The Forgotten Friends: The Secret Role of IntestinalBacteria.

 The Forgotten Friends: The Secret Role of Intestinal Bacteria.

 There are over 7 billion people on the planet yet there are more than 5

nonillion (that’s a 5 with 30 zeros after it!) microbes on the planet.

Microbes are everywhere and on everything, on the ground, on the

walls, the computer, your knife and fork, on your skin and yes, even

inside you. You are literally crawling with microbes!

A single human being will host around 100 trillion bacteria on and

within the body. That amount is roughly 1000 times the population on

people on this planet, and in terms of comparison of human cells

throughout the body, microbes outnumber them 10:1. As Jeroen Raes

PhD – professor and pioneer in studying microbial communities says,

“you are not human, you are a walking bacterial colony!”

We as humans have several types commensal floras or ‘microbiotas’

found in different areas within the body such as the skin, the mouth,

around the genitals, and within the gut. These bacteria help us to

digest food, protect us against pathogens, provide essential nutrients,

and train our immune system. And what scientists are beginning to

discover is that the disturbance of this intestinal flora is linked to

disease.

Scientists on the cutting edge, such as Raes, have been studying the

gut micro-biome using new techniques such as metagenomics. By

taking a sample of flora, extracting the microbes and DNA and putting

into their sequencing device they can learn more about bacteria and

microbial ecosystems.

 

 Through this work they have found that the micro-biome contains 100

times more genes than humans have and may even form what could

be called our ‘second’ genome. Furthermore, the intestinal flora has

been able to be classified into three different types or ecosystems,

which have been called Enterotypes.

It appears that these Enterotypes or microbial ecosystems are created

by the environment of the gut, and the environment of the gut is the

food that you eat. It has been shown that those who eat more fat, will

have different flora to those who eat a diet high protein, and different

to someone who eats a high amount of carbohydrates. Rather than

classifying humans by race, Raes suggests we can be classified by our

Enterotype.

All of these new discoveries are helpful as more and more diseases are

being linked to gut flora disturbances.

What is fascinating is the fact that babies are sterile in the womb and

are inoculated by the flora of the mother at birth. We can see that

there are differences in flora between a baby that was birthed naturally

and one by c-section. We can also see the difference in flora between a

baby that is breast fed and one that has been formula fed.

Studies have also shown that even low doses of antibiotics in infancy

can make for disturbances in adulthood leading to obesity and other

problems.

Antibiotics, also known as Anti-Bacterials are agents that inhibit

bacterial growth or kill bacteria. The use of antibiotics is now at an all

time high, doctors prescribe them at the first sign of infection, and the

meat, poultry and dairy industries add them to the feed of livestock to

reduce the risk of illness or disease during their production, before

 

making their way to the dinner plate.

Because of this indiscriminate use of antibiotics we find that harmful

bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to our current arsenal of 

antibacterials, and more importantly we are beginning to find that we

are simultaneously and unknowingly wiping our our colonies of healthy

bacteria from the gut.

 These disruptions of the species composition of the intestinal flora can

result in an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, aggravation of candida

or yeast infections, as well as a host of chronic diseases such as

Obesity, Crohn’s disease, Colitis, Atherosclerosis and even Autism.

After any course of antibiotics it is important to help recolonize the

healthy bacteria and intestinal flora.

Scientists have shown that fecal transplants in which a stool from a

healthy donor is inserted into an infected patient can re-establish a

healthy colony of bacteria.

For most of us however, the process of recolonizing the gut with

beneficial bacteria can be aided by a good colon cleansing program

followed by a course of probiotics, and a diet supplemented with

fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha and home made

yoghurt . All of which can help rebalance the delicate microbial

ecosystems and ensure that the healthy bacteria are doing their

important work within the body.

 You have 100 trillion bacterial ‘friends’ in and on your body helping you

to digest food, protecting you against pathogens, providing essential

nutrients and training your immune system for vibrant health.

 

As Professor Jeroen Raes says, “Take care of your friends..”