Pelton R. Postbiotic metabolites: the new frontier in microbiome science. Townsendletter. 2019;431:64-69. https://www.townsendletter.com/article/431-postbiotic-metabolites-the-new-frontier-in-microbiome-science/
The human microbiome is composed of all the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that dwell within and on our bodies. The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, for example, is home to many bacteria that, when in balance, promote good health.
Much has been learned about the microbiome thanks to the Human Microbiome Project (2007-2012), which generated 350 scientific studies resulting in vast new insights. Among those is the discovery that the human intestinal tract houses 500 to 1000 different types of bacteria, amounting approximately 100 trillion bacteria overall!
We have excellent protocols to support your good flora with the best pre and probiotics, peptides to support gut health and I.V. Ozone to regulate your immune system.
All these “probiotic” bacteria forming our microbiome are hard at work “producing compounds that are responsible for directing and regulating a great deal of the functioning of the human body,” writes Ross Pelton, the Scientific Director of Essential Formulas, in “Postbiotic Metabolites: The New Frontier in Microbiome Science” published in Townsendletter found here.
In his article, Pelton compares probiotic bacteria to “amazingly complex little chemical manufacturing plants” that, via their own metabolism, “digest and ferment the fibers in foods” we eat—ultimately resulting in the production of a wide range of “postbiotic metabolites,” which direct and regulate many of our body functions.
Ideally, the microbiome is balanced and diverse, populated with multiple different strains of “good” and “bad” probiotic bacteria. We can promote good microbiome health by eating enough of the non-digestible carbohydrates and fiber that these probiotic bacteria require. This type of fiber is found in plant-based foods. Unfortunately, 90% of Americans do not consume the appropriate amount of this type of fiber, promoting not only an imbalance of good versus bad bacteria in the microbiome but also a condition known as dysbiosis in which the gastrointestinal ecosystem comprising the microbiome is disrupted and damaged. And such disarray in the microbiome will lead to multiple health problems.
The use of probiotics alone will not address this imbalance in the microbiome. Without the proper amounts of appropriate fiber, these bacteria cannot thrive and produce the necessary postbiotic metabolites our bodies need. This imbalance can be improved by eating fermented foods and directly ingesting postbiotic metabolites, about which you can learn more by linking to Pelton’s full article here.