Did you know that your body isn’t just you and that more of the half of your body is not human, but rather made of trillions of tiny creatures- microbes? These microorganisms are essential to your survival and health. Take great care of these friendly microorganisms and they will take care of your health!
The human microbiome wasn’t recognized until the late 1990s. Thanks to the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), and advances in genetic technology, we have a better understanding now how it works.
A few medical terms and details you need to know
The microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes that live on and inside your body.
The microbiota defines the totality of the actual microbes. The more microbes and the more diverse is the microbial community, the healthier is your microbiota. A healthy balance between these microbial communities is also important
Gut dysbiosis means that the gut microbiota is unhealthy/ unbalanced and is associated with the disease. This imbalance could be due to the gain or loss of community members or changes in the relative abundance of microbes.
Why is the microbiome so important? Let’s see
It is essential for your development and keeps your immune system strong, right from the moment you are born. One of the first friendly microorganisms you encounter in the birth canal is L. johnsoni. Babies need this probiotic to digest breast milk. Without this early microbes, adaptive (acquired) immunity could not exist. Throughout your life, the microbiome helps maintain a healthy immune system function
It plays key roles in digestion and nutrition. These beneficial microbes help break down complex molecules into smaller compounds that are easily digested. For example, without gut microbes, you could not digest many foods, especially plant compounds. Some gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which keep maintaining gut health and your overall health
Your microbiome has a strong impact on your mood and behavior (altered gut microbiome is currently linked with depression and anxiety, and how you interact socially [R]
Maintains healthy gut permeability (and therefore prevents leaky gut, which is considered just one step before autoimmunity develops)
Protects against pathogenic “bad” bacteria overgrowth, and therefore prevents infections
Helps make vitamins including some B vitamins (B7, B12, B9, B3, B5, B6, B2, and B1) as well as vitamin K
Influences gene expressions (related to inflammation and autoimmunity). This means it helps prevent a wide range of chronic diseases- from diabetes to cancer.
Things we know about the human microbiome
The microbial community in the gut (formerly called the gut flora) weighs about 4-5 pounds, now considered an” organ” on its own. Other parts of the body like small intestine, mouth, skin, lungs, vagina, and brain are also populated with friendly bacteria, but the gut holds the majority of these friendly microbes
The human microbiome contains approx 100 trillions of microorganisms, at least 1000 different species of known bacteria.
You’re more microbe than you are human. Years ago, scientists believed that human cells were outnumbered 10 to one by the microbial cells. Based on current estimates, you are about 43% human, so the ratio is almost 1 to 1.
However, if we look at the genetic material, these tiny microorganisms clearly win. The human genome is made up of 22,000 genes, and we have 20 million microbial genes. [R]
About one-third of you the microbiome share similarities with other people, while two-thirds are specific to you. [R]
The microbiome is developing during the first years of life, getting the adult composition by age 3. There will be another major change around age 70.
While bacteria make the majority of the microbiome, there are also fungi, protozoa, archaea, and viruses.
The gut microbiome is fairly adaptable and can change- to a certain degree. Gut dysbiosis is the medical term that describes an altered microbiome that develops due to an infection or example (think food poisoning). An unhealthy lifestyle (ie poor diet, sleep, chronic stress, etc) further aggravates the microbiome imbalances.
An increased amount of research suggests that this imbalance of the gut microbiome is the starting point of many diseases- from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) and other autoimmune diseases to diabetes, allergies, obesity, and even cancer. Certain species of microorganisms overgrow, while others become deficient, creating an imbalance in the normal gut flora. These changes have been found to alter gene activity and metabolic processes causing an autoimmune reaction. [R]
New research suggests that autoimmune diseases seem to be passed in families no through DNA inheritance, but from inheriting the mother microbiome
We aren’t simple humans..we are supraorganisms made up of human cells and microbes. What makes us human is the combination of your own DNA, plus the DNA of our gut microbes.
In the next articles: symptoms of an imbalanced microbiome, risk factors, the perfect diet for a healthy microbiome and supplements.
