Your body is made up of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that make up your microbiome.

The gut microbiome plays a critical role in your health by helping control digestion and benefiting your immune system and many other aspects of health.

When your gut microbiome is balanced, your body functions optimally but when there is an imbalance in the good and bad bacteria in your gut, then you are at risk for a whole lot of health issues across the board from weight gain, high blood sugar, mood disorders, high cholesterol and many other disorders.

Your gut microbiome also controls how your immune system works and controls how your body responds to infection. The immune system needs the right combination of bacteria in the gut to function optimally.

By having good bacteria in your gut, the bad bacteria do not get a chance to multiply and cause disease. However, if the bad bacteria flourish and eliminate the good bacteria, your gut’s bacteria is then thrown out of sync and your immune system is under pressure.

The imbalance can have serious negative effects on your health.  It is for this reason the microflora in the gut must be kept in balance by sustaining the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut. 

Anxiety and other mood disorders can alsobe influenced by the stability and diversity of the gut microbiome.

Studies show that a disrupted gut microbiome can contribute to a variety of cognitive and mood disorders.

Your own unique microbiome develops as an infant, during delivery in the birth canal and through the mother’s breast milk.

As you get older, your gut microbiome grows and begins to diversify, but factors such as our environment, stress, lifestyle, our long-term diet and the medication we take, such as antibiotics, all change the composition of one’s microbiome, placing one at greater risk for disease.