Beneficial Gut Bacteria

Genome Analysis Will Reveal How Bacteria in Our Guts make Themselves at Home

One bacterial species, Lactobacillus reuteri, has been used as a model for studies in this area, and TGAC, a partner of IFR on the Norwich Research Park, has sequenced its genome, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The collaboration between the two institutes will provide new insights into the genomic basis for host adaptation of L. reuteri to the gut. In close collaboration with IFR scientists, TGAC sequenced and assembled the genome of a L. reuteri strain obtained from pig to a high quality draft standard and also provided a full annotation. The annotation is needed to identify which genes carry out which functions in the sequence. Comparisons between different strains of L. reuteri, which have already been made available in the major international sequence databases, helped identify a set of genes unique to this particular strain. The gastrointestinal tract contains many millions of bacteria, known collectively as the microbiota. IFR is also developing a model microbiota that is representative of the human colonic microbiota. This will become a powerful tool for investigating the function and interplay of the microbiota within the gastrointestinal system. It will also become an integral part of studies investigating the extent, diversity and function of metabolic diversity in the microbiota.

More Thoughts on Hydrogen Gas and Bacterial Overgrowth | Health Book

It’s probably not a coincidence that H. pylori lowers stomach acidity. It’s trying to feed itself. Lowering stomach acidity promotes poor digestion and extra food for hydrogen gas (H2)- producing bacteria further down the digestive tract. H. pylori thrives on the resulting increase in H2. There are countless examples in nature of parasites manipulating hosts to get what they want. A pretty simple example is Bordetella pertussis, the bacterium that causes whooping cough. It secretes factors that irritate the trachea, causing the victim to cough and thus facilitating its own spread through airborne droplets. H2 is a high-energy molecule. In fact, it’s being considered as an automobile fuel. It’s also very small, allowing it to diffuse away from the digestive tract and throughout the tissues. Overproducing H2 in the digestive tract creates an all-you-can-eat buffet for whatever bacteria are present in the body that are capable of using it. As I mentioned in the last post, these bacteria include H. pylori, Salmonella and perhaps Clostridium. Nature abhors a vacuum. I’m sure there are organisms happy to siphon off some of this fuel. The interior of the body is relatively sterile, but there are plenty of bacteria hanging around the mucous membranes (nasal cavity, digestive tract, urogenital tracts) that could potentially exploit this energy source. How do we thwart H. pylori and take back control of our stomachs? There are a few options. The first is to send in the big guns and take antibiotics. This is the standard treatment and it’s usually effective, but I’m generally against antibiotics unless absolutely necessary due to their long-term effects on beneficial gut flora. Then there are other treatments like mastic gum, peppermint, gentian and probiotics, which may or may not be effective. But the method I like best is starvation (of H. pylori). Obviously, the first step is to eliminate excess fructose, wheat, and anything else that causes digestive upset and gas. Several commenters on the last post mentioned that eating a “paleolithic”-type diet improved their digestion and reduced gas. That makes perfect sense to me, and it may actually be a very important effect of that type of diet. The same goes for low-carbohydrate diets. Two other weapons of intestinal flora starvation are chewing thoroughly and avoiding liquids during meals.

Ecosystems of the Gut

Ecosystems of the Gut: Researchers have broken down some of the bacteria of the gut into three major enterotypes...

Nutrition

So how does feeding the bacteria in your gut improve your health? Successful colonization of helpful bacteria allows them to outnumber (and outeat) ...

The encyclopedia of nutrition and good health

Intestinal bacteria also provide B vitamins like biotin and fat-soluble VITAMIN K. By occupying an important biological niche, beneficial bacteria control ...

Food Science And Technology Bulletin, Functional Foods

An alternative way of increasing the population of beneficial gut bacteria is the addition to the diet of substances such as dietary fibre which ...

Stop Aging, Start Living, The Revolutionary 2-Week PH Diet That Erases Wrinkles, Beautifies Skin, and Makes You Feel Fantastic

Mucus eventually washes them out of the lungs and into the stomach. Beneficial gut bacteria may signal the immune system, letting it know when to react to ...

Beyond antibiotics, 50 (or so) ways to boost immunity and avoid antibiotics

Yet, certain dietary therapies directed at the gut bacteria and gut permeability now show some promise.28 Oligosaccharides and Beneficial Gut Bacteria ...