When you think of the organs in our body, the first things that come to mind are probably the heart, kidneys or liver. But the microbiome ? Is it an organ? In fact, some scientists even call it a super organ or a super organism. It is therefore an integral and important part of our body.
Our microbiome consists of all the microorganisms that live in our intestines, but also in other parts of the body, such as the skin, mouth, nose and genitals. The numbers in our microbiome are impressive. The majority of all cells in the human body are bacteria! When viewed under a microscope, we humans are more of a huge collection of tiny organisms than a pile of human cells. The reason we still look like humans is that a cell in our body is many times larger than a bacterium. Nevertheless, the intestinal microbiome weighs around 1.5 kilos.
The development of our microbiome begins in the first days of life. The decisive factor here is the birth process, during which the baby comes into contact with the mother's vaginal mucosa and absorbs the first bacteria. Over the course of our lives, we come into contact with a wide variety of environmental influences, which means that microorganisms find their way into our intestinal flora. This primarily happens through food.
Our lifestyle is therefore responsible for how the microbiome will develop. For example, that of a Mexican who eats a spicy, corn-heavy diet can be completely different from that of a person who eats mainly fish.
The microbiome also changes when a person moves from Germany to Africa, for example, because they are exposed to different environmental influences there.
What functions does the intestinal flora have?
The intestinal flora refers to all microorganisms in the intestine. When medicine first discovered microorganisms in the intestine some time ago, their presence was mistakenly thought to be a disease. Attempts were made to combat these with the help of intestinal cleansing and, in some cases, surgical interventions.
In the meantime, we know that intestinal flora is not harmful to humans, but rather useful. For example, some food components cannot be fully utilized without intestinal bacteria. There are also many other functions:
- They contribute to the functioning of our immune system.
- They prevent the spread of pathogens and the triggering of infections.
- For example, they break down cancer-promoting substances.
- They contribute to the energy supply of the cells of the intestinal mucosa.
What can you do for your intestinal flora?
A healthy and balanced diet plays a crucial role. A sensible part of the diet is to also consume probiotic foods. This is possible, for example, through dairy products such as yogurt or kefir. But other fermented foods such as kimchi or kombucha also contain the beneficial microorganisms. However, since the number of probiotics in these products can be very low and not many people have these foods on their daily menu, it also makes sense to take probiotics in concentrated form, for example as capsules. It is also sensible to bring the intestinal flora back into balance with probiotics before, during and after long-term use of antibiotics.
Our Dailybacs® contain a particularly high dosage of bacterial cultures. Each capsule contains 60 billion CFU, or colony-forming units. These ensure that the intestinal bacteria grow and function at their best. Dailybacs® also contain the important minerals and vitamins that the body needs every day. Dailybacs® capsules are tailored to the individual needs of men and women.
