Your gut microbiome is the command centre to most aspects of your health. A healthy gut microbiome promotes an optimal immune function, metabolism of nutrients and organ health. You may not know that your gut microbes also play an important role in detoxing potentially harmful environmental and food toxins.
The organ of the liver plays a huge role in this, but your gut microbes have been suggested to potentially play an even larger role in detoxifying environmental chemicals. Your gut microbes when in optimal balance help to protect your body from environmental toxins through absorbing, dispositioning, metabolising, and excreting environmental and food chemicals.
If your gut microbiome is out of balance due to factors such as a poor diet which includes inadequate fibre and polyphenol food sources for the microbes as well as insufficient probiotic food sources this may lead to unwanted processing of environmental chemicals leading to increased toxicity in your body. This can result in many unwanted consequences including chronic disease states like obesity and type two diabetes.
Helping maintain a balance of gut microbes in favour of your health is influenced by the diet you chose. Aim for a diet rich in different plant foods. A goal of 30 different plant-based foods each week will give your body with diverse range of nutrition benefits as well as different types of fibre and healthful compounds to support your gut and overall health. This includes foods like nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and wholegrains.
Take home message: Your gut microbiome can be a powerful friend or foe depending on what you include in your diet. Make sure you are providing your gut microbiome with the needed nutrition it needs to be on the side of the health of your body.
Reference:
- Claus, S. P., Guillou, H., & Ellero-Simatos, S. (2016). The gut microbiota: a major player in the toxicity of environmental pollutants?. NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2, 16003. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjbiofilms.2016.3
