HUMAN MICROBIOMEHUMAN MICROBIOME AND HEALTH

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Human Microbiome is active in the digestion of our food and hence nutrition. It also influences our immune system through the production of a host of different metabolites which have an enormous influence, generally vital and positive, on our health. However, when our microbiome is in dysbiosis (a microbial imbalance due to the reduction in presence of beneficial bacteria being outcompeted by non-benefical or even pathogenic bacteria), it can result in complications and chronic diseases which can lead to serious conditions such as diabetes or heart and liver problems.

Digestion and Nutrition

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This is an area that is already well studied, and we know that without our gut microbes we cannot digest complex polysaccharides such as carbohydrates and proteins in meat and vegetables. The short chain fatty acids which include acetate, propionate, and butyrate, produced by bacteria in the gut during the fermentation of insoluble fibre, have been linked to health promoting effects, including a reduced risk of inflammatory diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Immunology

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Diabetesallergies, depressionIBS, certain cancers and also skin disease (atopic dermatitis and psoriasis) have all been shown to be linked to the presence of certain pathogens brought about by microbial dysbiosis. The gut is home to most of our immune cells and as such such there is continuous communication between them and our microbiome. If these lines of communication are broken, the door opens for pathogens that will benefit and disrupt. This very same imbalance can often invoke inflammation which exposes the intestinal wall to increased permeability, also known as “leaky gut” which is also associated with Crohn’s and Celiac disease.

Gut-brain axis

“The second brain” is always an interesting name for the gut and probably unrealistic in truth. However, what actually exists is a direct link between the brain and the gut via the vagus nerve, so he can be said that the gut microbiome and the brain are hard-wired to each other. What actually happens is that microbes produce neurotransmitters that communicate with the brain such as GABA (which controls neuronal excitability) and serotonin (which produces feelings of well-being and happiness). Mood disorders, depression, Parkinson’s disease and autism have all been linked thanks to studies with mice to show the influence of gut microbes.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of disease linked to the gut microbiome:

IBD
IBS
CELIAC DISEASE
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS
TYPE 1 DIABETES
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
OBESITY
TYPE 2 DIABETES
HYPERTENSION
ATHEROSCLEROSIS
COLORECTAL CANCER
ASD
ALZHEIMER’S
DEPRESSION
PARKINSON’S
CDI
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
CHILDHOOD ALLERGIC ASTHMA
ATOPIC DERMATITIS
PSORIASIS
NETHERTON'S SYNDROME