I make a lot of choices to help effect my gut microbiome. One choice that I make is to take a probiotic everyday. Probiotics can have some positive effects on the gut microbiome, such as changing the diversity and composition. As seen in the article Ghouri et al. 2014 and Yoon et al. 2015. Probiotics can have effects on the gut microbiome. However, the overall effects of probiotics are not well known and do require more research.
Another choice that I make is to avoid taking antibiotics whenever possible. Antibiotics are important to fight bacterial infections. However, antibiotics can have adverse effects on the gut microbiome, such as dysbiosis.
I think unconscious choices, such as diet, also effect my gut microbiome. I choose what I eat on a daily basis however, I don’t choose food based on how it will effect my gut microbiome. Diet can provide nutrients to the gut microbiome and if I am eating unhealthy it could have negative effects on my gut microbiome.
