Most people are aware that the human body is filled and covered with trillions of bacteria, they outnumber our own cells 10 to 1 and we symbiotically co-exist – with an absolute interdependence. And yet the perception that bacteria are bad persists. Well of course some are, but many aren’t, read on to find out just what a valuable role they play in our lives.
Microbes inhabit different tissue niches within our anatomy as well as organ specific sites, and these various Microbiomes are generating a huge amount of research at the moment, enabled by new DNA technology. Microbial species that have evolved over millennia, and are much older than human life, have adapted to include us in their ecosystem and cross-talk and migrate within the body. Phyla that hang out on the skin can also be found in the gut and though we used to think of the uterus as a sterile environment, we now see that maternal microbes move into the placenta and guts of embryos prior to birth, it’s not just the delivery route of newborns that transfers maternal bacteria.1,2 The arrival of bacteria in the new-born gut is essential to the full development of a balanced immune system.3
An American study (2014) involving 64,000 kids who’d taken antibiotics in the first 2 years of life, showed a significant associated increased risk of obesity to age 5, due to altered gut flora resulting from the antibiotics. Other studies show risk of allergy and asthma rises in children after antibiotics.
Recent research has also shown how non-caloric artificial sweeteners will alter the microbial ecology in the gut, and drive the development of glucose intolerance, raising risk of metabolic disease and diabetes.3 Artificial sweeteners are designed to pass through the gut without being digested, but nobody anticipated their effect on our gut microbes, enhancing the exact epidemic they were designed to halt.
There can be no doubt that modern behaviour and modern diets are altering the microbial ecology of humans. Proponents of the hygiene hypothesis know that a sterile environment growing up, increases risk of allergy as it’s the bugs that educate and keep our immune response balanced and appropriate.2 ‘Nurture your Microbiome’, could become the best piece of advice that a health practitioner gives, because it transpires they don’t just hitch a ride, our microbes aid detoxification, contribute nutritionally, inform the immune system, influence mental health and when imbalances occur, can not only influence our propensity to gain weight, their absence – post antibiotic use – has repercussions for the gut’s barrier function leading to inflammation – which underpins all chronic disease.1
The last 50 years has witnessed an explosion of antibiotic use, both as medicinal prescriptions but also in the food chain. Don’t get me wrong, clearly antibiotics have their place, they revolutionised twentieth century control of infection, but balance is required now with antibiotic resistant pathogens evolving faster than ever. In addition, antibiotics exact a high price in the gut, with collateral damage to our microbial friends, so what are the repercussions of this?
Microbes hang out in the mucous layer as guardians of our gut’s ’barrier’ function. This allows dietary nutrients through, while keeping out unwanted intruders and undigested foods. So if antibiotics have disrupted the microbes and therefore this barrier function, it can result in more permeable intestines.
An overly ‘leaky-gut’ where passport control is less than effective will not only activate the immune system, the increased flow of toxins and antigens to the liver can potentially overload its detoxification capabilities. This can produce headaches and might exacerbate skin conditions, and I’ve no doubt the chemicals absorbed through our skin, from our lotions and potions add to the liver’s burden, whilst also affecting the surface skin’s microbiome. Have a look at the long list of unpronounceable chemical ingredients in your favourite body lotion. We absorb much of that and expect our poor old liver to deal with it, and that