They're on you right now.

牠們現在就在你身上。

In fact, they're everywhere.

事實上，牠們無處不在。

On your skin, in your mouth, on your teeth, just crawling, breathing, and farting all over the place.

在你的皮膚上、嘴裡、牙齒上爬行、呼吸和四處放屁。

Aw, come on!

喔，拜託！

Relax, I'm just talking about bacteria.

放鬆，我只是在講細菌。

And I know, reflexively, you're thinking, well, bacteria, that must be a bad thing.

我知道你反射性地在想，嗯，細菌，那一定是不好的事。

Not really.

並非如此。

You have more good bacteria than bad bacteria in your body.

你身體上的好菌其實比壞菌多。

Our bodies are home to over 100 trillion good bacteria, well over 1,000 species, and somewhere between 7 to 9,000 strains of these species.

我們的身體是超過 1 百萬億個好菌的家，其中遠遠超過 1 千個種類、介於 7 到 9 千個品系。

Not only are these bacteria good for us, but they're practically essential to our survival.

這些細菌不僅對我們有好處，它們實際上對我們的生存是必要的。

This symbiotic relationship between us humans and good bacteria is known as "mutualism", and it's basically when both parties are benefiting from living together or existing together.

我們與好菌之間的共生關係稱為「互利共生」，而那基本上是雙方透過共生或共存的關係中獲益。

If you've ever seen a rhino with a little bird sitting on top of its back⏤it's called an oxpecker bird⏤that bird is eating ticks and parasites off the rhino's back.

如果你曾經看過犀牛背上坐著稱為「啄牛鳥」這種小鳥的畫面，這隻鳥正在食用犀牛背上的跳蚤和寄生蟲。

So, the bird is benefiting because it's getting fed; the rhino's benefiting 'cause it's getting less ticks and parasites on its back.

所以說，鳥兒因為可以飽腹所以受益了，而犀牛因為背上少了跳蚤和寄生蟲也受益了。

Everybody's winning.

大家都是贏家。

The type of good bacteria I wanna talk about today lives primarily within your gut, and you've heard the term⏤probiotic.

我今天想談的好菌主要居住在你的腸道中，你也聽過它的名字：益生菌。

It's become a mega industry into the hundred-billions of people selling supplements, selling foods that are probiotic-rich.

它已經成為了價值千億的超級營養品產業，銷售富益生菌的食品。

But do we really know what the term probiotic means?

但我們真的知道益生菌一詞的含義嗎？

Probiotics are live microorganisms, basically bacteria and sometimes yeast, that gives some sort of positive health benefit to the person taking them.

益生菌是活的微生物、基本上是細菌、有時是酵母，給予食用者某種正面的健康益處。

In order for me to best explain how probiotics work, we need to understand how the gut works.

為了讓我最好地解釋益生菌的運作原理，我們得先了解腸道的運作。

Now, the job of the gut, and we're talking about the small intestine and large intestine, is to extract energy from foods; absorb certain nutrients like vitamins, minerals; and really get rid of the waste.

包含大、小腸的腸道工作是從食物中提取能量、吸收某些如維生素、 礦物質等營養物質，並真正排除廢棄物。

When you're taking probiotics, the majority of the probiotics end up in the end of your intestinal system also know as the colon.

當你在服用益生菌時，多數益生菌最終會進入你腸道系統中稱為「腸結」的末端。

Found within your GI tract, or your gut, is something known as a microbiome.

可以在你腸胃管中找到的是一種稱為「微生物基因組群」的東西。

This is the ecosystem that contains bacteria, fungi; those things are actually essential to your survival.

這是一個包含細菌、真菌的生態系統，這些東西實際上對你的生存是必要的。

Because, unfortunately, your digestive system can't extract all the necessary nutrients from all the different types of foods you're consuming.

因為不幸的是，你的消化系統無法從你食用的不同類食物中，提取所有必要的營養物質。

So, when we're talking about the good bacteria within your gut,

所以說，當我們討論你腸道中的好菌時，

we're actually talking about the bacteria that's helping you get some of the nutrients from your food to improve your body's immune function,

我們實際上是在討論幫助你從食物中獲得一些營養物質以改善你身體免疫功能的細菌，

to support the integrity of the wall of your intestines.

足以支持你腸道壁的完整性。

This is the job of the good bacteria.

這是好菌的工作。

I just wanted to say, "Thanks, partner."

我只想說：「謝了，夥伴。」

Our knowledge and the majority of the research done on the microbiome is fairly new, with the majority of the studies popping up in the last 20 years.

我們對於微生物基因組群的知識和所做的多數研究都相當新，大多數的研究都是在過去的 20 年間出現的。

Within this recent research, we found that the gut microbiome is incredibly important to our health, but we don't totally understand it just yet.

在最近的這項研究中，我們發現微生物基因組群對我們的健康非常重要，但我們還沒有完全理解它。

We've seen relationships between irregularities in the microbiome and diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease; mental conditions like depression, anxiety.

我們已經看到微生物基因組群異常與糖尿病、肥胖、心臟等疾病或抑鬱、焦慮等精神狀況之間的關係。

But it's really a cause-and-effect dilemma.

但它其實是一個因果關係的困境。

Basically, the chicken or the egg.

基本上是「雞生蛋、蛋生雞」的問題。

We're not sure what came first, the irregularities of the microbiome or the illnesses themselves.

我們不確定是微生物基因組異常先出現，還是疾病本身。

The gut-mind connection is what truly gets me excited.

腸道和思想之間的連結是讓我真正興奮的點。

Just imagine this for a second.

稍微想像一下這個狀況。

The bacteria found within your gut can be controlling your emotions; your depressive, anxiety symptoms; your moods; your appetite, even.

在你腸道內發現的細菌可以控制你的情緒、你抑鬱及焦慮的症狀、你的情緒，甚至你的食慾。

That's what preliminary research is showing.

這是初步研究所顯示的。

After hearing the links of all these serious diseases and the gut-mind connection, you probably wanna keep your microbiome as healthy and diverse as possible.

在聽到關於這些重大疾病與腸腦連結的事後，你大概會想要盡可能地讓你的微生物基因組群越健康、多樣化越好。

So, how do we do that?

那我們要怎麼做到那一點呢？

Well, first of all, you wanna focus on your diet⏤no surprise here.

嗯，首先，你會想專注於飲食，這裡沒什麼驚喜。

Focus on eating vegetables, whole grains, legumes⏤these are fiber-rich foods.

專注於吃蔬菜、全穀物、豆類，這些都是富含纖維的食物。

Fiber-rich foods are basically known as "prebiotics", as they serve as food for the probiotics.

富含纖維的食物基本上被稱為「益生元」，因為它們可以作為益生菌的食物。

Next, you wanna consume probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi.

接著，你會想食用富含益生菌的食物，如優格、德式酸菜、辛奇。

These foods naturally contain that good bacteria we've been talking about.

這些食物自然含有我們一直在討論的這種好菌。

I know some people resort to taking probiotic supplements, but I'll touch on that shortly.

我知道有些人會轉向服用益生菌營養品，我很快就會談及那個議題。

Now, there have been ways that you can actually hurt your microbiome.

已經有一些實際上可能傷害你微生物基因組群的方式。

First and foremost is a diet rich in refined carbohydrates.

首先是富含精緻碳水化合物的飲食。

I'm talking about white breads, white pasta, white rice, sugars, even artificial sweeteners.

我說的是白麵包、白麵、白米、糖，甚至人工甜味劑。

Next up is bad sleep.

接下來是睡眠不好。

If you don't get enough sleep⏤I've talked about the consequences of that in the past⏤but it also hurts your microbiome.

如果你沒有得到足夠睡眠（我過去曾經講過它的後果），它也會傷害你的微生物基因組群。

'Cause guess what?

因為你猜怎麼著？

The bacteria in your gut also have a circadian rhythm; they like for you to get quality sleep.

你腸道中的細菌也有生理時鐘，牠們希望你獲得高品質睡眠。

Next is antibiotics.

接下來是抗生素。

When you use antibiotics inappropriately or you overuse them, you actually kill off that good bacteria in your gut and you can create an overgrowth of harmful bacteria.

當你不適當地使用抗生素或過度使用時，你實際上是殺死了你的腸道中的好菌，甚至可能造成有害細菌的過度生長。

Last, but not least, is stress.

最後也一樣重要的是壓力。

Yup, those folks who are more stressed-out and experience chronic stress for an extended period of time have a disruption of their microbiome,

沒錯，那些壓力更大、長時間經歷慢性壓力的人，微生物基因組群會受擾亂，

both with higher amounts of bad bacteria and lower amounts of good bacteria.

同時有較大量的壞菌以及較低量的好菌。

Stop getting worked up over small things.

不要再因為小事激動了。

Now, probiotic supplements.

現在聊到益生菌營養品。

Multi-billion-dollar industry.

價值數十億的產業。

Marketers are quick to make health claims about the benefits of taking their supplements, but, in reality, the picture is so much more complex.

行銷人員會迅速地宣稱服用其營養品對健康的好處，但現實中的情況要複雜得多。

Like I said earlier, there's 7 to 9,000 different strains of good bacteria inside your gut.

如同我先前所說的，你的腸道內有 7 到 9 千種不同的好菌品系。

Increasing the number of a specific strain can have different impacts, depending on which condition you have.

取決於你身體的狀況，提升特定品系的數量會有不同的影響。

Probiotics, in general, are considered a safe supplement, but there are harms and they do exist, especially if you have a weakened immune system or you have certain illnesses like cancer.

一般而言，益生菌被認為是一種安全的營養品，但仍有確實存在的危害，尤其如果你的免疫系統較弱，或是你罹患了如癌症等疾病。

There's been a recent study that came out of Israel showing that taking probiotics can actually harm your microbiome, depending on which probiotic you take.

以色列最近有一項研究顯示，服用益生菌實際上可能損害你的微生物基因組群，這取決於你服用的益生菌種類。

My recommendation, when it comes to probiotic supplements, is that the average healthy person should not be taking a daily probiotic.

在談到益生菌營養品時，我的建議是，健康的普通人不應該每天服用益生菌。

It hasn't been proven to give enough benefit to warrant the risks, and especially spending money on a supplement that may not give you any benefit whatsoever.

它還沒有被證明能帶來足夠的好處以承擔風險，特別是還要花錢購買可能不會給你任何好處的營養品。

Now, the conditions where I have seen evidence to prove that there exists a benefit is in traveler's diarrhea,

我所看到存在且證明有益處的的症況包含旅行者腹瀉、

antibiotic-associated diarrhea, very specific conditions known as necrotizing enterocolitis in young children,

抗生素相關腹瀉、幼童身上稱為壞死性小腸結腸炎的極特定症狀、

last but not least, those who have inflammatory bowel disease like ulcerative colitis.

還有最後一樣重要，罹患潰瘍性結腸炎等發炎性腸道疾病者。

Notice that these are very specific instances where I reach for probiotics as a possible treatment option.

請注意，這些是非常具體的例子，我在這些狀況中會將益生菌作為一種可能的治療選擇。

For those of you considering starting to take a probiotic,

對於那些考慮開始服用益生菌的人，

first and foremost, please have a conversation with your doctor or health professional on whether or not you should be actually doing this.

首先是最重要的是，請與你的醫生或健康專家諮詢，討論你是否真的應該那樣做。

Next, I want you to not skip proven treatments for your condition and, instead, go for unproven treatments.

接著，我希望你不要選擇未經證實的治療手法，而忽視針對你疾病已證實有效的療法。

Make sure you pay attention to the label; there are a few things to look out for.

請確保你留意標籤，上面有幾個需要注意的項目。

One, the expiration date and storage instructions.

一、有效期和儲藏說明。

Second, look at the CFUs⏤that's the colony-forming units.

二、看一下 CFU，也就是菌落形成單位。

Look for a number bigger or at 5 billion.

尋找 50 億或更大的數字。

And, finally, look to get "enteric-coated" probiotics because those are less likely to get destroyed by the acid in your stomach.

最後，尋找「腸溶片」益生菌，因為他們較不太可能被你的胃酸摧毀。

The future of probiotics and even probiotic supplements is very interesting.

益生菌，甚至是益生菌營養品的未來是非常有趣的。

The potential for unlocking so many new health secrets is really immense.

解鎖如此多新健康祕密的潛力真的很了不起。

I'm excited about it; you should be excited about it.

我很興奮，你也應該對此感到興奮。

That's why I'm gonna be linking some further reading down below in the description.

這就是為什麼我會將一些延伸讀物的連結放在敘述欄中。

Please dive in and check out the articles that I'm recommending.

請潛心研究並看看我推薦的文章。

Jump into my comments section.

請快到我的評論區。

If you have any questions about anything I've said here, if you have any comments or some stories you'd like for me to share,

如果你對我在這裡所說的任何事有問題、如果你有任何評論或想我代為分享的故事，

write it down below because I'm interested in what you have to say.

請寫在下方，因為我對於各位想說的話很感興趣。

And, as always, stay happy and healthy.

一如繼往地，請保持快樂與健康狀態。

Think about those red-billed oxpeckers.

想想那些紅喙啄牛鳥吧。

So, when we're talking about the good bacteria inside your gut⏤ew.

所以說，當我們在談論你腸道內的好菌時——噁。

(Do) You mind? It's a probiotic thing.

你介意嗎？我在講益生菌的事。

So, this is⏤actually, maybe you have good bacteria in your mouth.

所以這——實際上，也許你的嘴裡有好菌。

How much bigger is he than me?

他體型比我大多少？

It's pretty crazy, no?

這很瘋狂，不是嗎？