We are only 1% humans epigenetically. Our gut is home to 100 trillions of microorganisms composed of bacteria, algae, yeast, virus & archaea. Due to the role of these gut microbes in almost every biological function in our body, the gut is also referred to as our second brain. Right from metabolic health, immune response, mental health, physical health to digestive health, our gut microbiota plays a decision making role. Therefore striking a gut microbiome balance is essential to keep chronic diseases at bay. However the question arises who are these microbes in our gut, who are active & what functions they perform.
We must have heard a lot about bifidobacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila & lactobacillus as beneficial bacteria that can improve our overall health. These bacteria form a very small proportion of the total gut bacteria community. Firmicutes & Bacteroidetes, the two major phylums of bacterias form 90% of the total microbial community. These two together are responsible for energy production, production of beneficial short chain fatty acids, carbohydrate metabolism & transport & metabolism of amino acids. An imbalance in firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio can deteriorate our health. Changes in this Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F to B) ratio is linked to various chronic diseases. An increase in F to B ratio is associated with weight gain & obesity & a decreased ratio is linked to irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore for managing & overcoming obesity, weight gain & other metabolic syndrome, it is necessary to strike a balance of F to B ratio.
The phylum Firmicutes includes Gram-positive bacteria that are predominantly from the genera Bacillus, Clostridium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Ruminococcus while phylum bacteroidetes consist of 7000 different species of Gram-negative bacteria that are predominantly from the genera Bacteroides, Alistipes,Parabacteroides, and Prevotella. When it comes to irritable bowel disease, phylum Proteobacteria plays a dominant role since it is correlated with decrease in firmicutes.
Irritable bowel disease represents intestinal disorders due to inflammatory reactions in both small & large intestines. IBD consists of two diseases- Crohn’s disease(CD) & Ulcerative Colitis(UC). US is caused by prolonged inflammation in colon & rectum( chamber that begins at the end of large intestine & ends up at the anus) while CD is caused by prolonged inflammation in colon or ileum( final portion of small intestine) or both. Our gut microbiota is said to cause these diseases. Specifically when firmicutes decrease or bacteroidetes increase in relation to firmicutes( gut dysbiosis in both cases), it results in chronic inflammation & state of digestive disorders such as CD & UC.
Coming on to high F to B ratio or state of weight gain & obesity, the reason why these two phylums of bacterias impact our weight is because they regulate how much fat we absorb. Imagine two people who both consume 2000 calories but with different F to B ratios. The one with a higher F to B ratio would absorb more calories & as such will gain weight more than the other. Therefore the focus should be to bring a balance in this F to B ratio so as to prevent occurrence of obesity at one end & IBD on the other. This is the reason why fad diets are a perfect recipe for a health disaster.
Balancing the intestinal ecosystem is an important aspect of maintaining normal human body function & improving F to B ratio. Administration of prebiotic, probiotics & synbiotics play a major role in correcting the imbalance in gut bacteria composition. When taken in adequate amount, probiotics can modify the gut microbiota & treat several diseases & exert anti-obesity & anti-inflammatory effects.
If you are suffering from obesity, weight gain or IBD , probably your gut is in a dysbiosis state & ratio of firmicutes to bacteroidetes is not in equilibrium. Sign up for our gut intelligence solution to learn how you can improve this ratio through personalised dietary recommendations unique for your body.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33139627/
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