In this series, we have talked about how your gut health may be the source of your health issues, how gut health causes inflammation which may lead to those health issues, and how your gut and brain are in constant communication. This week we’re diving into the two ways to re-balance your gut: dirt and poop.
Dirt and Poop – Not for Germaphobes
I know dirt and poop may not sound glamorous to you. But, if you are having problems with your gut health then they may help rebalance your gut. If dirt and poop are not your things, don’t worry. The next few weeks we’ll talk about other sources of good bacteria for your gut. Hint, hint: probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented foods.
Let’s dig in (pun intended).
The Dirt on Dirt
Over the past several decades, the Western world has tried to get as far away from dirt as possible.
How many times in one day do you wash your hands? Or use hand sanitizer? Do you use antibacterial cleaners in your house?
Dirt has become enemy number one. And for a good reason.
With those good little microbes in dirt come those bad parasites (hookworms, tapeworms, etc.).
But, what if I was to tell you that you can’t escape the bad bacteria? Our only hope, then, is to make sure we have enough good bacteria to fight off the bad. And we can do that by letting ourselves get more acquainted with dirt.
Did you know that in some indigenous cultures, they include dirt in their meals?
Sounds bizarre, right? But it turns out that the indigenous people that include dirt in their diet have a greater amount and more diverse microbes than those of us in the West.
Though dirt may not be something you want to serve up as a side dish, there are other ways you can get good dirt-microbes in your system. You can start a garden, pull weeds, or brush off (not wash) organic produce to get a good dose of dirt-microbes.
But, before you stop washing your grocery-bought produce or start digging around in the dirt, you should know that this comes with risks.
Reducing the Risks
If you go digging around in the dirt, make sure that your yard has not been treated with chemicals, like with pesticides or herbicides. These chemicals are poisonous, so you don’t want to ingest them. If your yard has been treated, wash your hands after digging in the dirt.
Also, many fruits and vegetables in the grocery store have been treated with chemicals to protect them while growing. Even organic fruits and vegetables could have touched a non-organic brand that uses pesticides. Because you don’t oversee the handling of the produce, you are taking a risk when you don’t wash produce off before eating.
But, by buying organic fruits and vegetables, you decrease your risk of eating chemicals. Another good idea is to buy straight from a local farm that is pesticide and herbicide-free. That way you know what is done to the fruits and vegetables.
The only downside is that organic produce can be expensive.
If you want to eat more organic produce, you can buy in-season organic produce to save a little money. You can also pick a few non-organic produce to switch out with organic ones. You don’t have to buy all organic, just what you can afford is perfectly ok.
HSOs: Dirt in Capsules
Another, maybe safer, way to get some good dirt-microbes in your diet is to take a probiotic with Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSOs).
Supposedly, HSOs are microbes from non-polluted soil and plants. HSOs are said to help optimize the digestive system and boost the immune system. They are claimed to be hardier than typical probiotic strains. So, the thought is that more HSO strains survive the environments of the stomach and small intestine to make it down to the large intestine (where they live).
However, when I tried to look up research on HSOs (also called soil-based organisms), I could not find any recent articles. (If you had better luck and found research articles on HSOs let me know, please!)
Another caution with HSOs is that the benefits said to be from HSOs are the same benefits said to be from regular probiotics. So, before you spend $$$ on an HSO probiotic, try other less expensive probiotics first. Your gut may not need HSOs probiotics to be healthy.
You Can Transplant Poop?
Yes, you can. And people do get fecal transplants. It’s showing to be a great way to get back good microbes in the gut.
There is, actually, a growing amount of research using fecal transplants on patients who have poor gut health. So far this research is being done mainly on those who have repeated C. diff infections or have had several rounds of antibiotics.
Fecal transplants, if you are curious, are done by placing poop of a healthy person in capsules to take or manually inserting the poop inside the large intestine of the patient.
So, when someone who has poor gut health gets a fecal transplant, the results are quite incredible. These patients have fewer infections and better overall health after the transplant. It’s just like getting a “fresh start” to their gut health.
However, this does not work for everyone. Research shows that patients who have an established gut microbiome do not benefit from a fecal transplant.
This is most likely due to their gut already being colonized by good and bad bacteria. While those with poor gut health most likely have high numbers of bad bacteria and/or low numbers of good bacteria (i.e. after antibiotics).
So, if you were really hoping to try out a fecal transplant, I’m sad to say that it may not work unless you have poor gut health.
Recap…
Over the past several weeks we’ve dug deeper into all things gut health. Here is a quick recap of what we’ve talked about so far…
- Gut health is the health of the trillions of microbes (bacteria) that live in your stomach down to the anus
- The balance of these microbes (which are good bacteria) is key to limiting unnecessary inflammation and protecting our immune systems
- Imbalanced gut bacteria very likely contribute to obesity, immune problems, autism, allergies, asthma, and mood and behavior problems
- Delivering a baby via C-section, feeding formula instead of breastfeeding, and using antibiotics all negatively affect your gut health
- The gut is like a “second brain,” in that it acts independent of the brain and is in constant communication with the brain – this is the gut-brain axis
- Gut microbes are responsible for making 100’s of brain chemicals that affect mood, anxiety, and ability to handle stress
- A diet high in fats, sugar, and refined white flour is linked to an increase in inflammation-making gut bacteria – a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables is key!
- Dirt is a great source of good bacteria for our guts but it comes with risks
- Fecal transplants are showing to be a great way for those who have chronic infections/taken several rounds of antibiotics to get a “fresh start” with their gut health
Next week we’ll look into the hype behind probiotics.
Are probiotics backed by science? And how do you wave through all the different probiotic options?
These are just two of the questions we’ll cover next week. So, head on over to read 4 claims you should be aware of before purchasing probiotics.