Our topic today has to do with the benefits of socialization, something that is very much on everyone’s lips at this time of year.
Although it is known that as humans we are social beings, this characteristic is modified as technology advances.
Today we will review some studies that are demonstrating the importance of socializing more to have better germs in our body.

And some of you may be wondering, what does this have to do with me?
Well, as we are in the season of parties and celebrations, it is the perfect time to take advantage and strengthen ties, meet with friends and family to obtain not only affectionate benefits but also other very important ones that we will tell you about below.

The microbiota

A growing body of evidence indicates that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in modulating both brain function and human behavior.
In fact, the gut microbiota is the most diverse and abundant in the human body since the amount of microorganisms present in the intestine is several times greater than that of human somatic cells.
Within the digestive tract, the colon is the main contributor to the total bacterial population, while the stomach and small intestine make only negligible contributions.
We already talked about this in an article published in this same blog that you can access by clicking here.

Healthy animal groups

This was the kick that triggered our article today, when we read in a popular science magazine, that a study had been carried out on a group of macaques on an island near Puerto Rico.
In this study, it was shown that the greater the number of social interrelations between these animals – either by socialization or grooming – the greater the number of benign microorganisms present in their microbiome.
This was carried out by studying stool samples from a certain group of rhesus monkeys.
If you want to read the full article, click here.

And the scientific study that supports it can be found in https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1032495

Another study based on pig breeding yielded similar results.
The newborn hatchlings were separated into two groups.
An early continuous social contact group, where piglets from adjacent pens shared a mutual pen from 14 days postpartum and a control group where piglets had no contact with individuals from adjacent pens during the lactation period.
The results showed that piglet litter weight in the control group decreased significantly at 63 days compared to the other group. Continuous social contact also significantly decreased microbial richness at 16 and 35 days of age.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100393

Some related diseases

Emerging evidence indicates that gut flora plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases in different aspects within the biopsychosocial sphere in humans.

One of these diseases is depression and, as one of the causes of such a disorder, the role of antibiotics is gradually being revealed.
Several studies suggest that the use of single and multiple antibiotic regimens could be linked to depression by changing the gut microbiota and the brain-gut axis.
This axis is a two-way communication pathway that connects the brain to the digestive system.

The gut microbiota plays an essential role in the body

The gut microbiota plays a central role in several physiological functions within the human body, including resistance to pathogen invasion, strengthening the intestinal epithelial barrier, improving digestion and metabolism, promoting nutrient absorption, and targeting the maturation and functionality of the host’s immune system. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-020-1705-z

The brain directly regulates gut physiology through the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Similarly, the CNS indirectly regulates the composition and function of gut microbes by releasing signaling molecules, such as cytokines and antimicrobial peptides.
On the other hand, the gut microbiome also exerts effects on CNS function, although these regulatory effects vary in normal versus disordered states.
Through interactions between the enteric nervous system and the vagus nerve, gut microbes can affect CNS development and regulation.
In addition, this upregulation often depends on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, microbial metabolites, host signaling molecules, and immunity factors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112691

Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder.
Dysregulation of the gut-brain axis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of IBS. It is becoming increasingly clear that the microbiome plays a key role in the development and normal functioning of the gut-brain axis.

The syndrome generates a group of symptoms that include abdominal pain and altered bowel habits due to abnormal interactions between the diet, brain, gut and microbiome.
IBS poses a significant disease, and it is estimated that 20% of adults develop or will develop symptoms at a certain point in life.
Symptoms arise as a result of abnormal visceral sensation or motility as a result of abnormalities in the central nervous system or enteric, or both.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2017.03.001

Origin and continuity

In a healthy human adult, the gut microbiota is dominated by two phyla, Firmicutes (which mainly includes the genera Clostridium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Faecalibacterium) and Bacteroidetes (which mainly includes the genera Bacteroides and Prevotella ).
The other phyla, including Actinobacteria (mainly Bifidobacterium), Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Euryarchaeota, are represented in lower concentrations.
Subsequent changes in the microbiota are very important for maintaining the health of the host throughout life.
The first microbial inoculum consists of the maternal microbiota and, from birth to the first three to five years of life, microbial diversity increases and converges towards a microbiota similar to that of adults.
After childhood, the microbiota becomes a stable system throughout adulthood, although long-term changes are a consequence of diet, lifestyle, gastrointestinal infections, antibiotic treatments or surgery, as well as geographical origin, can modify the composition of the microbiota. decreasing or increasing bacterial diversity.

How to preserve and benefit the microbiota?

Active Flora is indicated for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders thanks to its composition of bacterial strains of great gastrointestinal survival (Megaflora 9 evo), fibers, Saccharomyces Boulardii and the addition of aloe vera.

We place special emphasis on Megaflora 9 evo, the main component of Active Flora, as it is a bacterial mixture with one billion bacteria per gram of product (2 capsules).
It contains Bifidobacterium lactis, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus planta rum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactococus Lacti, so that it exerts a synergistic effect with probiotics, optimizing results for those who consume it.

As we saw in previous paragraphs, having a healthy microbiota is not only positive for the better assimilation of nutrients, but also for the prevention of diseases, including those related to the area of psychiatry.

A better intestinal flora can also be acquired and/or improved through the consumption of foods such as kefir, yogurts with probiotics, habits such as incorporating fiber into the diet and daily exercise.

Conclusion

A large body of recent research has suggested that human exposure to microbes has changed dramatically over the past 100 to 200 years (and before that, with the origin of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago), with consequent changes in the gut.

The microbial communities that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of humans are complex, dynamic, and critical to both health and disease.
The composition of these communities is influenced by multiple factors, such as the host’s diet, geography, physiology, and disease status.

Some commonly used drugs, such as antibiotics, are prescribed to prevent and treat bacterial infections.
However, its use can be both beneficial and harmful.
On the one hand, they provide essential components for microbial defense and on the other, they can disturb the intestinal flora, leaving us exposed to diseases of which we did not even suspect the etiology before.

Active Flora from Salengei is a dietary supplement without adverse effects and with a high degree of efficacy based on prebiotics, probiotics and aloe vera.
This therapeutic option not only serves to improve situations that are already suffered but also to prevent future alterations.

We sincerely hope that you can spend a Christmas surrounded by love and in iron health!
We will meet again in a very short time for a new delivery of health and well-being.