In 1995, 14 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after an absence of nearly 70 years. What happened next is regarded as the most remarkable example of a “trophic cascade” witnessed in modern times.
A “trophic cascade” is an ecological process which starts at the top of the food chain and trickles all the way down to the very bottom of the food chain. In the case of Yellowstone National Park, the presence of the wolves, low in number, affected the behaviour of the deer population. As a result, the entire ecology of the park changed over the course of 20 years, including the courses of the rivers.
In 2014, a video about this event, called “How Wolves Change Rivers,” went viral (eat your heart out, Covid…). It has already been viewed 45 million times. (Link, 4:33 min)
Wolves and humans have been mortal enemies for millennia. Recent times have seen the frosty relationship thaw, as humans realise the critical importance of top predators in ecology.
It sounds a bit like the relationship between humans and microbes. Ever since Louis Pasteur proposed the germ theory of disease in the 1850s, sterility seemed to be ideal for human health. All “bugs” were suspect – viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites. Collectively, we call them “microbes” and together with their environment, we talk about the “microbiome”. The germ theory made no distinction between “good” and “bad” microbes. Sterilise first, ask no questions.
The discovery of penicillin in 1928 began the Antibiotic Revolution. At last, humanity had a tool to rule microbes. Diseases that decimated entire populations, like the black plague, were now easily treatable for a few pennies. A new golden age of health beckoned.
Oops…
Things did not turn out as planned. While infectious diseases were no longer a threat, other diseases began to appear. For decades, it was possible to sweep these under the carpet, but the numbers kept climbing.
It wasn’t only antibiotic medication, of course. Antibiotic elements became embedded in everything, from fabrics to paints to plastics. Domestic cleaning products killed everything in sight. Herbicides and pesticides destroyed agricultural microbes as a hidden side effect. Caesarean sections delivered sterile babies, which were then often fed sterilised infant formulas who grew up indoors. Housing and office design focused on maximising sterile surfaces.
Microbes, on the other hand, did not take these attacks lying down. Ironically, it turns out that the “bad” microbes are bad precisely because they can adapt, surviving even the most severe onslaughts. Anthrax spores can survive radiation that would kill humans. “Good” microbes do not fare as well. Most of them quietly leave the building without a fight. The result is a microscopic pre-1995 Yellowstone National Park: the human body begins to resemble a lunar landscape.
What A Difference One Century Makes
Compared to a century ago, gut microbe diversity has taken a serious nose dive. When it comes to microbes, diversity is key, as different microbe species work together in harmony. Exact numbers are not available, but the average adult American gut has lost more than 90% of the microbe species and strains compared to a century ago. The wolves are gone, the opportunists are taking over.
What Happens When We Lose Our Microbes?
It turns out that the colon is the biggest reservoir of microbes in the human body. There are microbes everywhere in the body, but the colon is the hotel where microbes go to feast, communicate and multiply.
What we eat, feeds our microbes. What our microbes eat, feeds us. Remove the microbes and your ability to digest food is drastically impacted.
A Few Good Microbes
Here are the names of the most important “lion” microbes in the human gut. You can skip this section if Latin isn’t your thing. We’re doing it for the nerds among us. For the super nerds: Microbiologists have changed the below names, making it even harder for us mere mortals to keep track. We’re sticking with the old names for now.
An important feature shared by all these top microbes is that they work to produce short chain fatty acids in the gut, especially butyrate, which is a potent anti-inflammatory substance, with immune boosting, mood elevating and anti-cancer effects.
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii
- Bifidobacterium spp. (e.g., B. longum, B. bifidum, B. breve)
- Bacteroides spp. (e.g., B. fragilis, B. thetaiotaomicron)
- Akkermansia muciniphila
- Roseburia spp. and Eubacterium spp.
- Lactobacillus spp. (e.g., L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus)
When Good Microbes Leave
The result on health is devastating. We’ve seen the following conditions go through the roof:
- Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases (asthma, eczema, type 1 diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- Metabolic Syndrome (obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease)
- Certain Cancers
- Mental Health Disorders (depression, anxiety)
(Yes, antibiotics are like napalm for the soul.)
All Is Not Lost
The past 30 years have seen a dramatic shift in how we view microbes. While mainstream medicine still clings to sterility as a core pillar of its benefit to humanity, many doctors, scientists and biologists have moved on. We now know that only a tiny fraction of microbes are evil all the time. Then there are the opportunists. They only cause harm when the controls are gone. If they overgrow, your gut landscape is in trouble. Fortunately for us, the majority of bacteria are either neutral or beneficial to human health. Of these beneficial bacteria, a few are top microbes, regulating the behaviour of all the others by the substances they produce.
We are Africans, so maybe it’s better to talk about lions, not wolves. The same principle applies, though. Your gut needs a “trophic cascade”, a pack of wolves or a pride of lions to keep the opportunists in check before they decimate your gut ecology.
It’s time to let the predators in.
Pre- vs Probiotics
The knee-jerk response to a lack of gut microbes is to reintroduce them via a probiotic. The logic is simple: Microbes missing > Microbes added > Problem solved.
There are three little problems with this logic: You have to feed the beasties.
- Unlike an African plain, where lions can survive by eating other animals, our top microbes are not predators in that same sense. They digest what comes into the gut and produce waste products that control the opportunists.
- Some of the most important microbes cannot (yet) be delivered via a probiotic, because they are anaerobes (die in the presence of oxygen).
- It is not easy for microbes to pass through the acidic stomach alive.
For these reasons, most studies done on probiotics fail to show long term benefits. Adding microbes without adding their favourite food is not going to re-colonise your colon. Yes, you can keep taking probiotics daily, but it is better to establish a thriving colony by feeding them daily.
What Are Prebiotics?
In short, “prebiotics” is the term used for the food microbes prefer to eat. Prebiotics are specialised, non-digestible plant fibres that act as food / fertiliser for beneficial gut bacteria. The right prebiotic stimulates their growth and activity. Unlike probiotics, which are live bacteria, prebiotics are nutrition for beneficial microbes. Prebiotics pass through the small intestine undigested, reaching the colon where they are fermented by gut flora.
Types Of Prebiotics
Common types include:
- Inulin
- Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)
- Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS).
Benefits Of Prebiotics
- Increased beneficial bacteria
- Improved digestion
- Reduced inflammation
- Better mineral absorption (calcium/magnesium)
- Enhanced immune function
Common Prebiotic Food Sources
You don’t need to buy prebiotics (unless you wish to, of course). You can find some good ones right in your kitchen.
- Vegetables: Garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory root.
- Fruits: Bananas (especially slightly green), apples, berries, nectarines.
- Grains & Legumes: Oats, barley, rye, lentils, chickpeas, (non-GMO) soybeans.
- Nuts & Seeds: Flax seeds, chia seeds, pistachio nuts.
While generally healthy, high intake of prebiotic fibres can cause temporary gas or bloating.
How Healthy Is My Gut?
The “gold standard” of gut health is a stool analysis, but this can cost a lot of money and take several months. Here are three basic rules of thumb that will tell you if your gut needs fixing or not.
- Gas and Bloating: A healthy colon produces low volumes of gas.
- Stool odour: Healthy stool has very little bad odour.
- Toilet paper: A healthy gut means you need almost no toilet paper to wipe after passing a stool.
If you passed these three tests, congratulations! You have a healthy colon!
If you failed one or more points, it may be time to invest in a good quality prebiotic.
Our Products
At Integrow Health, we offer some prebiotics to help feed the best microbes.
When it comes to prebiotics, inulin powder is the undisputed King of the Microbiome Jungle. Based on the most current scientific evidence, inulin is the ultimate prebiotic. It feeds all the top microbes. The “waste products” from inulin digestion keep the opportunists under control and also feed our bodies.
Our Pure Powder Inulin 600g provides a top quality inulin product (derived from chicory root). It easily dissolves in water. Initially, you can take 10g / day. A few days later, you can move over to the maintenance dose of 5g daily. At this dose, our 600g pack will last you 3 months.
If even this dose gives you loose stools, reduce the dose to 2.5g daily (half a teaspoon) until your gut stabilises. Some microbes take time to establish themselves. Loose stool from inulin fibre means the inulin is not being digested = microbes missing.
Acacia Gum is a natural product, derived from the sap of the Acacia tree (Acacia senegal). It supports digestive wellbeing by nourishing beneficial gut bacteria, promoting regularity and maintaining a healthy gut lining.
Acacia Gum is the prebiotic of choice for those with sensitive bowels and / or a history of bowel inflammation (ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis). It helps reduce bloating, relieves constipation and helps to establish a regular stool pattern.
Feed your inner lion! Roar with great gut health! Who knows, it may even change the course of your life?
To your (roaring) health
The Team at Integrow Health
