The gastrointestinal tract is one of the most essential organs of the human body. Keeping this organ healthy and functional is one of the most important things you'll do for your overall health and wellbeing. The gastrointestinal tract will have a direct impact on your gut health, energy levels, digestive system, and the immune system. Taking the right nutritional supplements and health products for this (often neglected) organ is of the utmost importance.
The first thing you need to ensure, when it comes to your gut health, is that your microbiome is healthy and well-balanced. The human microbiome essentially comprises of all the commensal bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeast that sit on the surface of the gut lining. These microbes are essential for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and they help keep us healthy and fit. They also help strengthen the human immune system.
The microbiome is said to be out of balance when the types and numbers of the microbes in the gut lining are suboptimal. Without the right numbers of the healthy microbes that make up our microbiome, we would be at greater risk of a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including obesity, autoimmune diseases, allergies, mood disorders, colitis, and other chronic conditions. This is because the GI tract functions as the first line of defense against external germs and pathogens.
What are Biofilms and What Do They Do?
Bacteria rarely exist in their planktonic form within the human body. This means that it would be nearly impossible to find a single bacterial cell floating around, causing havoc in the body of the host. Rather, bacteria live within sessile communities known as biofilms.
To form these biofilms, a single bacterium will adhere to a surface and then make use of available minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium to generate a polysaccharide matrix for protection. One or more types of bacteria then aggregate together within a single biofilm, sharing nutrients and DNA materials. Biofilms protect bacterial communities from the immune system by creating a physical barrier which prevents immune cells form detecting hostile and pathogenic bacteria.
The GI tract in human beings forms an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria, due to the constant influx of nutrients and the relatively large surface area. This makes biofilms especially dangerous for gut health, as bacteria in the GI tract have a lot of opportunities to attach to a surface and begin biofilm construction with the help of abundant nutrients. Typically, pathogenic biofilms are made from sugar, calcium, fibrin, and DNA materials.
The Role of Nutritional Supplements
Over the years, researchers have developed many supplements and drugs for defense against these harmful biofilms. Some of these high-quality biofilm defense supplements, manufactured by reputed brands in the healthcare space, contain unique enzymes that can dissolve the fibrin and polysaccharide components of a biofilm, thus dismantling the structure and exposing the bacteria within.
Moreover, these supplements contain minute quantities of weak organic acids that can bind iron, calcium, and other metals that hold the biofilm together. Once these metals are removed, the pathogenic biofilm will automatically detach and disintegrate. The best biofilm defense supplements do not contain a significant amount of protease, as it can cause irritation in the GI tract if taken on an empty stomach.
A patient can combine the biofilm defense supplement with an antimicrobial drug meant to target a specific bacteria residing inside a biofilm community. This will significantly enhance the efficacy of any drug, because the supplement will leave the microbes exposed to the effects of the drug by dissolving their protective biofilms.
Therefore, such a biofilm defense supplement can be effectively used as a temporary measure for the restoration of healthy gut flora. It can also be effective as an adjunctive treatment option for those suffering from severe gut related issues. Apart from biofilm defense supplements, however, microbiome restoration also requires a nutritious, whole food diet that is rich in probiotics, fiber, and flavonoids.
Almost all microbial infections affecting humans are caused by these pathogenic biofilm communities in the GI tract. More than half of hospital-acquired infections are also caused by harmful microbes that are protected by biofilms. This is because biofilms can effectively protect bacteria and fungi from the natural immune system as well as artificial drugs and antibiotics. Therefore, these microbes can freely reproduce and in doing so, release toxic and damaging byproducts into the body of the host.
Concluding Thoughts
High-quality biofilm defense supplements are a natural, inexpensive, and non-invasive solution to the problem of microbiome depletion. These supplements can easily penetrate the unhealthy biofilms with enzymes meant to degrade the individual components from which they are made.
Hence, these supplements are frequently prescribed by doctors trying to treat chronic infection in the lungs, gums, urinary tract, and sinuses. Typically, biofilm defense supplements come in the form of capsules made from soy, water, and vegetable cellulose.