Microbiome is a term used to name a collective of microbes. Microbes are everywhere: in the soil, in the water, and in our bodies. Microbes cover every surface of our bodies, both inside and out. These microscopic life forms represent thousands of species, and they outnumber our own cells by about 10 to 1. These different Microbes have adapted to the local environment, for example the microbes in your large intestines are helping to balance a wet and nutrient dense environment, whereas the microbes under your arms pits or on your skin there are not so nutrient rich. All of these microbes constantly change and adapt depending upon the environment you create by what you put on and consume.
The microbiomes are environments and it is important to retain balance within an environmental system to promote good health, as with nature, when an un balance occurs then environments can change, and they can change rapidly.
The University of UTAH, Health Sciences explains that "the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that nearly a billion people around the world either don't have enough to eat or are missing important vitamins and minerals. In children, malnutrition can lead to life-long health problems.
Malnutrition isn't simply a matter of lacking calories and nutrients. Some people eat enough nutrients but can't absorb them. One clue about the role of microbes came from looking at identical twins, one twin undernourished and the other one not. The twins had the same genes, and they ate the same food—but they had different gut microbiota.
Our microbial communities are established during our first few years, and they influence our health for life. If we learn more about the relationship between microbes and nutrition, we may be able to help babies grow healthy microbes right from the start." (Sciences, University of Utah Health, 2016)
The Unit of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi) have studied the prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes that has steadily increased in the last decades. In addition to the genetic and environmental factors, they find that gut microbiota may play an important role in the modulation of intermediary phenotypes leading to metabolic disease. (Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi))
Show your microbiome some love by feeding it with probiotic foods, fermented foods (preferably organic). These like sauerkraut, kombucha, and kefir encourage the growth of good bacteria. Add to that some pre-biotic foods, those non-digestible short-chain fatty acids that help your good bacteria flourish. To get your dose, try eating more artichokes, garlic, beans, oats, onions and asparagus.
Reference list:
University of Utah Health Sciences, Genetic Science learning Centre "The Microbiome and disease" (2016) retrieved from
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/disease/#malnutrition
Unit of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGi), Hospital Dr Josep Trueta of Girona, Spain. (2011) "Gut microbiota interactions with obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: did gut microbiote co-evolve with insulin resistance?" retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21681087