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MICROBIOME.
Dr. David Perlmutter
If you had to name the most exciting recent medical discovery, what would you
say? As a physician, I know my answer, hands down: the microbiome.
That's the community of trillions of bacteria that inhabit our gut, mouth, lungs,
nasal passages, skin, and brain. Although weve been aware of these bacteria
for a while, until now we didnt realize what a crucial role they play in just
about every aspect of our health.
Here are the 10 most important things you need to know about your gut
microbiome:
3. Were used to thinking of bacteria as our enemies, but most bacteria are
allies.
The bacteria in our microbiome dont just help us perform basic bodily
functions, such as digesting our food. They also help us restore gut health and
One of the most exciting developments is the huge number of research studies
showing that when you rebalance your microbiome, you can boost your
metabolism and shed fat. This was a discovery I made in my medical practice
some years ago, so I was excited to see more evidence emerging to confirm an
approach whose success I had already witnessed with thousands of patients.
8. Probiotics are live bacteria that help balance the microbiome by supporting
friendly bacteria.
You can take probiotics in capsule form, or you can take natural probiotics in
the form of fermented foods: yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchee, and pickled
vegetables. Taking a daily probiotic and loading up your diet with fermented
foods can help you boost your metabolism and lose unwanted weight.
9. Prebiotics are the foods and nutrients that feed the friendly bacteria in your
microbiome.
You can take them as powders and capsules, or you can eat whole foods that
are rich in inulin, arabinogalactans, and fiber. In my book, I call these
Microbiome Superfoods. They include asparagus, carrots, garlic, jicama,
leeks, okra, onion, radishes, and tomatoes, as well as the Microbiome
Superspices, turmeric and cinnamon.
10. The microbiome is the basis for the medicine of the future.
This year, the Mayo Clinic published a primer about how physicians might
incorporate research on the microbiome into their clinical practice, proclaiming,
understanding the basic concepts about the interactions between humans and
their microbiome will be as important to clinicians as understanding concepts
of genetics or germ theory.
The microbiome has been dubbed the forgotten organ, but I think its high
time doctors remembered it! Meanwhile, now that you know about your
microbiome, you can start supporting it with probiotics, prebiotics, and
Microbiome Superfoods. Your whole body will thank you for it.