Depending on the makeup of your microbiota, you’ll extract different amounts of calories from the food you eat. Some bad gut bacteria are faster at absorbing fatty acids and carbohydrates which results in the storage of calories as fat. This means that if you have higher levels of this bad bacteria, you can eat the same food as someone with a healthier gut, and you will extract more calories and therefore gain more weight.
In a recent study they found when they transplanted the intestinal microbiota from obese mice to lean mice, it increased the total body fat in the lean mice. This was a significant find with a nearly 60% increase in body fat within 14 days despite no change in food consumption. Insulin resistance also accompanied the increase in body fat among the lean mice. The evidence proves that gut bacteria significantly effects your metabolism and storage of fat.
Dysbiosis also contributes to leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut or intestinal hyperpermeability is the malfunction of the intestinal wall in which the bowel lining is damaged and small holes are created. These small holes then allow substances such as toxins, undigested food particles and other microbes into the bloodstream. The toxins and microbes should not be able to pass into the bloodstream and the undigested food particles mean that vitamins and minerals aren’t being absorbed. Your liver then attempts to sort the particles but is unable to process them all and your body doesn’t know what to do with all of these foreign particles and so your organs start to absorb them. This leads to inflammation as well as triggering allergies and autoimmune disorders.
The bacteria can cause inflammation which directly contributes to metabolic damage and leads to weight gain. Furthermore, it can also cause insulin resistance and inflammation of the hypothalamus which causes leptin resistance. Insulin resistance results in fat accumulation and resistance to leptin increases your appetite, so you end up eating more.
By keeping your gut microbiota balanced, you can achieve optimal metabolic function, reduce the amount of systemic inflammation, maintain insulin sensitivity and allow for sufficient digestion and absorption of nutrients.
So, how can we ensure that our gut has the correct balance of good bacteria that will allow us to reach our optimal physique and body composition? We need to make sure that we are killing off the bad bacteria colonies whilst nourishing, increasing and nurturing our good strands of bacteria. Listed below are my tips and advice for improving your gut health.