There are two types of microbes that live in our digestive tract, the good and the bad. The good microbes help us digest food and eliminate harmful bacteria and toxins. The bad microbes, however, are associated with a number of illnesses, from diarrhea and cramps to heart disease and cancer. The good microbes help us digest our food and eliminate the bad microbes.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have discovered that the stomach lining contains unique microbes that are involved in the digestion of food. Scientists believe that these microbes are responsible for the release of the enzymes that help to break down starch, in the upper part of the stomach. This is why it’s important to clean your food before you eat it. The researchers say that by doing this, you will help reduce the incidence of some common digestive problems such as ulcers and stomach cancer.
Eating and digesting food is a highly intricate process. When you eat, you go through a series of chemical reactions to break down the food in your body. Most of these reactions don’t take place in the stomach, however, and the digestive system is filled with trillions of microbes that help us break down food, such as bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Some microbes are able to live inside the digestive system, but others are called “colonizing” microbes.
You know when you take a bite out of a hard piece of meat or when a food item feels full and hard? Microbes in our digestive tract produce enzymes that break down the food and help us digest. When the food is in our stomach or small intestine, they convert it into a form that can be absorbed into our blood. For example, our gut microbes can break down food we eat into smaller components, but they also have the ability to break down harmful substances called toxins.
Scientists are still uncovering what microbes in our body are doing that help us digest food. Even though we have been studied for years, the science behind our digestive tract is still emerging. Some studies are suggesting that the microbes in the gut help with the process of digesting food, while others are finding it to be quite the opposite. A study was recently published which suggests that the bacteria in our digestive tract do have a strong connection to weight loss.
“The human gut and its microbiome is a unique, complex and dynamic ecosystem, which is involved in many physiological processes, including nutrient absorption, immune response, digestion, energy metabolism, stress response, as well as the homeostasis of the body (ie., the maintenance of homeostasis of the body).” The human gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem, comprised of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, which are all integral parts of our digestive process.
While we often think of microbes as the cause of sickness, our gut has a lot to do with our health. In fact, the bacteria living in our bodies, such as the Bacteroides and Clostridium, can be responsible for many of the nutrients that we require for life. However, scientists have also found that at least two other groups of microbes can play an important role in our health. These two groups are called the “good” and the “bad” gut bacteria.
