There are trillions of bacteria in our gut microbiomes, and they are not all alike.
Some are good for us and others are harmful pathogens that can make us sick.
The Canadian Light Source on the USask campus was used recently to look at the gut microbiome and how to influence growth of the good bacteria to improve our health.
University of British Columbia professor, Dr. Harry Brumer says they are looking into how bacteria break down our food, and more specifically how certain bacteria break down dietary fibre from complex carbohydrates.
Once the dietary fibre s broken down, the end result is small molecules our body can use for energy or cell repair.
This process takes something indigestible to humans and makes it into something healthy our bodies can use.
Dr. Brumer calls it a symbiosis between the living bacteria in our gut and ourselves.
Brumer says we know that gut bacteria can protect against pathogens, and they keep us healthy. “We also know they convert this dietary fibre into things like short-chain fatty acids, and we derive about ten per cent of our daily caloric intake from that process.”
Ultimately, Brumer explains, the goal of their research is to figure out how to influence the good gut bacteria to improve health, possibly as a probiotic, to reduce disease and improve nutrition.