because you don't really know what your gut bacteria makeup is. So, they don't hurt you. And often, it's prescribed when people take antibiotics, because as we know, antibiotics will kill off all the bacteria, good and bad. And so, you do need to replenish the good bacteria. So, I don't think it can hurt you, but we just really don't know the role that probiotics actually plays in replenishing your good bacteria. The best bet is to just improve your diet and hopefully you can regenerate your good bacteria naturally.

Host: Yeah. And as you mentioned, I mean, sugar, the cravings-- I mean, that is what surround us in our culture-- is why it is so hard sometimes to eat healthy, but I think these constant reminders sort of push us more in that direction to remember to do that.

Elizabeth Haun: Yes, I agree. And, you know, there are times when you are tired, you didn't get enough sleep. And when you're tired, your brain wants energy. And so, it will request that you eat sugar to get that energy, and then it feeds that bad bacteria, and it just becomes this kind of vicious cycle of poor diet, basically.

Host: And then, your brain and your emotional health are included in that. So, this conversation has been at turns astonishing, shocking, and enlightening, I would say. And then, with the diet, a little bit predictable. It's the same diet that all doctors recommend. And, like I said, the more I hear it, the more I remember it. So, I hope that's true for everyone as well.

Elizabeth Haun: Absolutely. And, you know, our society now is plagued with even just simple discomfort, like bloating, heartburn, nausea, and abdominal pain. And a lot of it really just has to do with diet. And specifically, if you're focusing on the microbiome, then this resistant fiber, resistant starch is super important.

Host: Elizabeth, is there anything else you want to leave us with as we think about our own special individual gut microbiome?

Elizabeth Haun: The most important thing that I would emphasize would be, as we've discussed, healthy diet, minimal processed foods, exercise, fresh air, sunlight. It's just what we've been hearing for the last 20, 30 years, really.

Host: Thank you so much for this conversation about how your gut affects you and how you can affect your gut.

Elizabeth Haun: Pleasure is mine. Thank you.

Host: That was family nurse practitioner, Elizabeth Haun. For more about services for Northern Inyo Healthcare District, visit nih.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Amanda Wilde. Thanks for listening. This is Mountain Medicine presented by Northern Inyo Healthcare District.