Whether 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 will probably take time to search for key terminology.
Here, we’ve pulled collectively crucial terminology associated to intestine well being in an easy-to-read glossary. Throughout the weblog beneath, you will see that hyperlinks the place you may study extra in regards to the matter, and on the finish, you will see that a complete record of analysis articles to discover.
Happy studying!
Gut Health (Biomedical Perspective)
Gut well being is outlined by an absence of a set of biomarkers, particularly gastrointestinal signs (e.g., stomach 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.
Gut Health (Wellness Perspective)
Gut well being is the energetic course of by means of which individuals develop 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 means of which individuals develop into conscious of, and make selections towards, a extra profitable existence.
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Gastrointestinal illnesses have an effect on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the mouth to the anus. Some examples embody nausea, heartburn (GERD), lactose intolerance, diarrhea, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Chron’s illness. Many gastrointestinal illnesses have a part associated to the intestine microbiome.
Functional Nutrition
Functional diet is the observe of contemplating each facet of well being, eating regimen, and general way of life when giving diet suggestions. It aligns with the ideologies of useful medication. Gut well being and wellness are a cornerstone of useful diet.
Microbiota
The microbiota includes all dwelling members forming the microbiome. Most of the microbiota are micro organism, however additionally they embody fungi, helminths, and viruses.
Microbiome
The microbiome is a group of micro organism, fungi, and viruses that dwell in and on the human physique. The intestine microbiome refers back to the group of microbiota or microbes that dwell within the intestine.
Symbiosis
The manner through which organisms dwell 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 is symbiosis when there’s a inhabitants of intestine microbes that help well being.
Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis may be outlined as a discount in microbial variety and a mixture of the lack of useful microbes within the microbiome, both in quantity or kind. It is named dysbacteriosis when it refers particularly to bacterial populations.
Biofilms
Biofilms are aggregates of micro organism, fungi, and different microorganisms that dwell in communities. Biofilms are made up of starchy matrices that defend the microorganisms from the atmosphere. Depending 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, progress, and tissue restore.
Digestion
The advanced strategy of turning the meals you eat into vitamins, which the physique makes use of for power, progress, and cell restore wanted to outlive. The digestion course of additionally entails creating waste to be eradicated.
Ingestion
Also referred to 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 means 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 medical illness. They are low-virulence microbes.
Commensals (Commensal Microbes)
Commensals refer collectively to the conventional micro organism within the intestine. They improve the digestion of macronutrients and synthesize short-chain fatty acids and nutritional vitamins.
Probiotics
Also referred to 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 help 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
Supplements through which prebiotics and probiotics are discovered collectively.
Psychobiotics
Psychobiotics are useful micro organism (probiotics) or help 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 are additionally known as microbial metabolites.
Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA)*
*As they relate to intestine well being
SCFAs present gas sources to the colon.
Antibiotics
Pharmaceuticals that remove pathogenic micro organism to deal with infections. Often, antibiotics aren’t particular to pathogenic micro organism, to allow them to additionally remove commensal bacterial, altering the stability of intestinal microbes.
Enteric Nervous System (ENS)
The ENS, additionally known as the intrinsic nervous system, is without doubt one of the fundamental divisions of the gastrointestinal tract. In reality, the enteric nervous system (ENS) is sometimes called the “second mind” as a result of it’s able to performing independently of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous techniques, though it could be influenced by them.
Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the principle nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls particular physique features resembling digestion, coronary heart charge, and immune system. These features are involuntary, that means you may’t consciously management them.
Gut-Brain 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-Gut-Brain-Axis (MGB Axis)
The position of the microbiome in modulating gut-brain signaling has develop into extra obvious in recent times, 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 without doubt one of the most vital parts of the MGB axis. It gives a main organic response to irritating stimuli. The intestine microbiota performs an vital position in shaping mind features and habits, together with the exercise of the HPA axis.
Increased 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. However, some individuals have an impaired mucosal barrier perform because 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 your entire physique. Sometimes, it’s referred to as “leaky gut syndrome.”
Bacterial Translocation
Bacterial translocation is outlined because the passage of viable micro organism from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to extraintestinal websites
Inflammation and Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation 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 now not harm. However, in some circumstances, irritation just isn’t useful to the physique. Some situations, referred to 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 are 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 skill to soak up vitamins or convert these vitamins into substances the physique can use. They are naturally present in plant meals, particularly grains, pulses, and legumes, but additionally leafy greens.
Therapeutic Diet
A therapeutic eating regimen is a meal plan that controls the consumption of sure meals or vitamins. It is a part of the remedy of a medical or dietary situation.
