Professor Benoit Chassaing, researcher in microbiology and research director at Inserm, gives us the keys to a healthy microbiota.
We talk a lot about the “intestinal microbiota” but without always knowing what it is in the body. The microbiota actually designates what was called before the “intestinal flora”. It is made up of all that we do not see with the naked eye in our intestines: bacteria, viruses, small mushrooms … It is estimated that there are about 100,000 billion microorganisms in our intestines. “It’s huge. These are hundreds of different species that cohabit”explains Professor Benoit Chassaing, microbiology researcher and research director at Inserm. “From the moment we are in contact with the outside environment, there is a microbiota. There is a microbiota of the skin, hair, lungs or even vagina”he specifies.
For a long time, these bacteria were believed to be connected to infections, diseases and a danger to health, “But research has shown that it was much more complex than that.” The intestinal microbiota is actually very important to protect us against certain chronic inflammatory diseases of the intestine such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, hemorrhagic rectocolitis or even metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. “So you have to take care of it and be careful not to attack it.”
It is our eating habits that will play directly on our intestinal microbiota. For Professor Chassaing, it first goes through the diversity of our plates. “We know that there are several hundred bacteria that will coexist in our intestine, eating diversified will allow us to feed all types of bacteria.” He specifically insists on fiber intake. “These are compounds that we are not able to digest ourselves. The bacteria of our microbiota will feed on fibers to create molecules good for our health.” PR Chassaing recommends eating 40 grams of fiber per day. They are mainly found in fruits, oilseeds (nuts, seeds …), oats and legumes. Eating yogurts can also be good for the microbiota because they contain probiotics: “There are great epidemiological health data data, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear “ inform our interlocutor.
“Everything that is packed in the supermarket …”
Probiotics can also be beneficial in the microbiota but “The impacts are very microbiota dependent. that there is a magic bacteria capable of working for everyone is utopian. But can a particular strain in some patients lead to targeted health effects, yes, probably”. In addition, by participating in epidemiological studiesProfessor Chassaing and his team discovered a link between a bad microbiota and the consumption of food additives. Particularly emulsifying agents. “We thought they were harmless, but since we study the microbiota in connection with these additives, we realize that these are molecules capable of negatively altering our microbiota and leading to the deregulation of the latter.” They must therefore be avoided as much as possible.
Emulsifying additives are omnipresent in the transformed and ultra-transformed diet. They are used by manufacturers to keep a certain texture and to improve the shelf life. “Everything that is packed in the supermarket and which has a long shelf life will contain emulsifying agents”warns the specialist. They are found for example in the composition of ice creams, chocolate bars, powdered milk, in certain plant milks such as almond and soy milk, or certain lightened creams in fat.
As you can see, eating everything and avoiding processed foods, notably taking the reflex to cook, is the best way to keep a healthy intestinal microbiota. Finally, physical activity can have an impact on the quality of the microbiota. The reverse is also true, some microbiota can promote sports skills. “We must become aware of the luck we have to have this ecosystem and take care of it on a daily basis” concludes Professor Chassaing.