Microbiomes
The human microbiota corresponds to the set of microorganisms that have colonized your body and with which it coexists: mainly bacteria, but also viruses, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa. Its composition differs depending on the colonized surfaces: we distinguish the skin microbiota, vaginal microbiota, urinary microbiota, respiratory microbiota, ocular microbiota, ear-nose-throat (ENT) microbiota, and the intestinal microbiota, which was previously called intestinal flora and is by far the most important with its 100 trillion microorganisms.
IMBALANCED MICROBIOTAS AND RESULTING DISORDERS
The human body hosts in its various parts (intestine, skin, vagina, etc.) groups of living microorganisms - bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, etc. - called microbiotas that, when in balance, help us maintain good health. However, when this balance is disrupted (we then speak of "dysbiosis"), it can be associated with different types of disorders depending on the location of the affected microbiota. For example, gastroenteritis, Crohn's disease, some gastrointestinal cancers, but also depression, diabetes, cancer, obesity, some allergies, or even skin diseases like eczema, could be linked to microbiota imbalances. Let's explore the relationship between microbiota and health!
FOCUS ON DYSBIOSIS
The composition of a microbiota is characterized by its diversity (the number of different species present in an individual) and its richness (the total number of microorganisms present). When this composition is altered (a modification of either of these two factors), the balance is disrupted, giving rise to dysbiosis, which may be associated with various diseases, without us knowing for sure whether it is a cause or consequence of them. So, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Science has not been able to answer this question yet.
factors
MY MICROBIOME
IS IMBALANCED
Medications
Taking medication (antibiotics, etc.)
without a medical prescription.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol consumption
and tobacco use
Stress
Stress
Infections
Bacterial, viral,
or parasitic infections.
FEEDING
Sudden change
in environment
and diet.
disorders
ACTING ON DYSBIOSIS
Great news! When the balance of a microbiota falters, it is possible to restore it by acting on its composition (richness, diversity). This is what we know as "modulation." Specifically, we can act in several ways:
By adopting a balanced diet: low in fats and sugars, rich in fiber and foods like artichoke, garlic, onion (source of prebiotics), as well as the consumption of ferments that are a source of probiotics.
Through the intake of:
-
Probiotics
-
Prebiotics
-
Synbiotics (combination of the above)
-
Diet
According to the WHO, "probiotics are live microorganisms that, if administered in adequate amounts, have beneficial health effects." They are naturally present in certain foods and are also available in the form of medications and food supplements. Their function is to contribute to pampering our microbiotas or correcting their imbalance (dysbiosis), safely.
Prebiotics are non-digestible dietary fibers that selectively stimulate, at the colon level, the growth of beneficial bacteria of the host's microbiota, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. In short, prebiotics are the food of probiotics.
Synbiotics are products that contain both prebiotics and probiotics, and their aim is to restore and/or maintain the good health of the intestinal microbiota.
Just as our intestinal microbiota is determined by genes and the environment we live in, it is also modulated by our diet. The diversity and quality of our diet influence the balance of the intestinal microbiota... and, undoubtedly, also contribute to our state of health.
The intestinal microbiota develops progressively from birth. Various elements will influence its composition, particularly the nature of the milk consumed by the newborn. Babies breastfed with mother's milk have a microbial flora different from that of bottle-fed babies; and, although specialists prefer mother's milk, infant formulas, enriched with prebiotics and probiotics, have particularly interesting nutritional qualities for the ecosystem of the intestinal microbiota.
