* This article was originally produced for the Sheffield ME/CFS Group
References to our microbiota – the term used to describe the 10 – 100 trillion microbial cells we each harbour, are all around, and for good reason.
Our intestines contain approximately 100,000 billion microbes compared to the 1000 billion on our skin and our intestinal microbiota weighs about 1.5kg, which is the same as a liver.
Our microbiome consists of 3.3 million genes compared to human genes of 23,000 which indicate how influential our bugs really are.
Our intestinal tract is our largest barrier with the environment and houses our microbiome but also hosts 80% of our immune system, 60% of our hormones are based in the gut and there are more nerve endings (from our enteric nervous system) than in the skin.
The gut is the foundation of health and has far reaching impacts on your body including:
Although M.E/CFS is still of unknown origin, several key factors of health have been implicated as potential drivers of the disease, including gut health. So how can you support your gut and particularly your microbiome?
The health and function of our gastrointestinal system and microbiome is pivotal as they execute numerous activities that are crucial for our health and wellbeing.
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