The Role of Genes within the Gut Microbiome

What is the gut microbiome?

The microbiome describes all genes which are contained within all the species of your gut microbiota. In other words, if you sequenced all the genetic material of your gut microbes, you would get the microbiome. Recent scientific developments in sequencing methods have revealed the vast diversity of microbial species within our guts. While we as humans have 23,000 different genes, the microbiome tops 3 million genes. 

Who cares how many genes there are? 

Genes allow us to produce proteins which perform different functions. By having access to all these non-human genes in the microbiome, it allows us to perform new functions. For example, some gut microbe species have genes allowing them to ferment fibre, which are not contained within our own genome. The fermentation of fibre by these microbes produces short-chain fatty acids which nourish human gut cells and regulate blood sugar levels.

The sheer number of genes contained in the microbiome demonstrates the need to vary your diet. By eating the same foods, your nourish the same species of gut microbe, leading to a less diverse and less healthy gut. That's why we have developed our Daily Diversity collection to allow you to vary your diet each day. By switching up your nutrition, you maximise the number of species that you can nourish in your gut. Studies have shown that increased numbers of microbe species is beneficial for disease reduction and better health outcomes.