For years, we thought of bacteria as organisms to avoid. It turns out our bodies are already loaded with trillions of bacteria. They help digest food and play an important role in your well-being. Research suggests your gut bacteria are tied to your probability of things like diabetes, obesity, depression, and colon cancer. Research suggests the gut bacteria in healthy people are different from those with certain diseases. Several studies have shown that these bacteria can multiply within 24 to 48 hours in the small bowel in response to consumption of high-fat foods. The findings from this work suggest that these microbes facilitate production and secretion of digestive enzymes into the small bowel. Those digestive enzymes break down dietary fat, enabling the rapid absorption of calorie-dense foods. Concurrently, the microbes release bioactive compounds. These compounds stimulate the absorptive cells in the intestine to package and transport fat for absorption. Summary; They break down undigested food, They neutralise some of the harmful by-products of food breakdown, They aid in the absorption of nutrients, They produce certain vitamins such as Vitamin K, needed for blood clotting, They make life uncomfortable for harmful bacteria by competing for food and controlling levels of oxygen and acidity in the gut so that the living conditions favour beneficial species and because the majority of the immune system is located in your gut, beneficial bacteria also help support the body’s natural defences. Sources:
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org,
https://loveyourgut.com and
https://www.webmd.com