Junk food kills helpful gut bacteria

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/junk-food-kills-helpful-gut-bacteria-study-finds/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pbsofficial&utm_campaign=newshour

The study found that the fast food killed off the furmicutes spp of bacteria and fed bacteroides.

Its important to note that there are some 10 trillion bacteria in the human body, they outnumber human cells 10 - 1, so ensuring the gut microbiome stays healthy is paramount to good health!

The balance between furmicutes and bacteroides and the link to obesity has been shown in recent times in various trials. One of the first times was after slim people had fecal transplants donated by obese people, shortly after, the slim person became obese. Fecal analysis looked at the bacteria populations of obese and slim people and found more bacteroides than furmicutes in all feces from obese people.

The food choices we make determine which bacteria spp are fed and which aren't.

A diet high in processed foods increases bacteroides (amongst many other things!!), its also implicated in cases of colon cancer and other intestinal issues. Certain bacteria produce waste which is used to protect intestinal cells, such as butyrate, if those bacteria are not nourished our health fails.