Is Our Gut Microbiome Another Organ?

Yes: Current research seems to indicate that it is

People know that keeping their heart healthy is crucial for their survival and wellbeing. We know about strong, healthy bones and joints. We know that our liver is critical for our metabolism, and our kidneys filter impurities from our blood.

On the other hand, most people don’t even know they have a microbiome, what it is, or where it might be located. Over 1 trillion microbes comprise our microbiome, and the majority of them are found in our gut. Weighing over 2.5 pounds, and potentially up to two kilograms, the microbiome has been called “the last organ under active research.”

This area of medical research is in its infancy. Today’s high-tech society often tells itself it “knows everything,” but the understanding of the microbiome today is comparable to the Western understanding of the human heart back in the 17th century. Believe it or not, back in King James’ day, most British doctors thought the lungs pumped blood around the body.

In 1628, William Harvey became the first person to demonstrate and illustrate that the heart, not the lungs, pumped blood around the body, publishing “de Motu Cordis” in Latin.

Extracting nutrients from food

Sometimes I think people don’t realize that they are animals, too, or they may overestimate how “unique” humans are when compared to other living creatures. Animals get micro and macro-nutrients from their food and digestive processes, and so do humans.

Cows have many microbes in their rumen, the largest pouch in their three-part stomach. Ruminant animals have such a robust and large microbiome that it’s considered a symbiotic organism. They can’t digest the grass they eat without the help of a large population of microorganisms which break down the fibers in the grass and turn them into digestible biochemicals. If you are interested in how cows (Temple Grandin’s favorite animal) digest food, the FDA has a helpful tutorial on “How Cows Eat Grass.”

According to agricultural researchers, in cows, “bacterial populations seem to be very sensitive and can be influenced by little changes in the rumen environment.”

Anyone who has seen and heard a bloated cow knows what can happen when cattle get into the wrong food.

So, of course there are millions of humans out there who see nothing in common with themselves and any animal, much less a cow. I’m pretty sure if cows were given freedom to eat an entire trough of Hostess Twinkies, they would all fall victim to bloat, which is often fatal without intervention.

We humans are not evolved to eat grass. But we — with the help of our microbiomes — are evolved to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, legumes, and simple proteins.

Hostess Twinkies? Not so much.

Influencing metabolic responses to food

Individual metabolic responses to food vary, and since the microbiome of different individuals differs widely, it’s looking increasingly like the microbiome is a strong influence on weight gain and loss.

I read overviews of the microbiome dating back a decade and while its existence has been known and studied, most researchers seemed to believe that the microbiome is initially inherited at birth from our mothers, but that it changed little throughout our lifetimes. Zoe Nutrition’s twin studies have demonstrated that, while tiny babies probably do start out with very similar microbiomes, they begin to diverge; the microbiomes of identical twins are 34% genetically similar, while among the general population, people will have approximately 30% genetic similarity.

Diet is not the only influence on the microbiome. It is also influenced by exercise, stress, environment, pet ownership, and sleep. And probably many other factors —

In general, a diverse microbiome with many different thriving microbes produces better metabolism, digestion, and overall health than a less-diverse microbiome.

The microbiome of most people in the U.S. is the least diverse in the world. Lower diversity in gut flora is associated with every chronic disease, including some that the average person does not know are influenced by diet and metabolism, like Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). People who live in countries which still consume what I call “normal” or “real” food (plants, simple protein) have far more diverse microbiomes than U.S. residents or others who consume the Standard American Diet.

Bad Foods For Microbiomes And Us

I look back to watching That Sugar Film made by Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau and think how he gained 22 pounds (nearly 10 kilos) in 60 days while eating a 2,000 calorie a day diet comprised of foods advertised and marketed as “healthy” which were in fact, very high in sugar (any form — sucrose, fructose, honey, agave, etc). Damon also went from top 10% in general health to bottom 10%, with pre-diabetes and fatty liver. It took only two months. And he was consuming juice boxes, “healthy” low-fat yogurt, cereal and cereal bars — everything in those so-called “healthy” sections of the grocery store.

Every food that is advertised to a parent or to children via children’s television and cartoons fits into Damon’s health-devastating high sugar diet. These foods are usually low fat: the connection between the omnipresent low fat/low cholesterol health instructions and guidelines and the explosion of obesity and severe obesity has been not just well, but exhaustively documented.

One important takeaway from That Sugar Film (and nutrition overall) is that Damon was healthy when he started out. He and his wife ate a diet similar to the way Bruce and I eat: lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and simple, healthy proteins. Now, thanks to eating this way over year, I can even eat legumes again (previously extremely painful due to IBS). Damon ate a 2,000 calorie diet each day from these simple foods, simply prepared and seasoned, before he started making That Sugar Film. Damon ate the same amount of calories per day while making the film as he had before he started (and returned to his prior healthy diet afterward, quickly returning to his previous health status and healthy weight).

Nearly every article I write, as well as talks I have with people in real life, earns me mocking, harsh commentary on the order of “You are so stupid, if people want to lose weight, they just need to eat fewer calories and exercise more.”

I’m not the stupid one. I look anywhere from 10 to 15 years younger than my chronological age (about to turn 61). I am 5'6" and weigh 137 pounds. I have a fitness age of 35 according to my Garmin fitness tracker. All of my health metrics are top 5% or better for a woman of my age. My husband just had his annual physical with similar results, astonishing his doctor who wanted to know “How did you do it?” He has lost 50 pounds since we moved to Florida in 2020.

If I ate the same number of calories a day that I presently eat from real food (1,600–1,750 a day) from the “Standard American Diet” (which is what I burn on average according to my Garmin fitness tracker) I’m sure I’d weigh 20 to 30 more pounds more, have crippling IBS, and maybe also osteoarthritis, hypertension, and various skin problems.

I previously noticed that no matter how much I work out, my “calories burned” number doesn’t budge much. Like I can work out 30% more, but I will only be burning 2% more calories during the course of the week.

I think this is my body — and microbiome — leveling everything out. The microbiome probably plays a role in the irritating and frustrating “weight loss plateaus” that everyone experiences when losing weight.

I personally want to lose about 10 pounds more, but I’m in no particular hurry. There’s somebody else who writes on Medium stating they have a good life due to being goodlooking … being in good health is absolutely priceless, I will say that.

I’m happy with how I’ve been able to improve my microbiome and health so far — and it is absolutely what I eat (nothing from center or store, nothing from box or bag) and how much I work out (not to lose weight — to support my health and wellbeing).

I’m expecting my microbiome and blood lipid (after a meal of high fat and high sugar) results soon from Zoe Nutrition. Not sure what they will say, but I did see this morning: very elderly Chinese people (90s to 100s) all have very healthy, diverse microbiomes. Food for thought!

If you are interested in Zoe Nutrition, here is a link to get $35 off … (two people already have).