From: deputyfife23x@gmail.com   
      
   11 overlooked factors that affect the bacteria on your body and help determine   
   your health   
       
   Lydia Ramsey    
       
   Nov. 16, 2015, 5:53 PM 	28,362   
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   Here's something that might make your skin crawl: Your skin is covered with   
   trillions of itty bitty microbes.   
      
   But these microbes aren't all bad. In fact, most of them do more good than   
   harm.   
      
   To learn more about what affects the bacteria in your body, otherwise known as   
   your microbiome, Business Insider ventured to a recent exhibit on the   
   microbiome at the American Museum of Natural History.   
      
   Here are 11 factors that influence the bacteria living in and on you:   
      
   View As: One Page Slides   
      
      
   How you're born.   
   How you're born.   
   Thomson Reuters   
   A child touches her pregnant mother's stomach at the last stages of her   
   pregnancy in Bordeaux   
   Babies born by c-section and those born vaginally are exposed to different   
   bacteria that can affect their lives, Susan Perkins, one of the curators of   
   the AMNH exhibit told Business Insider.   
      
   How you're fed in those first few months can also affect the bacteria in your   
   body, since breastfeeding introduces certain bacteria while formula introduces   
   others.   
      
       
      
   Your workout regimen.   
   Your workout regimen.   
   Facebook / Aspen Valley Marathon   
   When considering whether to hit the gym, be sure to factor your microbiome   
   into your decision. A 2014 study of Ireland's national rugby team found that   
   the athletes had higher diversity of bacteria in their gut compared to a   
   control group. The    
   preliminary results were encouraging enough to suggest that getting exercise   
   can be beneficial for increasing the good bacteria that lives in our digestive   
   systems.   
      
   Your drinking habits.   
   Your drinking habits.   
   Flickr / Leonid Mamchenkov   
   For a recent study, scientists isolated 11 strains of bacteria from wine,   
   including one called Lactobacillus, the same kind that's found in yogurt.   
   These bacteria, found in many fermented foods, are called "probiotics," and   
   may help good bacteria    
   flourish while blocking the overproduction of bad bacteria.   
      
   Of course, adding a couple glasses of wine to your diet likely won't make a   
   big difference: Many of wine's helpful bacteria get wiped out during the   
   sulfation process, when preservatives are added to the drink.   
      
   The drugs you take.   
   The drugs you take.   
   Getty Images/Joe Raedle   
   Antibiotics are often too good at their jobs. While they're off trying to   
   defend the body from harmful bacteria, they inadvertently kill a lot of the   
   good bacteria that keep our bodies running. And a single round of antibiotics   
   can impact gut bacteria    
   for a year.   
      
       
      
   Where you live.   
   Where you live.   
   Reuters/Issei Kato   
   The bacteria in your body is also affected by your environment. Someone born   
   in Taipei who moves to New York, for example, will likely have a different   
   microbiome than someone born in New York who stays in the city all their lives.   
      
   Your gender.   
   Your gender.   
   Reuters/Edgard Garrido   
   Although no two microbiomes are exactly alike, there are some trends when it   
   comes to gender. Studies have shown that men and women have different bodily   
   bacterial communities, which could be related to differing hormone levels.   
      
   Your age.   
   Your age.   
   Flickr / Lars Plougmann   
   Researchers have found that the older you get, the more diverse your bacteria   
   becomes, regardless of where you live. Other researchers have also found that   
   the bacteria in your gut could play a role in the rate at which you age.   
      
   Your pets.   
   Your pets.   
   Getty Images/Stephen Dunn   
   Families that own a dog tend to have more bacteria in common with one another   
   than families that don't own a pet or own a cat. That's especially the case   
   when it comes to the microbes on their skin. In comparison to other pets, dogs   
   tend to go outside    
   more frequently, where they pick up different bacteria and spread them around   
   the house, Perkins said. And, of course, the harmless germs spread to the   
   pet's humans when being pet and played with.     
      
   What you eat.   
   What you eat.   
   Flickr / Sodanie Chea   
   The bacteria in our gut helps our body digest food and get the most nutrients   
   out of it.    
      
   There are two classes of bacteria in foods that researchers think have a   
   beneficial effect on our gut microbiomes: Probiotics and prebiotics. While   
   probiotics include "good" bacteria that help keep our digestive systems   
   healthy by curbing the growth of "   
   bad" bacteria, prebiotics are carbs we can't digest, but instead act as food   
   for the good bacteria.   
      
       
      
   ...and, more specifically, how much fiber you get.   
   ...and, more specifically, how much fiber you get.   
   dominik18s/flickr   
   Fibrous foods, such as whole grains, beans, and fresh fruits (with skin   
   intact), act like "prebiotics," because they serve as food for the good   
   bacteria in our guts.   
      
   "It doesn't hurt as a general rule to eat more fiber," microbiome researcher   
   Jeff Leach recently told NPR.    
      
   Even your sweet tooth plays a role.   
   Even your sweet tooth plays a role.   
   Flickr/lhongchou's photography   
   In addition to fiber, gut bacteria also thrive on ingredients called   
   polyphenols, which give fruits and vegetables their color and can also be   
   found in tea, coffee, and chocolate -- especially the dark kind. So snack on.   
      
   NEXT: The bacteria in your belly can determine what diet will work best for you   
      
      
      
   http://www.businessinsider.com/what-affects-your-microbiome-2015-11   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)