Go With Your Gut
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU that the secret to good health could be all about following your gut — or at least the tiny bacteria occupying that space?
Kelsey Lindsey
While the research of gut bacteria is fairly new, scientists have been studying the relationship between gut bacteria and almost every disease that humans experience, from diabetes and obesity to cancer and autism.
While it’s been historically accepted that gut bacteria help humans break down plant fibers in the intestines, scientists have only begun studying the roles of these microscopic microbes have beyond digestion.
Scientists only discovered in the past decade that microbes — bacteria, viruses, and fungi — outnumber cells in the human body 10:1, inhabiting every part of you, including your skin, mouth, inside your nose, urinary tract, and intestines. This vast collection of microbes collectively forms our microbiome, which is partly inherited from our mothers as we pass through the birth canal (thanks, mom). As we move through life, touching every surface with our grubby fingers and pretending that we wash our hands after every trip to the bathroom, we collect new members in our little internal microbiome gang.
Looking at these the microbes in your intestines, scientists will most likely look at the bacteria, as they are the most abundant microbes in humans’ intestines. When looking at bacteria of people with certain diseases, scientists have realized that their bacteria is very different from that of healthier people. While scientists haven’t identified a certain makeup of bacteria that can identify certain diseases, some evidence suggests that a diverse makeup of gut bacteria could help mature your immune system, perhaps a benefit over a less diverse gut microbiome.
Scientists have also found the difference between more diverse gut bacteria and less diverse bacteria might be linked to obesity. In a study looking at the gut bacteria of twins, one set that were both lean and one set that were both obese, scientists found that the gut bacteria in lean people was very diverse when compared to the gut community in obese people.
While these findings are interesting, researchers are quick to point out that they have yet to figure out the direct relationship between bacteria and these diseases. Is a person obese or unhealthy because they lack a lot of gut bacteria diversity, or is this scarcity when compared to healthy people caused by their ailments?
Scientists have made a link between highly processed foods and a less diverse gut community in people, and continue to look into that relationship. And while there is a lot to learn, scientists hope that future research in the field can help them treat and prevent obesity and a number of other ailments.
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