But it turns out, getting your workout in can also improve the diversity of good bacteria in your gut…and doctors believe good gut bacteria may be the key to staying healthy as we get older.

Your gut bacteria impact everything from your immune system to your metabolism.

And for years, we’ve heard doctors talk about the importance of gut health and bacterial balance. Many have said that the key to avoiding obesity, diabetes, and age-related illnesses is gut bacteria balance.

But what does gut bacteria imbalance ACTUALLY mean?

This is an issue I’ve been following closely because there are some connections to really nasty conditions and diseases I’d really like to avoid.

Here are some examples of the latest research (from just the last month):

Does Parkinson’s Disease Start in the Gut?

Recent experiments at Johns Hopkins suggest that a toxic protein (a-syn) that kills neurons starts in gut cells. This toxin protein is associated with Parkinson’s Disease.

In this just-published study, researchers found that this toxic neuron-killer travels from your gut to your brain and takes over the vagus nerve. Neurons communicate with other cells in your body. They are the fundamental building blocks of your brain—and the reason you do anything (think, feel, act, etc).

Recognizing this connection is a breakthrough for Parkinson’s Disease research. And it gives you more reasons to balance gut bacteria!

Fibromyalgia-Gut Connection You Can’t Ignore

Fibromyalgia is a pain disorder—it amplifies pain all over your body. Fatigue, sleep problems, memory issues, and mood changes are common too.

A study published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain shows that fibromyalgia sufferers have a distinct gut bacteria composition. Basically…your gut microbiome can be an indicator or “marker” for fibromyalgia.

Note: They can’t say if gut bacteria imbalance is what causes fibromyalgia…they’ve only discovered this connection (I say better safe than suffering…and I’ll pay attention to gut health).

Weird Way Gut Bacteria Predicts Toddler Temperament

This was a weird study I saw the other day…

Scientists found out that you can look at the gut bacteria of a 2.5-month-old infant and match the bacteria composition to temperament at 6-months old.

In this case, gut bacteria acted as a mood predictor. Which is interesting because…

Are Gut Bacteria Causing Your Anxiety?

Anxiety can be crippling—but can you control it by balancing your gut bacteria?

A recent study published in the journal General Psychiatry suggests that anxiety can be controlled by regulating gut bacteria. This study included a large review of 1,503 people and 21 total studies…so the size is there.

They found solid evidence that supplementation with pro-biotics helped alleviate anxiety.

Can Bad Gut Bacteria Keep Your Medication from Working?

This one is scary!

Imagine taking a pill for a medical condition you have…but the medication never gets into your system because your gut bacteria eat it first!

That’s exactly what Harvard Researchers found when they looked at how gut bacteria can metabolize levodopa (the primary treatment for Parkinson’s disease).

All of this new research—was just from the last month!

Every day, doctors are discovering more and more about the impact of gut bacteria on overall health.

These examples are new studies published just in the last month (June of 2019).

What Can You Do?

Until recently, researchers believed improving your diet was the only way to promote good gut bacteria (called microbiota) and help reduce your risk of disease and illness caused by poor bacterial imbalance.

Some doctors have started to say that diet doesn’t do much at all to balance gut bacteria—instead, they’ve mentioned that fecal transplantation (it’s called bacteriotherapy…and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like the transfer of stool from one person to another) may be the only way to bring bacterial balance to an unhealthy gut.

Your Excuse to Exercise More

The good news is that exercise has been shown to improve intestinal health by increasing gut bacteria diversity.

During one study, exercise levels determined bacteria diversity. Meaning: The more you exercise, the better your gut health.

So…get moving! It’s good for your gut.