Whether or not you’re studying about intestine well being as a part of a structured course or are studying extra about intestine well being by yourself, it could actually take time to lookup key terminology.
Right here, we’ve pulled collectively an important terminology associated to intestine well being in an easy-to-read glossary. All through the weblog under, you can see hyperlinks the place you possibly can be taught extra concerning the matter, and on the finish, you can see a complete checklist of analysis articles to discover.
Blissful studying!
Intestine Well being (Biomedical Perspective)
Intestine well being is outlined by an absence of a set of biomarkers, particularly gastrointestinal signs (e.g., belly ache, diarrhea), illness (e.g., inflammatory bowel illness, colon most cancers), elevated intestinal permeability, mucosal irritation, and the deficiency (and even extra) of short-chain fatty acids.
Intestine Well being (Wellness Perspective)
Intestine well being is the energetic course of by way of which individuals turn into conscious of a extra profitable existence that advantages the intestine and all well being parts related to it.
Wellness
Wellness is an energetic course of by way of which individuals turn into conscious of, and make selections towards, a extra profitable existence.
Gastrointestinal Illnesses
Gastrointestinal illnesses have an effect on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the mouth to the anus. Some examples embrace nausea, heartburn (GERD), lactose intolerance, diarrhea, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Chron’s illness. Many gastrointestinal illnesses have a element associated to the intestine microbiome.
Practical Diet
Practical diet is the observe of contemplating each side of well being, food regimen, and total way of life when giving diet suggestions. It aligns with the ideologies of purposeful medication. Intestine well being and wellness are a cornerstone of purposeful diet.
Microbiota
The microbiota includes all residing members forming the microbiome. A lot of the microbiota are micro organism, however in addition they embrace fungi, helminths, and viruses.
Microbiome
The microbiome is a neighborhood of micro organism, fungi, and viruses that stay in and on the human physique. The intestine microbiome refers back to the neighborhood of microbiota or microbes that stay within the intestine.
Symbiosis
The best way wherein organisms stay collectively for his or her mutual, and subsequently, intrinsic profit. In reference to the human physique, symbiosis is a useful relationship between the host (the human physique) and the microbes that inhabit in and on it. The intestine microbiome is described as a “symbiotic relationship” between microbes and people. There may be symbiosis when there’s a inhabitants of intestine microbes that assist well being.
Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis could be outlined as a discount in microbial range and a mix of the lack of useful microbes within the microbiome, both in quantity or kind. It’s known as dysbacteriosis when it refers particularly to bacterial populations.
Biofilms
Biofilms are aggregates of micro organism, fungi, and different microorganisms that stay in communities. Biofilms are made up of starchy matrices that defend the microorganisms from the setting. Relying on whether or not they home pathogens or commensals and probiotics, they are often useful or dangerous.
Digestive System
The organs that absorb meals and liquids and break them down into substances that the physique can use for power, development, and tissue restore.
Digestion
The complicated technique of turning the meals you eat into vitamins, which the physique makes use of for power, development, and cell restore wanted to outlive. The digestion course of additionally includes creating waste to be eradicated.
Ingestion
Additionally known as the cephalic section, or just “consuming,” ingestion refers back to the entry of meals into the gastrointestinal tract.
Epithelial Cells
Epithelial cells are these lining the lumen of the abdomen and small gut.
Pathogens
Pathogens are microbes that make us sick by way of an infection.
Pathobionts
Pathobionts are members of the microbiota that exert particular results on the host’s mucosal immune system related to the event of scientific illness. They’re low-virulence microbes.
Commensals (Commensal Microbes)
Commensals refer collectively to the traditional micro organism within the intestine. They improve the digestion of macronutrients and synthesize short-chain fatty acids and nutritional vitamins.
Probiotics
Additionally known as probionts, probiotics are symbiotic micro organism that present a profit to the host by making nutritional vitamins and regulating immune perform. Probiotics confer well being advantages by the identical mechanisms as your commensal micro organism.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are meals substrates that nourish and stimulate the expansion of microbes that assist human well being whereas additionally lowering disease-causing micro organism. Prebiotic-rich meals feed the microbes, which in flip create a number of substrates, together with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).
Synbiotics
Dietary supplements wherein prebiotics and probiotics are discovered collectively.
Psychobiotics
Psychobiotics are useful micro organism (probiotics) or assist for such micro organism (prebiotics) that affect micro organism–mind relationships and have an effect on psychological well being.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are bioactive compounds made when the intestine microbiota digest and break down prebiotics. They’re additionally known as microbial metabolites.
Quick-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA)*
*As they relate to intestine well being
SCFAs present gas sources to the colon.
Antibiotics
Prescription drugs that eradicate pathogenic micro organism to deal with infections. Usually, antibiotics usually are not particular to pathogenic micro organism, to allow them to additionally eradicate commensal bacterial, altering the stability of intestinal microbes.
Enteric Nervous System (ENS)
The ENS, additionally known as the intrinsic nervous system, is among the important divisions of the gastrointestinal tract. In reality, the enteric nervous system (ENS) is also known as the “second mind” as a result of it’s able to performing independently of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous techniques, though it might be influenced by them.
Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the primary nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system. This method controls particular physique capabilities similar to digestion, coronary heart price, and immune system. These capabilities are involuntary, that means you possibly can’t consciously management them.
Intestine-Mind Axis (GBA)
The GBA is the pathway for bi-directional communication between the intestine, by way of the enteric nervous system, and the mind, by way of the central nervous system.
Microbiome-Intestine-Mind-Axis (MGB Axis)
The function of the microbiome in modulating gut-brain signaling has turn into extra obvious lately, giving rise to the idea of a microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGB axis). The MGB axis is the pathway for bi-directional communication between the microbiome, the intestine, and the central nervous system.
Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis (HPA Axis)
The hypothalamus-pituitary axis (HPA axis) is among the most essential parts of the MGB axis. It supplies a main organic response to worrying stimuli. The intestine microbiota performs an essential function in shaping mind capabilities and conduct, together with the exercise of the HPA axis.
Elevated Intestinal Permeability
The intestines are semi-permeable. The mucosal layer absorbs water and vitamins from the meals, in addition to metabolites and different chemical substances from intestine microbiota. Nevertheless, some folks have an impaired mucosal barrier perform on account of irritation or an infection, initiating elements that result in elevated permeability. With continual irritation, there are persistent modifications within the mucosal barrier perform, and it opens the door to the event of illnesses that have an effect on the GI tract and the whole physique. Typically, it’s known as “leaky intestine syndrome.”
Bacterial Translocation
Bacterial translocation is outlined because the passage of viable micro organism from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to extraintestinal websites
Irritation and Power Irritation
Irritation is the immune system’s pure response to an irritant. If the immune system is profitable at defending and therapeutic the world, irritation will go down, and the world will not damage. Nevertheless, in some circumstances, irritation shouldn’t be useful to the physique. Some situations, known as autoimmune illnesses or continual inflammatory illnesses, assault the physique’s cells by mistake. This causes irritation that’s dangerous to the physique.
Cytokines
Cytokines are small proteins which can be essential in controlling the expansion and exercise of different immune system cells and blood cells. Inflammatory cytokines, or pro-inflammatory cytokines, are markers of irritation.
Antinutrients
Antinutrients are parts present in meals that have an effect on the physique’s capability to soak up vitamins or convert these vitamins into substances the physique can use. They’re naturally present in plant meals, particularly grains, pulses, and legumes, but additionally leafy greens.
Therapeutic Weight-reduction plan
A therapeutic food regimen is a meal plan that controls the consumption of sure meals or vitamins. It’s a part of the therapy of a medical or dietary situation.
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