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Intestinal bacteria and their effects on the body

Anatoli Silajev Comments 0 1st November 2018
Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis bacteria in the human intestine. Colonic irrigation in Aberystwyth

Maintaining an optimal balance of the intestinal microflora that inhabits the human colon is vital. It also allows the body to remain healthy on both the internal and external levels. Moreover, we need intestinal bacteria for all sorts of processes.

According to a recent study published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, the digestive tract not only processes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The intestinal microflora controls many processes in the body. It prevents many diseases and dramatically affects people’s well-being.

Creating a unique composition of human intestinal microflora begins from birth when the baby gets bacteria that live in the mother’s birth canal. “Primary colonisation of the intestine plays an important role in the formation of the composition of the microbiome in an adult,” the researchers report.

Internal and external factors

However, in each person’s subsequent life, internal and external factors exist. That can affect the composition of the intestinal microflora, including:

  • foods that make up the daily diet;
  • intestinal pH;
  • exposure to toxic substances.

“Every day we put pounds of foreign substances (food, drinks, medicines, food supplements) in our mouths. However, we hope that the body can distinguish friend from enemy.” Elizabeth Lipsky, a well-known American expert in the field of therapeutic nutrition says. “The digestive system is the centre of our immune system. It controls our metabolism, the synthesis of vitamins and communicates with other systems of the body.”

Intestinal bacteria and the digestion process

Intestinal bacteria play an essential role in food digestion. Scientists have discovered they can recycle what the human body cannot absorb without their participation.

For example, intestinal bacteria digest fibre, separating the necessary vitamins and amino acids and transforming them into forms acceptable to the human body. Foods rich in dietary fibre, such as whole grains, vegetables, and leafy greens, are rightfully considered prebiotic.

Intestinal microflora

Probiotics must be present in the human diet to create optimal conditions for the existence of friendly microorganisms in the microbiome.

Besides, it can enrich the intestinal microflora with healthy bacterial cultures using kefir and other probiotic products. Colonic Hydrotherapy also helps to restore the intestinal microflora.