腸道微生物群是保持身體健康的重要成員

保護腸道
微生物群是人體抵禦細菌入侵的第一道防線。有益細菌在腸壁上的物理存在可形成保護性屏障,防止致病細菌附著。腸道菌群也釋放抗菌物質,有助於防止有害的細菌不受控制地生長。1、4

免疫力提升
微生物群有助於刺激和發展免疫系統,幫助人體防禦病原體,同時確保其不會過度反應,以免引起慢性或破壞性炎症。4、7

製造營養素
微生物群能夠產生人體必需的合成物,例如某些維他命B和維他命K.4。

微生物群包含不同細菌物種的獨特平衡,每個人都有自己獨特的微生物群。如果腸道中生活的不同微生物的平衡受到干擾,則可能導致稱為微生態失衡的狀況,這可能導致腹瀉,也可能是慢性的。1

腸道微生物群失調的一個公認原因是服用抗生素。這會不分好壞地把微生物群中的有益細菌也殺死,並為有害細菌提供了繁殖的機會,某些物種(例如艱難梭菌Clostridium difficile)可能會導致非常嚴重的病症。

把微生物群平衡破壞的其他因素包括:飲食變化,過量飲酒或吸煙,壓力,疾病和感染。1、2、4 短暫的細菌和病毒感染能引起急性腸胃炎,特別是在發展中國家。8
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腹瀉,多種原因引起的病症
腹瀉是指不正常的頻繁排便,稀便和水狀的情況,腸道感染是最常見的病因之一。