Five TipsApproach

Modern to Help
to Ayurveda
Cultivate a Healthy
Microbiome.
with Sahara Rose

© 2022
2021 Integrative
IntegrativeNutrition,
Nutrition,LLC
LLC
Five Tips to Help Cultivate a
Healthy Microbiome.
A healthy gut microbiome offers much more than optimal digestion! Through
secondary messengers, receptors, and nerves, the gut is connected to many
pathways, physiological processes, and body systems. This allows the gut to
influence everything from your mood and cognition to your immune function and skin
health. When your gut microbiome is in homeostasis (balance), the rest of your body
tends to follow.

Read on for some tips to help cultivate a healthy gut microbiome for overall health.

Enjoy gut-friendly foods.

Nutrition and diet are critical levers with profound ability to influence microbial
health. Specific dietary choices can support a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn
will benefit your systemic health. Here are some ways to put it into practice:

• Incorporate dietary diversity. Incorporate more diversity into your meals by

introducing a variety of plants and plant-based nutrients, like polyphenols,
vitamins, and minerals.1 It can be as easy as varying the types and colors of
fruits and vegetables you choose to eat each week.

2
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• Make dietary fiber key. Known as microbiota-accessible carbohydrates, fiber-

rich foods (like broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans/legumes, and root vegetables)
provide substrates that our gut microbes ferment or metabolize into beneficial
compounds for health.2

• Enjoy omega-3s and monounsaturated fats. Good sources of these dietary

fats include salmon, sardines, walnuts, avocados, and olive oil, all of which
help support a healthy inflammatory balance in the gut and promote a positive
intestinal environment.3

• Crowd out less gut-friendly options. Moderate your intake of alcohol, added
sugars, sugar substitutes, preservative agents, highly processed foods, and
food additives. These sneaky but commonly consumed ingredients can have
unfavorable effects on the gut microbiome, especially if consumed often.4

• Consider adding fermented foods. Some options include unpasteurized

sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and kombucha. Once ingested, nutrients and
microorganisms from fermented foods may interact with the gut microbiome to
provide benefits.

Minimize stress.

Research continues to highlight the negative effects of prolonged stress on our

health, including the digestive system.5 While stress can make us more prone to
consume foods that aren’t supportive of our gut health, such as highly processed
foods, the physiological effects of stress can also impede upon digestion and affect
the health of our microbiome.6

Recent research indicates that inflammation (a type of stress) in the gut can foster
the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, intensifying leaky gut and dysbiosis.7 Stress-
reduction techniques, like breath work, mindfulness, and movement, can help
promote harmony between your central (brain) and enteric (gut) nervous systems.
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Incorporate movement.

In general, exercise helps promote healthy digestion and increase gut motility while
also promoting a more stable gut microbial environment.8 Low- to moderate-intensity
exercise can influence transit time (i.e., the time it takes food to pass through your
gastrointestinal [GI] system) and thus the contact time between any pathogens and
the GI mucus layer.9

Exercise may also promote beneficial changes in the overall gut microbiota
composition and increase helpful microbial metabolite production (SCFAs, lactate,
and BCFAs) in the GI tract while reducing inflammation and intestinal permeability.10
It’s important to note, however, that extremely intense or prolonged exercise can
actually induce the opposite effect, leading to intestinal hyperpermeability (or “gut
leakiness”) impacting the mucosal layer of the GI tract.11

Be mindful with medication.

Some medications, such as antibiotics and NSAIDs, interact with the GI tract and gut
microbiota. More specifically, antibiotics can significantly alter the number and types
of bacteria in the microbiome, since these therapies are specifically developed to
target various pathogenic organisms within the body. The shift in gut microbiota from
antibiotics use can lead to uncomfortable GI effects, such as antibiotic-associated
diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.12

Although antibiotics are incredibly useful and even critical during specific times,
their associated side effects may effectively be avoided/minimized with probiotic
proactivity. In fact, numerous studies have shown that probiotics are effective in
preventing GI distress and antibiotic-associated diarrhea when taken during and
after antibiotic use.13 If taking an antibiotic, consider talking to your healthcare
provider about supplementing with a probiotic.
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Consider probiotics.

Not all probiotics are created equal. The globally accepted, scientific definition of
probiotics is “Live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts,
confer a health benefit on the host.”14 Make sure to look at product labels and
manufacturer websites for clinical data and third-party testing that ensures stability
through shelf life. It’s also important to consider strain specificity when deciding
which probiotics may best support your individual needs. Specific strains of
probiotics have been shown to support various GI endpoints, such as ease of bloating
and promotion of healthy bowel movement regularity. One common and well-studied
probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, has demonstrated a range of positive
effects on GI health (in both human and experimental evidence), like improvements
in diarrheal episodes and infectious diarrhea, frequency of abdominal pain, and
inflammation in the GI tract.15

The benefits of probiotic strains can go beyond the gut. From metabolic health to
respiratory health, probiotics are being investigated for their impact on almost all facets
of well-being. Interestingly, the strain Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 18352 clinically
demonstrated the ability to synthesize and secrete folate in the human intestinal
environment.16 Another strain, Lactobacillus paracasei LP-33, supported quality of life in
individuals taking oral antihistamine for allergic rhinitis and seasonal allergies.17
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This was written in collaboration with partner Seed, a leader in microbiome

health for both adult and pediatric probiotics that continues to bring
much-needed precision, efficacy, and education to the global probiotics market.
Visit seed.com/partner/IIN for more information.
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FOOTNOTES

1|  McDonald, D., Hyde, E., Debelius, J. W., Morton, J. T., Gonzalez, A., Ackermann, G.,
Aksenov, A. A., Behsaz, B., Brennan, C., Chen, Y., DeRight Goldasich, L., Dorrestein,
P. C., Dunn, R. R., Fahimipour, A. K., Gaffney, J., Gilbert, J. A., Gogul, G., Green, J. L.,
Hugenholtz, P., Humphrey, G., … Knight, R. (2018). American gut: An open platform
for citizen science microbiome research. mSystems 3(3), e00031-18. Retrieved
from doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18

2|  Cronin, P., Joyce, S. A., O’Toole, P. W., & O’Connor, E. M. (2021). Dietary fibre
modulates the gut microbiota. Nutrients 13(5), 1655. Retrieved from
doi.org/10.3390/nu13051655

3|  Fu, Y., Wang, Y., Gao, H., Li, D., Jiang, R., Ge, L., Tong, C., & Xu, K. (2021).
Associations among dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, the gut
microbiota, and intestinal immunity. Mediators Inflamm 2021, 8879227. Retrieved
from doi.org/10.1155/2021/8879227

4|  Ruiz-Ojeda, F. J., Plaza-Díaz, J., Sáez-Lara, M. J., & Gil, A. (2019). Effects of
sweeteners on the gut microbiota: A review of experimental studies and clinical
trials. Adv Nutr 10(suppl_1), S31–S48. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1093/advances
/nmy037

5|  Madison, A., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2019). Stress, depression, diet, and the gut
microbiota: Human-bacteria interactions at the core of psychoneuroimmunology
and nutrition. Curr Opin Behav Sci 28, 105–110. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1016
/j.cobeha.2019.01.011

6|  Cherpak, C. E. (2019). Mindful eating: A Review of how the stress-digestion-

mindfulness triad may modulate and improve gastrointestinal and digestive
function. Integr Med (Encinitas) 18(4), 48–53. Retrieved from pubmed.ncbi.nlm
.nih.gov/32549835
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7|  Zeng, M. Y., Inohara, N., & Nuñez, G. (2017). Mechanisms of inflammation-driven

bacterial dysbiosis in the gut. Mucosal Immunol 10(1), 18–26. Retrieved from
doi.org/10.1038/mi.2016.75

8|  Mika, A., Van Treuren, W., González, A., Herrera, J. J., Knight, R., & Fleshner, M.
(2015). Exercise is more effective at altering gut microbial composition and
producing stable changes in lean mass in juvenile versus adult male F344
rats. PLoS One 10(5), e0125889. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1371/journal
.pone.0125889

9|  Bermon, S., Petriz, B., Kajėnienė, A., Prestes, J., Castell, L., & Franco, O. L. (2015).
The microbiota: An exercise immunology perspective. Exerc Immunol Rev 21,
70–79. Retrieved from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25825908

10|  Clauss, M., Gerard, P., Mosca, A., & Leclerc, M. (2021). Interplay between
exercise and gut microbiome in the context of human health and performance.
Front Nutr 8, 637010. Retrieved from doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.637010

11|    Mailing, L. J., Allen, J. M., Buford, T. W., Fields, C. J., & Woods, J. A. (2019).
Exercise and the gut microbiome: A review of the evidence, potential
mechanisms, and implications for human health. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 47(2),
75–85. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000183

12|  Elvers, K. T., Wilson, V. J., Hammond, A., Duncan, L., Huntley, A. L., Hay, A. D.,
& van der Werf, E. T. (2020). Antibiotic-induced changes in the human gut
microbiota for the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in primary care in
the UK: A systematic review. BMJ Open 10(9), e035677. Retrieved from
doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035677

13|  Hempel, S., Newberry, S. J., Maher, A. R., Wang, Z., Miles, J. N., Shanman, R.,
Johnsen, B., & Shekelle, P. G. (2012). Probiotics for the prevention and
treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: A systematic review and meta-
analysis. JAMA 307(18), 1959–1969. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1001
/jama.2012.3507
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14|  International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics. (2020).

Probiotics. Retrieved from isappscience.org/for-scientists/resources/probiotics

15|  Capurso, L. (2019). Thirty years of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG: A review. 

J Clin Gastroenterol 53 Suppl 1, S1–S41. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1097
/MCG.0000000000001170

16|  Strozzi, G. P., & Mogna, L. (2008). Quantification of folic acid in human
feces after administration of Bifidobacterium probiotic strains. J Clin
Gastroenterol 42 Suppl 3 Pt 2, S179–S184. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1097
/MCG.0b013e31818087d8

17|  Costa, D. J., Marteau, P., Amouyal, M., Poulsen, L. K., Hamelmann, E.,
Cazaubiel, M., Housez, B., Leuillet, S., Stavnsbjerg, M., Molimard, P.,
Courau, S., & Bousquet, J. (2014). Efficacy and safety of the probiotic
Lactobacillus paracasei LP-33 in allergic rhinitis: A double-blind, randomized,
placebo-controlled trial (GA2LEN Study). Eur J Clin Nutr 68(5), 602–607.
Retrieved from doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.13