Happy Weekend, everyone.

A few days ago, I ate something that didn't agree with me. Have you ever done that? Thankfully, it was only an evening of feeling off, and it wasn't intense. But for me, when that happens, it's a reminder to check in with my gut health every so often.  

The bacteria, fungi, and viruses that reside in our bodies influence almost every facet of our well-being. Part of maintaining microbiome health is maintaining homeostasis – as in, not doing the things that result in a major period of recovery. Another is supporting microbial diversity.

We most often think that our gut health depends on what kinds of food and supplementation choices we make. But lifestyle factors affect our gut health, too. I thought I’d give a little attention to some of the other basic practices that can influence microbial diversity and homeostasis. 

1. Having Pets

One study investigated the effects of early-life exposure to household pets on 746 infants from 2009 to 2012. Along with participating mothers being asked to fill out questionnaires regarding their pet situation during and after pregnancy, infant gut microbiota was sampled at around 3 months of age.

Those infants that had been exposed to at least one furry pet (more than half the group) were found to be more than twice as likely to have a high abundance of Oscillospira and/or Ruminococcus bacterial species—regardless of whether they had received prenatal or postnatal exposure to fur-bearing pets. These species, incidentally, have been associated with a lower risk of childhood atopy and obesity. What’s more, pet-exposed vaginally-birthed infants with maternal intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis exposure (say that ten times) had considerably lower abundances of Streptococcaceae than infants who hadn’t been exposed to furry pets.

These findings, and plenty more besides, tie in nicely with what we know about Strachan’s hygiene hypothesis, which implies that children growing up in overly hygienic environments are more likely to develop allergic disease. Interestingly, there appears to be a curious tendency for older siblings to dampen that microbial abundance effect. Equally of note, breastfeeding may work synergistically with that positive pet-effect.

2. "Date Night"

Science has suggested that our individual microbiomes may play an important role in that ever-elusive “chemistry” that draws people together.

How’s that? Well in this case, opposites very much attract. Studies show that we’re instinctually attracted to partners whose microbiome is complementary to our own. And knowing what we know about the importance of microbial diversity, complementary means different. Thus, when two people with very different microbiomes engage in intimate relations, they diversify their respective microbiome.

A 2015 study published in Research in Microbiology found that there was a significant decrease in the abundance of Lactobacillus crispatus after sex, along with a certain bacterial homogeneity between body fluid samples.

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3. Exercise

Over the past decade, there’s been the odd study examining the link between exercise frequency, duration, and type and the microbial response to such in the body.

Studies in mice have shown considerable responses to exercise in the lab. A 2016 study placed mice on an “obesity-causing” diet and 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Long story short, exercise stopped the poorer diet from degrading their gut microbiome.

An older 2013 paper showed that mice with free access to exercise experienced a significant increase in the number of beneficial microbe species. We're not sure whether that holds true with humans, but it's convincing enough for me to prioritize exercise. 

Medications

In a 2016 study, the influence of several NSAIDs (example: ibuprofen) over the gut microbiome was determined during the course of 30 days in 155 adults. Interestingly, it was the type of medication, rather than the amount of medication, that influenced the gut microbiome the most. 

A year earlier, researchers were examining the same relationship between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a type of medication for acid reflux, and the human microbiome. Researchers were able to demonstrate a significant decrease in microbial diversity in PPI users, along with changes in 20% of the bacterial taxa. 

Stress Levels

Of course you knew that stress would play a part in the health of your microbiome, but it certainly helps to have some research to back up the assumption. One study examined the stress-induced changes to the microbiome of North American red squirrels in the wild. Using fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, an accurate marker of stress, researchers were able to confirm that increased stress in wild squirrels significantly lowered microbiological diversity.

A 2011 study exposed mice to a social stressor called social disruption, designed to prime the innate immune system and increase circulating cytokines—much the same as the high-strung wild squirrels. The findings were textbook: “stressor exposure significantly changed the community structure of the microbiota, particularly when the microbiota were assessed immediately after stressor exposure.”

Another mice vs. stress study elicited much the same results, with restraint stress causing a decline in microbial species richness and an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. Stress also made the mice more susceptible to a contagious disease.

I'm sure there are hundreds more, but I wanted to list a few that most people aren't aware affect the microbiome. Do you know of any others? What do you do to take care of your gut health? Pop into the Mark's Daily Apple Facebook Group and let us know. 

#listentothesisson