MICROBIOME

BASICS

© 2019. 2020
Integrative Nutrition, LLC
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MICROBIOME BASICS
Did you know that around half your body is actually made up of microbes? In fact,
there are over 100 trillion of them living on or inside you – and collectively, they
may weigh as much as five pounds!

Every individual has a unique microbial composition – like a fingerprint – that

communicates with the rest of the cells in the body. Research has shown that
these single-celled residents are linked to almost every chronic disease and
condition – as well as overall health and well-being.

As a Health Coach, you can provide general education and guidance to clients
who are interested in improving the health of their microbiome. In this respect, you
may even function as an interpreter at times between science and action as you
help clients understand how they can support the health of their gut.

It can be helpful to learn the basic terminology of the microbiome – and

then understand how to communicate this information simply in your own
words. When communicating with clients, keep your explanations concise,
straightforward, and free of scientific and medical jargon. And, as always,
remember to stay within your scope of practice as a Health Coach.

On the following pages, you’ll find a glossary of key terms you will likely encounter
as you explore the field of gut health. Don’t worry about memorizing them –
simply keep this resource as a handy reference.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS RELATED TO GUT HEALTH

• Commensal bacteria:
Bacteria that protect an organism against pathogenic microorganisms or do no
harm.

• Dysbiosis:
A microbial disturbance or imbalance within an ecosystem of the body caused
by changes in the types and numbers of bacteria in the gut. Dysbiosis is linked to
disease. The prefix dys means “bad, ill, or abnormal.” Basically, dysbiosis is when
the ratio between bacteria is off in a way that becomes unhealthy for a person.

• Endotoxins:
Toxins that are present inside a bacterial cell and released when the cell
disintegrates.

• Epigenetics:
The study of changes in organisms that are caused by how a gene is expressed,
rather than an actual change to the genetic code; used to describe how we can
turn genes on or off to prevent or cause disease.

• Germ-free:
Raised and kept in a sterile environment with no microbes. Many studies are
compared against germ-free environments that do not exist outside a lab.

• Microbes:
A collective term for the microscopic organisms that can include bacteria, fungi,
archaea, protozoa, and viruses.

• Microbiome:
A collective habitat of microorganisms that live in and on the body, including the
microbes themselves, their genome, and their surrounding environment.
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• Microbiota:
The microorganisms that reside within a given environment inside the body;
similar to the microbiome but refers to just the microbes.

• Opportunistic microbes:
Microbes that can remain neutral and dormant in the body, not causing harm, but
may disrupt the microbiome and can cause disease when the immune system is
weakened.

• Pathogenic microbes:
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and parasites that can cause disease upon entering the
body.

• Prebiotics:
Selectively fermented or nondigestible food ingredients that when consumed help
support the growth of health-promoting bacteria.

• Probiotics:
A collection of strains of live bacterial organisms that when taken in proper doses
can have positive effects on health and digestion.

• Synbiotic:
A combination of probiotics and prebiotics.