Probiotics and Gut Health
The human gut microbiome is composed of an enormous number of microorganisms, generally regarded as commensal bacteria. Without this inherent microbial community, we would be unable to digest plant polysaccharides and would have trouble extracting lipids from our diet. Resident gut bacteria are an important contributor to healthy metabolism and there is significant evidence linking gut microbiota and metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. In the past few years, neuroscience research has demonstrated the importance of microbiota in the development of brain systems that are vital to both stress reactivity and stress-related behaviors. Every living human experiences stress. Stress is a natural response to stimuli that may challenge the body’s homeostatic state. In the realm of biology, stress refers to what happens when an organism responds any unbalance in homeostasis. Understanding the biochemical interactions that constitute the stress response requires a definition of s