Bacteria in the intestine

1. Composition of intestinal flora

Our intestines have a huge, diverse and dynamic population of bacteria. Do you know how much the intestinal flora weighs? They weigh about 1.5 kilograms and contain more than 3,500 species of bacteria!

Intestinal flora includes beneficial bacteria (probiotics), neutral bacteria and harmful bacteria. Beneficial bacteria include lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, etc. Harmful bacteria include Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, etc.

The intestines are also called the "second brain" or "gut brain" of humans because 95% of the body's hormones, such as serotonin and 50% of dopamine, are secreted by the intestines; a large amount of neural information is transmitted from the intestines to the brain; the "gut brain" can affect the central nervous system and thus affect human emotions.

Think about this:

Why don’t we want to eat when we are angry, and why do food not taste good when we are unhappy?

Figure 1: Intestinal bacteria

2. Functions of Beneficial Intestinal Bacteria

Beneficial intestinal bacteria can utilize nutrients and dietary fiber that are not digested and absorbed in the small intestine, and ferment them to produce gas, short-chain fatty acids and other substances. Some of these substances can be absorbed by the large intestine, producing many health-benefiting effects, such as improving human immunity, preventing and improving diarrhea, lowering serum cholesterol, preventing osteoporosis, preventing reproductive system infections, and relieving allergic symptoms. In addition, beneficial bacteria can also synthesize some nutrients such as vitamin K and vitamin B12, as well as some substances that regulate brain function such as serotonin and dopamine.

3. Intestinal flora imbalance

If the bacteria in our intestines are out of balance, with more harmful bacteria and less beneficial bacteria, we will experience symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation, and even get sick. Therefore, we should develop good eating habits and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. When we feel uncomfortable in the intestines, we can take some probiotics (prebiotics) to regulate it.

Figure 2: Impact of intestinal flora imbalance on human health

4. Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics is a general term for a class of active microorganisms that are beneficial to our body.

Probiotics should be taken as follows: 1. Take with warm water, the water temperature should not exceed 37 degrees; 2. Can be added to milk and other liquid complementary foods; 3. If taking antibiotics, take probiotics after 2 hours; 4. Take 1 to 2 hours after a meal for better effect.

Prebiotics: Food ingredients that cannot be digested and absorbed by the human body but can be selectively used by human microorganisms and help the growth and reproduction of probiotics. In short, prebiotics are food for probiotics and can help probiotics grow.

Our common prebiotics include oligofructose, inulin, lactofructo-oligosaccharide, and breast milk oligosaccharide. In fact, there are many prebiotics in food, such as Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, and asparagus.

Figure 3: Foods rich in prebiotics

Think about this:

Which foods that children usually eat contain prebiotics and which contain probiotics?