Dad Bod & Gut Microbiome: How are they linked?

Over the last 10 years, the trend of a fit male body with 6 pack abs & that muscular body has been picking up. However, the health issues & collateral damage associated with such show off physique has been ignored! Since the concept of Dad Bod has been in trend, it has become a fascinating opposition to fit male body with that 6 pack abs & broad shoulders. There is a strong affirming opposition against physical looks that can be highly unhealthy for men including dads.

Belly & visceral fat, one of most prominent outcomes of dad bod, is traditionally handled with restrictive diet & vigorous exercise. As such quantified nutrition & exercise are not enough. There is also a need to focus on gut microbiome health.

There is no brainer that holding visceral fat around belly is hallmark of various life threatening diseases such as:

1. Type 2 Diabetes
2. Heart disease
3. Metabolic Syndrome
4. Migraine
5. Cancer
6. Stroke

Gaining weight is a function of excess calorie consumption. You consume more calories than you burn. This excess calories converts into fat. Besides, excess calories that come from specific food are also of grave concern. Besides, some food items that can lead to weight gain & fat deposition include:

1. Sugar: Added sugar & high fructose corn syrup specifically high sugar drinks.
2. Alcohol: Alcohol consumption is connected to weight gain around waistline & belly.
3. Trans fats: These are made by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats in order to stabilize them. This increases the shelf life of food stored in your pantry & causes systemic inflammation, heart disease & weight gain.
4. No Physical movement: Sedentary lifestyle specifically for those who have desk jobs can lead to fat accumulation & weight gain.
5. Gut Dysbiosis: The main reason for belly fat-Gut microbiome is responsible for carrying out essential tasks including absorption of nutrients, regulating the immune system & digestion process that keeps you healthy. Gut Dysbiosis is a condition when your gut microbiome has a high number of certain microbes or certain microbes at wrong places where they do not belong, making your gut out of balance. This can impact various aspects of health including sleep, weight management, digestive efficiency, energy, immunity, nutrient absorption & many more. Therefore feeding beneficial bacteria in your gut is the key to maintain a healthy body & soul( not having a calorie deficit diet & vigorous exercise).

Both gut microbiota & diet is said to impact our visceral fat mass(VFM) levels- a major driving factor for cardiovascular disease. Although all individuals share almost 99% of their DNA, their gut microbiome is unique depending upon various factors including health, lifestyle factors, nutrition, vaginal(or C-section birth), stress & early life experiences. For people who are fit & healthy, their gut microbiome profile showcases distinctive differences when compared with those who are unhealthy, obese or diabetic. As gut microbiota becomes less diverse in types( & obvious function of microbes), it increases susceptibility of someone having high visceral fat.

People who have a particular category of species of microbes that digest or breakdown fibre to produce short chain fatty acids such as Butyrate are said to be healthy. On the other hand people who are obese or have fat around their belly are said to have less of microbes who releases beneficial compounds such as Butyrate. Butyrate is a fatty acid that protects the thin gut lining, combats inflammation & prevents leaky gut. Butyrate also improves your satiety level by stimulating Leptin levels & thereby  signalling your brain that you are full. However if your butyrate production is low, our gut microbiome does not give any signals which leads to overeating & weight gain.

There are a lot of fitness companies & gyms who promote that regular exercise & restrictive diet are sufficient for weight loss. However, these two modes are sufficient. A personalised diet that feeds your beneficial bacteria & maintains/improves gut diversity is most essential 

Recently, we have been hearing specifically from doctors & nutritionists that a healthy & natural diet is a cure to gut dysbiosis. However, the question is how do we know that a particular food is healthy & would promote diversity & healthy gut microbiome unless & until you know who are the bacteria living in your gut, who are active & what they are doing.

Our Up the gut intelligence solution helps you measure not only your gut diversity & abundance but also who  are there & what activity they are doing. All the evaluation & results are supported by a personalised precision nutrition plan unique for your body along with clearly  articulation of which foods to be consumed most frequently & which foods to be taken less frequently & avoided. This food list  can help you align your gut microbiome & prevent risk of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes & many more.