this represents really fertile ground for researchers who hypothesize that dysfunction within the gut microbiota, associated with altered diets, may affect the gut-brain axis and could be implicated in the development of mental illness and neurodevelopment disorders like autism.7
For integrative Functional Medicine, these are exciting times, with exciting implications for areas of disease that have so far struggled to make headway with conventional drug treatments. Bottom line – eat more veg, to look after your friendly bugs who in turn will look after you!
1 Collins F (2014) Not Sterile After All: The Placenta’s Microbiome. National Institutes of Health. Online: http://directorsblog.nih.gov/2014/05/28/
2 Aagaard K et al., (2014) The placenta harbours a unique microbiome. Science Translational Medicine 6(237):237ra65
3 Suez J et al., (2014) Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota
5 Kouris-Blazos A & Itsiopoulos C. (2014) Low all-cause mortality despite high cardiovascular risk in elderly Greek-born Australians: attenuating potential of diet? Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 23(4):532-44.
6 Ochoa-Repáraz J et al., (2011) Gut, bugs, and brain: role of commensal bacteria in the control of central nervous system disease. Annals of Neurology 69(2):240-7.