The Microbiome - Find out who is inside you

Our body has ten times more microbes than our cells.  These microbes are everywhere in the air, on our phones, and in every single thing that is around us and within us.  They are accepted and welcomed as invisible guests by our bodies.

And 90% of the cells in our body are bacterial cells than the human cells, so we are more bacteria than humans.

Putting this in a more biological term, the total microorganisms and their collective genetic material present in or on the human body is called the human microbiome.

 

So, Where did they come from? Why are they present? What exactly they do in our bodies? Are they good or bad?

Answering all these questions, it all started when we first entered this world through our mother. 

Our mother's vagina harbors a huge microsystem of several bacteria that constantly undergoes fluctuations throughout her life.

Our very first microbes are received from our mother's vagina during birth.  These microbes enter into the intestine and lay a strong foundation for the rest of our lives.  The mother's milk containing antibodies helps to feed, support the microbes for build up a healthy immune system.

If in the case of C-section delivery, these microbes are received from the mother's skin but lack a strong foundation like in normal delivery.  Because of this 1 out of 3 babies possesses a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases, immune diseases, asthma, leukemia in the future. 

"However, it nearly takes up the first two complete years for developing a healthy microbial community in our body."

As we grow up, we pick up new microbes to develop a more specialized microbial community in different parts of the body like the skin, mouth, nose, gut, mucous membranes, vagina depending on our environment, the people around us, medications we take, body illnesses and the food we eat.  

"Every human being has a unique microbiome made up of bacteria viruses, fungi, and other organisms. " 

We have learned to live with these microbes, in and on us where some are friendly offering protection from intruders, like the skin microbes helping in wound healing, some harm our body like the bacteria causing cavities by producing acid in our mouth, and some are just present to take up space.  

"The food we eat has a huge impact on the microbes we develop throughout our lives."

Our guts are teeming metropolises of interacting microbes that help break down and digests food. Every person has a unique gut microbial community based on the food they eat. The gut microbes produce chemical molecules that are sent as signals to the brain which in turn triggers the craving for the type of food we eat. So, if we eat greeny vegetables, the microbes breed veggie-loving good microbes. 

If we eat oily and greasy foods, the microbes breed fat-loving microbes. In this case, the brain signals instruct the microbes only to crave more and more fatty food, which can turn out to be the reason for blocked arteries, increased cholesterol leading to obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and other health issues.

"Microbes make up about 1.5 kilograms of the human body weight."

A gross yet astonishing clinical procedure called Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is performed using feces of healthy human donors which is introduced into the colon of an infected patient. 

"The microbes in the feces of a healthy person breed more healthy microbes in the infected person's gut to develop a healthy gut microbiome."

This method was already used to cure severe diarrhea. But it resulted in complex interplay.  As the feces was taken from an overweight person, it ended up leaving the infected person becoming overweight down the line even after curing diarrhea. 

However, to resolve this, the feces was taken from a slim person and injected into an obese person.  Fortunately, the obese person's gut microbiome became more diverse and the person became less sensitive to the insulin that contributes to less food craving, less sugar intake, weight loss, controlled diabetes, and a healthy body. 

Also, the same results were found when only the microbes from the feces were cultured and transplanted instead of directly transplanting the feces.  This could help to skip the full-on fecal transplantation and encourage patients to take up this procedure.

Another astonishing aspect is our gut-brain relationship. 

"The diet we follow has a huge impact on our thoughts, emotions, behavior, and health."  

This can be the messed-up stress inside or having a gut feeling or the butterflies in our stomach. 

The microbes in the gut can affect the production of specific messengers in the body. 

For example, about 80% of our body's serotonin ( a chemical that influences mood) is made in the gut.  The changes in the number of microbes that produce serotonin can have a big effect on the overall production levels of serotonin in our body and could possibly affect brain function.  Also a lot of drugs prescribed for anxiety and depression affect serotonin signaling in the brain.

However, researchers are still getting more into the nitty-gritty of this relationship between the brain and the gut.

Moving down to the male penile microbiome, it is less diverse than the vaginal microbiome but unique in every man depending upon his age, sexual activity, and circumcision. 

The men's penile microbiome can sometimes be used to predict vaginal infections that are transmitted to the female partner during sexual intercourse. Using these microbes, vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases are developing.

As the urogenital tracts (bladder, urethra) are in touch with the reproductive organ, they also inhabit the penile microbes. 

 

"The future for microbiome work is just limitless!"

Antibiotic treatments based on microbes for mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, personalized nutrition for individuals based on their blood parameters, dietary habits, physical activity are developing.

Antimicrobial Cosmetology treatments are the future go-to therapies for acne, eczema, wrinkling, sagging, and other dermatological issues. 

Some researchers are also trying to figure out how specific kinds of microbes are affecting our complex system and how we can tailor our microbiomes to maximize the health benefits is the biggest future approach.

"Microbes are the ones who greatly outnumbered us, and may eventually destroy us."

Sometimes microbes can indeed become an invisible danger to the human system. Opportunistic pathogens that come outside of the body can cause infection during injury or weakened immunity.

Coronavirus is the trending example that destroyed the human population!

Wrapping this up, 

"As much as the microbiome needs us, we need them too!"

Hence, it is very much important to nurture and harness our microbes to keep up peace, maintain health, personal identity, and well-being.  Also, you better eat good food next time to keep up your pleasant mood!!!!

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