Can you improve your gut bacteria by spending more time in nature?
Whether spending more time in nature improves your gut bacteria is a question the available studies cannot answer; if you want to positively influence your microbiome, diet and body weight have a far better documented effect.
None of the available studies directly examines whether spending time in nature improves your gut bacteria. Based on these sources, that question simply cannot be answered, and it would be incorrect to suggest otherwise.
What we do know is that environment, diet and early exposure to micro-organisms are associated with large differences in the composition of your gut microbiome. However, the exact contribution of each of those factors remains largely unclear. 'Environment' is also a broad concept and encompasses much more than just contact with nature.
Things that have a far better documented effect on the gut microbiome include breastfeeding in early childhood, diet and body weight. Obesity, for example, is associated with lower bacterial diversity in the gut. Ethnic and racial background turned out, in one large study, to be more strongly associated with microbiome composition than many other measured factors.
It is also worth bearing in mind that 'more diversity' is not automatically better. Some gut bacteria can be harmful: certain E. coli variants produce a substance that damages DNA and has been found in colorectal cancer tumours in humans. And the gut microbiome can convert certain carcinogenic substances into more active, more harmful forms.
None of the included studies directly examines the effect of contact with nature on the gut microbiome. The remaining claims concern other determinants of the microbiome (diet, breastfeeding, obesity, ethnic background) and microbiome-disease relationships.
Can you improve your gut microbiome by picking up bacteria while playing outside?
Playing outside exposes your child to more bacteria, and one small study observed a change in gut microbiome, but whether that is structurally beneficial for health has not yet been demonstrated. Diet, mode of birth, and medication use have a far stronger evidence base when it comes to shaping the gut microbiome.
Can exercise improve your gut microbiome?
Moderate regular exercise demonstrably improves your gut microbiome, but you need to keep exercising because the effect disappears when you stop. Do not overdo it: very intensive training can actually put gut health under pressure.
Does eating a varied diet help your gut bacteria?
Fermented products have the strongest evidence base for increasing gut bacterial diversity. Eating broadly varied meals also helps, but above all avoid heavily processed products containing emulsifiers such as CMC.
Can you permanently change your gut microbiome through diet?
Diet does indeed change your gut microbiome, but lasting change requires lasting adjustment of your dietary pattern; a temporary diet has only a temporary effect.
Are plant-based diets better for your gut than mixed diets?
A plant-based diet appears to be beneficial for your gut bacteria, but fermented foods perform at least as well in a direct comparison. Whether healthy people also notice a meaningful long-term benefit has not yet been demonstrated.
Does a healthy gut microbiome lead to better skin?
There are several indications that a healthy gut microbiome is beneficial for your skin, but how best to achieve that and which interventions truly work has not been sufficiently proven to recommend specific supplements or treatments.