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The previous blog, Man’s
Miraculous Microbes, has raised many questions. Before answering them, let
me say that this information is based on very recent medical research, and
scientists have barely scratched the surface.
It’s a fascinating new science—our body being host to
trillions of living microbes, but also a most challenging one because these
microbes interact in a highly complex fashion that affects our health and
wellbeing, possibly even our mood. If this community of bacteria gets out of balance
or if we lack the right ones, serious problems can arise.
Much of the data comes from Michael Pollan’s in-depth
article in New York Times’ Magazine of May 15, 2013.
To answer your questions:
1.
How can
I ensure the best possible mircrobiome (bacteria) for my children?
Primarily by nursing a child. Mother’s milk contains nutrients that nourish not
only the baby, but also the baby’s vital bacteria, which was unknown until
recently. Caesarian delivery of a baby has disadvantages, because it deprives the
baby of important gut bacteria that it acquires while traveling through the
birth canal.
2.
Should
I worry when my child gets covered with mud or hugs our dog? Not at
all, unless your dog is sick or has worms. It enriches the child’s bacterial world that becomes more varied and
robust to fight off diseases. Apparently, when we live in the city away from
animals, plants and soil, we miss out on many beneficial bacteria and become
prone to autoimmune diseases and allergies.
3.
Why can’t
we live without microbes? Apparently we can’t. Microbes help us digest our
meals, they tell us when we’re hungry, and when we are full. They prevent the
intrusion of foreign bacteria and help us to adapt to our changing environment,
such as pollution and new toxins in food. In effect, some scientists are
sounding the alarm that due to industrialization, antibiotics and the sterility
of processed foods several of our bacteria have become extinct and our microbiome
is becoming increasingly impoverished, causing disorders, such as immune
deficiency diseases, asthma, allergies and Diabetes 2.
4.
I keep
gaining weight, what can I do? One important species of bacteria,
the H. pylori, has practically disappeared. It neutralizes the bacteria that urge
us to eat when we are hungry. When we have eaten enough, the H. pylori tell us
that we are full. Without it, we tend to keep eating, which may be the cause
for today’s widespread obesity.
5.
How can
we optimize good health? Good bacteria thrive on a varied and fiber-rich
diet, also on foods made with live cultures such as yogurt, and on fermented
foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi. It’s a good idea to keep our toothbrushes
at least six feet away from the toilet. Whenever we flush, large amounts of
bacteria are stirred up. “The world is covered with a fine patina of feces,”
says Stanford Microbiologist Stanley Falkow; house dust is no exception.
6.
Are
fiber supplements the answer? Probably not, because fiber is
not a single nutrient, there are hundreds of different polysaccharides. It’s
better to vary our diet and include different types of fiber—resistant starch fiber as in bananas,
oats and beans, soluble fiber as in
root vegetables such as onions, and insoluble
fiber as in bran, whole grains and avocados. It also matters how they are
prepared. Al dente pasta is
preferable to overcooked one; steel-cut oats are better than rolled; raw and
lightly cooked vegetables are better than well done.
7.
What
determines our microbiome? We acquire our first microbes from our mother
while traveling through the birth canal. Therefore, if possible, avoid having a
Caesarian. Mother’s milk provides the next set of good bacteria. Others are
picked up from our environment. A healthy community of microbes keeps foreign and
hostile bacteria away. Depending on the robustness of our gut bacteria, for
example, one food can make one person sick, but not an other.
8.
Why are
gut bacteria so important? Gut bacteria are instrumental in creating
serotonin, enzymes and vitamins, such as Bs and K. They not only influence our
immune system, but they may also regulate our stress levels. Experiments have
shown when gut microbes from an easy-going mouse were transplanted to an
anxious and nervous mouse, it became more relaxed and enterprising.
Gut
bacteria also regulate our appetite and digestion, and thus our metabolism.
Malnourished children may require more than food; they need to have their gut’s
microbial community rebalanced. (see 5.)
9.
Why do
antibiotics cause problems? Antibiotics have saved many lives. Yet they
should be used only if truly necessary, because they kill bad as well as good
bacteria and thus cause havoc in our bacterial world. They may even be the cause
for our gaining weight. Unfortunately, livestock is fed large quantities of
antibiotics today; as a consequence antibiotic microbes have been found in meat,
milk and surface water. Even hand sanitizers and chlorine washes for lettuce may
be suspect.
Probiotics
may be a good antidote when taking antibiotics, but it may not be prudent to
take them as a constant supplement. Too little is known about them. The
probiotic market is not regulated. When 14
products were tested, only one contained the exact species stated on the
label.
Processed
foods too are raising concern because of their sterility. Also, they contain
detergent-like ingredients such as lecithin, CMC, polysorbate 80 and Datem that
can lead to low-grade inflammations—a response of the immune system to a
perceived threat. Some researchers suspect that a majority, if not most, of
today’s chronic diseases are in fact inflammations originating in the gut. They
may lead to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes,
obesity and possibly some cancers.
Patrice
Cani at the University of Louvain in Brussels recently produced evidence of how
this is possible. He fed a high-fat, junk-food diet to mice. This noticeably
changed the microbiota in their gut—it also happens to humans when on a similar
diet. On closer examination, Cani discovered that the lining of their gut had
become permeable, allowing endotoxins to leak into the bloodstream. The result
was a low-grade inflammation that eventually led to metabolic syndrome.
Researchers suspect that the cause of most if not allchronic diseases may point
to the microbiota of the gut.
Industrialization
will continue to cause pollution, cities will cement over mother Earth, processing
will deplete our food and high technology is likely to expose us to increasing
levels of radiation. However, there’s no need to despair about the negative
aspects of our modern world. While we cannot turn back the clock, we can make sensible
choices; we can take good care our microbiome and nourish it well so it can do its
job to protect us and help us adjust to unavoidable changes. Indeed, we have the
choice of enjoying the best of both worlds.
Until
next time,
Rosi
