如何保持腸道健康快樂(lè)

When we think of bacteria, our minds often go immediately to thoughts of illness, germs, or infection. In other words — bad bacteria. However, bacteria isn't all bad. While some kinds of bacteria can be harmful, bacteria is essential for our survival. According to the National Center for Health Research, bacteria inhabits our body the moment we're born. As we continue to be exposed to bacteria in our day-to-day lives, the amount in our body can add up to a total weight of 3 pounds! While that may sound like a lot, good bacteria is crucial for immune function, repairing tissue, and breaking down food and toxins.

一說(shuō)到細(xì)菌，我們的大腦通常會(huì)立即想到疾病、細(xì)菌或感染。換句話說(shuō)，就是壞細(xì)菌。然而，細(xì)菌并不都是壞的。雖然某些種類的細(xì)菌可能有害，但細(xì)菌對(duì)我們的生存至關(guān)重要。根據(jù)國(guó)家健康研究中心的數(shù)據(jù)，細(xì)菌在我們出生的那一刻就棲息在我們的身體里。隨著我們?cè)谌粘Ｉ钪胁粩嘟佑|到細(xì)菌，我們體內(nèi)的細(xì)菌總重量可達(dá)3磅!雖然這聽(tīng)起來(lái)可能很多，但有益細(xì)菌對(duì)免疫功能、修復(fù)組織、分解食物和毒素至關(guān)重要。

Most importantly, an abundance of good bacteria helps limit the likelihood of infection from bad bacteria. Bacteria live both internally and externally on our body (via Nova Biologicals). When bad bacteria, or pathogens, enter the body, through an open wound or contaminated food for example, that can negatively impact our muscle, tissue, and nerve function, as well as blood cell count.

最重要的是，大量的好細(xì)菌有助于限制壞細(xì)菌感染的可能性。細(xì)菌在我們的體內(nèi)體外都存在。當(dāng)有害細(xì)菌或病原體通過(guò)開(kāi)放性傷口或受污染的食物進(jìn)入人體時(shí)，會(huì)對(duì)我們的肌肉、組織和神經(jīng)功能以及血細(xì)胞計(jì)數(shù)產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。

So what are some different types of bad bacteria and what can we do to help our good bacteria thrive?

那么有哪些不同類型的壞細(xì)菌呢?我們能做些什么來(lái)幫助我們的好細(xì)菌茁壯成長(zhǎng)呢?

Our intestines can house as much as 100 trillion natural bacteria, according to research conducted by Arizona State University. However, some bad bacteria, like Streptococcus or Staphylococcus, can cause disease (via Nova Biologicals). You may have heard of E.coli, for example; a strain of bacteria that can cause vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea (via Mayo Clinic). But some amount of E.coli bacteria naturally exists in the gut. Generally speaking, the amount of potentially harmful bacteria in our bodies is minimal and not cause for alarm, but if the amount of bad bacteria begins to outnumber the good bacteria, this can result in inflammation, or lead to certain medical conditions such as pneumonia or cancer, according to the National Center for Health Research.

根據(jù)亞利桑那州立大學(xué)的研究，我們的腸道可以容納多達(dá)100萬(wàn)億的自然細(xì)菌。然而，一些有害細(xì)菌，如鏈球菌或葡萄球菌，會(huì)導(dǎo)致疾病。例如，你可能聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)大腸桿菌;一種能引起嘔吐、惡心和腹瀉的細(xì)菌。但我們腸道中自然存在一定數(shù)量的大腸桿菌。一般來(lái)說(shuō)，我們體內(nèi)潛在有害細(xì)菌的數(shù)量很少，也不需要擔(dān)心，但根據(jù)國(guó)家健康研究中心的數(shù)據(jù)，如果有害細(xì)菌的數(shù)量開(kāi)始超過(guò)有益細(xì)菌，就可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致炎癥，或?qū)е履承┘膊?，如肺炎或癌癥。

To help keep your gut in working order, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine offers various suggestions to help your good bacteria to thrive. Eating fiber and other food items that naturally fuel good bacteria, such as spinach, beans, oats, and garlic, can help reduce inflammation while boosting immunity and mood. Also, consider limiting red meat and dairy, as both can increase the development of bad bacteria while hindering the growth of good bacteria. Lastly, because we never want our good bacteria to be outnumbered, avoid the use of antibiotics when possible. While they work to kill off the bacteria making us sick, they also do away with our good bacteria in the process.

為了讓你的腸道保持正常工作，負(fù)責(zé)醫(yī)學(xué)的醫(yī)師委員會(huì)提供了各種建議，幫助你的好細(xì)菌茁壯成長(zhǎng)。食用纖維和其他天然的有益細(xì)菌的食物，如菠菜、豆類、燕麥和大蒜，這些食物可以幫助我們減輕炎癥，同時(shí)提高免疫力和情緒。此外，考慮限制紅肉和乳制品，因?yàn)閮烧叨紩?huì)增加有害細(xì)菌的發(fā)展，同時(shí)阻礙良好細(xì)菌的生長(zhǎng)。最后，因?yàn)槲覀冇肋h(yuǎn)不希望我們的好細(xì)菌數(shù)量被超過(guò)，所以盡可能避免使用抗生素。抗生素在殺死讓我們生病的細(xì)菌的同時(shí)，在這個(gè)過(guò)程中也消滅了我們的好細(xì)菌。