Bacterial diversity is the hallmark of a healthy microbiome

Bacteria have learned to thrive in almost any condition, including on and inside the human body. You have approximately 39 trillion bacterial cells, outnumbering your 30 trillion human cells.

In 2007, the Human Microbiome Project was established to help us understand more about how these microbes influence our health. By 2012, they had created an impressive reference database of bacteria in the human body.

The researchers took 242 healthy volunteers and collected over 5,000 tissue samples from body sites, including the mouth, nose, skin, throat, gastrointestinal tract, and vagina. Studying these samples enabled the scientists to understand the normal variations in the human microbiome. They found that it varies considerably, even between healthy people, but that some microbes are more prolific in certain parts of the body. You and your best mate may have a different microbial mix overall, but your nostrils probably contain the same niche bacteria.

The Human Microbiome Project has now sequenced over 2,200 reference strains of bacteria, noting where each one is found in the human body. Bifidobacteria can be found in the blood and the mouth. Lactobacillus strains play an important role in the urogenital tract and also appear in the mouth, airways and on the skin. Capnocytophaga mostly live in the mouth, while Gardnerella prefer the urogenital tract.

But the real party happens in your gut. Nearly 750 types of Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Clostridium Helicobacter, Pelomonas and other bacteria are found here.

Bacterial diversity

Bacterial diversity is important as it can influence many aspects of your health, such as your immune and digestive system health.

What’s in a probiotic?

Life-Space Broad Spectrum Probiotic helps encourage good bacterial diversity to support your microbiome health. It contains a varied mix of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, including L. rhamnosus Lr-32, B. lactis BI-04, L. plantarum Lp-115, and L. rhamnosus GG. Its 15 probiotic strains help to support your digestive and immune system health.

In contrast, there are fewer strains in our targeted products and they’re carefully chosen to address particular health needs.

For instance, Life-Space IBS Support Probiotic uses three strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, namely L. plantarum 299v, B. lactis B94, and B. longum BB536. It can help to decrease the symptoms associated with medically diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), such as abdominal pain, gas, and bloating.  

Life-Space Immune Support Probiotic supports a healthy immune system, helping to make common colds shorter and their symptoms less severe. Lactobacilli help here, so the main strains used are L. plantarum HEAL9 and L. paracasei 8700:2.

A daily dose of the 15 strains of beneficial bacteria in our Broad Spectrum Probiotic (or our Probiotic for 60+ Years) can help support the health of your microbiome and your general wellbeing. And, if you have the common cold or medically diagnosed IBS, you can also try our targeted products.

Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms worsen or change unexpectedly, talk to your healthcare professional.