We’ve all heard that the human microbiome is critical for wellness. Among its many jobs, the gut microbiome helps digest your food, make nutrients, and ensure proper immune function. Both the type and quantity of microbes contribute to the overall health of your microbiome.
For example, loss of microbial diversity plays a key role in the formation of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Consequently, in an attempt to replenish and rebalance the gut microbiome, many of us regularly consume probiotics contained in foods, such as yogurt or kefir, or purchase probiotic supplements.
However, did you know that breathing in microbes is also an effective—and free—way to build a robust microbiome?
Scientific studies have demonstrated that time spent in natural environments is an important determinant of the composition of your gut microbiome, as well as your skin microbiome and salivary microbiome, and that breathing in microbes can increase the diversity and robustness of your gut microbiota.
For example, a 2018 study published in Future Microbiology demonstrated that adults who dipped their hands in soil every day for two weeks changed their gut microbiota, including increasing gut microbial diversity. The impact was so significant that researchers concluded that nature-derived microbial exposure can potentially be used “in the treatment and prevention of immune-mediated diseases.”
Similarly, a pioneering study published in 2020 in Scientific Reports showed that nature-related activity—playing in nature for 10 weeks—changed the gut microbiome of children. Although their diet was not changed, the robustness of the children’s gut microbiome increased, in part by breathing in the microbial diversity that exists in nature. Along with increased microbial diversity, the children had lower anger scores, experienced improved quality of sleep, and reported feeling less stressed.
While this research demonstrates that nature exposure is an effective ways to increase microbial diversity, Americans spend roughly 90 percent of their time indoors, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is especially true during winter months when we tend to retreat indoors, away from nature, which can decrease your microbial diversity.
Fortunately, spring’s green leaves and fresh flowers bring new opportunities to reinvigorate your microbiome. This year, as you emerge from the dormancy of the winter months, get outside and breathe in the beneficial microbes that nature provides. Breathe in microbial diversity from as many different healthy ecosystems as you can. Here are some simple ways to build your microbiome in partnership with nature:
- Plant flowers or vegetables in a garden. Use organic soil and don’t wear gloves; rub the soil on your skin and take deep belly breaths.
- Bring microbial diversity into your home by planting flowers, herbs, or lettuce seeds in pots, using organic soil, and place them in a window in your home.
- Go for a walk in the park or eat lunch while sitting on a park bench.
- Read a book under a tree with your shoes off (as long as the grass isn’t sprayed with pesticides). Stay there for a few hours, if possible. You’ll not only help repopulate your microbiome, you’ll also improve your mental health and recharge your battery.
- Visit your local botanical garden.
- Drive to the mountains and hike, preferably near a waterfall.
- Sit on the sand at the beach and take deep breaths as you watch the waves crash on the shore.
- Visit your local organic or regenerative farmer. Even better, ask if you can touch the soil. When I visit my local farmer, my children and I play with the soil and rub it on our hands, arms and legs.
This article was first published in Radiant Life Magazine.
