Awareness of the importance of gut health has skyrocketed in recent years. And in these discussions, the term ‘gut microbiome diversity’ often crops up.
Below, we explain what this term means, why it matters and how to increase your gut microbiome diversity.
What is gut microbiome diversity?
Each human body houses trillions of individual microbes, including bacteria, mainly in the intestines. But there are only a few hundred common species. And some of us have more species than others.
Gut microbiome diversity reflects how many species of bacteria are in your gut and how evenly distributed they are. It’s not just a count of your ‘good’ and ‘bad’ species.
Why does gut microbiome diversity matter?
Gut microbiome diversity is just one measure of gut health, but scientists generally believe that greater diversity is a sign of a healthy, resilient microbiome.
One reason why experts think gut microbiome diversity is important is that low diversity is associated with a range of health conditions, including:
Scientists believe that a thriving ecosystem of microbes is more resilient to threats, such as infections or antibiotics, which might cause dysbiosis. Dysbiosis means that your population of microbes is unbalanced, and this in itself is associated with health conditions.
It’s important to remember: an association between low microbial diversity and health conditions isn’t proof that low diversity causes them. For instance, it might be that health conditions cause the reduced diversity. Or the connection might run both ways.
Because microbiome diversity is just one way to measure gut health, it may not reflect other important factors. For instance, a person might have a diverse microbiome consisting mostly of ‘bad’ gut bacteria. Diversity only accounts for the number of different species, not what they do or how they function.
Overall, though, experts agree that gut microbiome diversity is generally a reliable measure of good gut health.
They believe this diversity supports:
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healthy digestion
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nutrient absorption
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the production of beneficial compounds (metabolites)
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immune system regulation
8 ways to increase your gut microbiome diversity
Thankfully, the gut microbiome is highly flexible, and there are many ways to improve its diversity.
Below, we recommend some strategies for boosting diversity, but keep in mind that none are ‘quick fixes’. Instead, it’s about long-term changes and consistency over weeks, months and years. Combining more than one of these approaches is likely to be more beneficial.
1. Fibre
‘Good’ gut bacteria rely on the food you eat to survive and thrive. Their primary fuel is fibre, so to support these beneficial bacteria, you need to be eating enough fibre.
Although it doesn’t get as much attention as protein, it’s a nutrient that most of us don’t eat enough of. The UK government recommends that adults consume 30 grams of fibre per day, and the average intake is only around 16 g. Only 4% of adults consume enough.
Fibre is in all plants, including whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. So make sure that plants feature heavily on every plate.
Symprove has a couple of articles that will help:
2. Probiotics
Probiotics are live bacteria associated with good health when they’re consumed in big enough quantities. They come in many forms, including liquids, powders and capsules.
Some studies show that even a fairly short course of high-dose probiotics can improve gut microbiome diversity. It’s worth noting, however, that most probiotic research focuses on people with health conditions rather than the general population.
Other studies suggest that taking probiotics alongside a course of antibiotics – which destroy gut bacteria – helps preserve gut microbiome diversity. Still, not all studies agree.
For more information on probiotics, try these articles next:
3. Fermented foods
Some fermented foods naturally contain a range of ‘good’ bacteria. These include yoghurt, some cheeses, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso and tempeh.
Studies show that people who eat more fermented foods tend to have more diverse gut microbiomes. And small trials also show that consuming fermented vegetables increases gut microbiome diversity.
Also, some research suggests that fermented foods might reduce inflammation, as well.
If you’d like to learn more about fermented foods and how to add more to your diet, try this article next:
4. Variety is key
Eating a wide variety of plant-based foods is likely to increase the diversity of your gut microbiome.
Fibre is important for supporting your gut microbes, but there’s a wide range of fibres, and different species of bacteria prefer different types. Aiming for a diverse, plant-rich diet helps make sure that you’re feeding the greatest range of species.
Other plant compounds, like polyphenols, can also feed your gut microbes. Polyphenols are found in many fruits and vegetables, particularly colourful ones. There are thousands of types of polyphenols, so ‘eating the rainbow’ is a good way to improve your gut health and potentially improve gut microbiome diversity.
If you’d like to increase the variety in your diet, this guide will help:
5. Beyond diet: exercise and sleep
It may be surprising, but both exercise and sleep might help increase your gut microbiome diversity.
Research shows that people with more diverse gut microbiomes tend to get better sleep.
Whether a diverse microbiome helps with sleep or sleep helps increase diversity is still an open question. Still, research in humans and animals suggests that sleep deprivation reduces gut microbiome diversity.
There’s also some evidence that regular exercise is linked to increased gut microbiome diversity.
For more details on gut health, sleep and exercise, try these Symprove articles next:
6. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
Antibiotics have saved countless lives. However, they can wreak havoc in your gut microbiome. So, if your doctor says you need a course of antibiotics, make sure you follow their instructions. But unless you’re prescribed them, don’t take them.
Learn more here:
7. Avoid tobacco and limit alcohol
Both tobacco smoking and consuming excess alcohol are associated with poorer gut microbiome diversity. So, if you smoke, try to stop, and if you drink alcohol, make sure you’re staying within recommended limits.
We have more information about alcohol and gut health here:
8. Reduce UPFs and added sugars
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are made in factories using ingredients you wouldn’t find in your kitchen. Many are also high in added, or ‘free’, sugar. Higher intakes of these products are associated with lower gut microbiome diversity.
Adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day (roughly 7 sugar cubes). For context, a 500-millilitre bottle of regular cola contains 54 g of sugar.
UPFs make up a huge percentage of the foods in shops, so it’s almost impossible to cut them out entirely. However, reducing your intake might help improve your gut microbiome diversity.
These improvements might stem from consuming fewer additives and because you’ve replaced UPFs with with fibre-rich, whole foods, which support gut health.
Here are some foods to limit:
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soda
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energy drinks
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biscuits
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cakes
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ice cream
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processed snacks
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sweetened cereals
For more information on UPFs, try these Symprove articles next:
How long does it take to increase gut microbiome diversity?
Your gut microbiome can adapt to dietary changes quite quickly. Even within 1–2 days, scientists can measure differences. But for the benefits to stick, you need to maintain a healthy pattern.
The longer you have a varied, plant-rich diet, get good sleep, do exercise, avoid alcohol and tobacco, and limit foods high in salt, fat and sugar, the more lasting the improvements to your gut microbiome will be.
Increasing gut bacteria diversity is a long game that depends on consistency.
Can you measure gut microbiome diversity?
A lot of companies offer gut microbiome tests, and some measure gut microbiome diversity. However, the accuracy varies, and because diversity can be calculated in different ways, it’s difficult to know how meaningful the measurement is.
So, rather than focusing on measuring diversity, follow the guide above as closely as you can. Even if you can’t ‘see’ your diversity increasing, you can be confident that it is.
All of these lifestyle and diet recommendations are linked to good gut and overall health, so you’ll likely feel better, too.
FAQs
Here are the answers to some common questions about gut microbiome diversity:
What does microbiome diversity mean?
Gut microbiome diversity measures how many species of microbes, including bacteria, live in your gut and how evenly distributed they are.
How can I improve microbiome diversity naturally?
To improve your gut microbiome diversity and maintain it, you need to make long-term changes to your overall lifestyle.
These include increasing your fibre intake, trying probiotics, eating more fermented foods, having a varied diet, getting enough sleep and exercise, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol, and limiting your intake of UPFs and added sugars.
Each strategy will help, and the more you can combine, the better the improvements.
Does taking probiotics increase microbiome diversity?
Yes, there is evidence that taking probiotics can increase microbiome diversity.
H3 How quickly can gut microbiome diversity change?
Dietary changes can have a really quick impact on your gut microbiome diversity, even within 24–48 hours. However, to build a thriving gut microbiome in the long run, you need to focus on lasting lifestyle changes.
Summary
Gut microbiome diversity is a measure of how many species of bacteria are in your gut and how evenly distributed they are. Low diversity is linked to health issues, while high diversity is associated with better health.
To improve your gut microbiome diversity:
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Increase your fibre intake.
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Try probiotics.
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Eat more fermented foods.
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Have a varied diet.
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Get enough sleep and exercise.
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Avoid unnecessary antibiotics.
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Don’t smoke, and reduce your alcohol intake.
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Consume fewer UPFs and added sugars.
There’s no quick fix, though. The important thing is to keep up these lifestyle changes over months and years.
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
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