VLCC Institute Microbiota or Gut Flora

 The gut microbiota used to be called the microflora of the gut.

Human gastrointestinal microbiota, also known as gut flora or gut microbiota, are the microorganisms (generally bacteria and archaea), that live in the digestive tracts of humans.

Our gut microbiota contains tens of trillions of microorganisms, including at least 1000 different species of known bacteria with more than 3 million genes (150 times more than human genes).

 Microbiota can, in total, weigh up to 2 kg. One third of our gut microbiota is common to most people, while two thirds are specific to each one of us. In other words, the microbiota in our intestine is like an individual identity card.

As its name states, gut microbiota is harboured in the intestine, one of the main areas in our bodies that comes into contact with the external environment (other examples are the skin and the lungs).

 

Some of the functions are:

The gut microbiota of each individual is unique. It can heavily contribute to how a person fights disease, digests food, and even their mood and psychological processes.

• It helps the body to digest certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest.
• It helps with the production of some vitamins (B and K).
• It helps us combat aggressions from other microorganisms, maintaining the wholeness of the intestinal mucosa.
• It plays an important role in the immune system, performing a barrier effect.
• A healthy and balanced gut microbiota is key to ensuring proper digestive functioning.
• Gut bacteria help us break down complex molecules in meats and vegetables. Without the aid of gut bacteria, plant cellulose is indigestible.
• The microbiota can affect the brain, which is also involved in digestion. Some have even called the gut microbiota a “second brain.”
• It is also helpful in gut conditions, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• The microbiota also plays an important role in resisting intestinal overgrowth of externally introduced populations that would otherwise cause disease – the “good” bacteria compete with the “bad,” with some even releasing anti-inflammatory compounds.

Here are some tips to get your gut going

1. Increase your fibre intake
2. Eat as many types of fruit and veg as possible, and try to eat seasonally
3. Pick high-fibre vegetables
4. Choose food and drinks with high levels of polyphenols
5. Avoid snacking
6. Eat plenty of fermented foods containing live microbe
7. Include foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics

Interview - Deepanshu Khurana of VLCC says over 30% of its students get into entrepreneurship

Long before Skill India Mission was launched or skilling the masses became one of the primary focus areas of the government, VLCC—the beauty, health and wellness major—had started its first skills training institute in the then emerging area of beauty and wellness. The year was 2001, and since then the company has set up and is running more than 75 campuses of its training arm, the VLCC Institute of Beauty & Nutrition, across India and one in Nepal, where over 15,000 students graduate every year. The institute is now looking to expand further. “We will open training centres in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kenya and the UAE, apart from opening more centres in India,” says Deepanshu Khurana, business head, Skill Development, VLCC Institute. In an interview with FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, he adds that entrepreneurship, which often leads to women empowerment in this sector, is one of the key areas that the training centres focus on. Excerpts:

What kind of courses does the VLCC Institute provide?
We offer both entry-level as well as skill enhancement courses in beauty and wellness. Students are primarily trained in Hair, make-up, skin, beauty, spa, nails and Nutrition categories.

Who form your students?
It’s primarily women. The VLCC Institute, through its skill development courses, campus placements and job fairs, has created a platform for women to become entrepreneurs.

Does the VLCC Institute work closely with the government?
We run the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). RPL provides recognition to informal learning or learning through work to get equal acceptance as formal levels of education—it aims to appreciate prior learning irrespective of the medium of achieving it. In addition, we have been working with several ministries, government departments and school education boards to increase the pool of skilled people in the area of beauty and wellness.

Where does beauty and wellness stand among the overall scheme of things within Skill India?
The Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council is one of the top-rated Sector Skill Councils (SSC) in the scheme of things the government has. It has received awards for the best SSC. Because beauty and wellness, as a business sector, is growing, it will need more and more trained people.

So will it be one of the major job creators, going forward?
It already is. The compounded annual growth rate of the beauty and wellness business in India has been around 18% over the last five years. According to a KPMG and NSDC report, about 78 lakh people were working in this industry in 2017. And of these 78 lakh employees, a majority are women. A sizeable number of these women, as I said, turn entrepreneurs—because this industry itself gives huge entrepreneurship opportunities.

Do you plan to open more centres?
Yes, we are looking at opening training centres in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kenya and the UAE, apart from opening more centres in India.

What kind of focus do you have on entrepreneurship at the VLCC Institute?
Entrepreneurship is one of the key areas that we focus on. Around 30% of the students who pass out from our institutes get into entrepreneurship. Some of them become part of the VLCC network itself—either through the franchising model or becoming a VLCC partner in a somewhat similar capacity.

Is there a need for a specialised university for this sector?
Yes, there should be. In fact, we are exploring an opportunity to start a beauty and Wellness University or an maybe institute on similar lines, in the near future.