Introducing the Microbiome and its Capabilities – Part 1

Dear Friends:

Here’s something to think about. 

If we consider our physical human body that’s contained within our human form, is the sum of our cells, remarkably, we all would have to claim in being slightly less than half-human!  Why?

For the 30 trillion cells or so that make our bodies with our DNA, there are even more metabolically active, health-crucial bacterial cells in our GI tract called the “microbiome” with their own DNA–not ours, but still profoundly interacting with ours as the host.

Humans have co-evolved with the trillions of microbes that we need in a complex adaptive ecosystem relationship that is finely balanced and tuned to help define and even change or influence host physiology and health status.

The gut-biome has been referred to as the “forgotten organ”. 

However, like your fingerprints, each of us have our own unique profile and composition that consists of various vacillating ratios of potentially a couple of thousand different species and subspecies of gut bacteria. 

More and more research indicate that this relationship is immensely impactful on our immune system and metabolism, not only helping to influence our body composition and vitality, but even affecting our brain chemistry, skin health, protection against toxins, and mental health.

Amazingly, as an example, first observed in rat studies, some relatively recent research demonstrates that if certain characteristic strains of gut bacteria from a “skinny” subject, is transplanted as the microbiome donor  into an obese subject’s GI tract,  the  accepting subject with the implanted microbiome can actually change and convert  its cellular metabolism and ultimately body composition.

Also, vice versa.

How does this happen? 

It’s being intensely researched in trying not only to better understand this remarkable phenomenon but also a way in finding new strains of probiotics that offer unique health and metabolic contributions to the host that can be important in diabetes and other forms of chronic degenerative diseases. 

The transference of characteristics seems to be coming from the messenger RNA from various species strains within the microbiome to the host that can influence the kinds of gene expression of intracellular proteins that largely impact a cell’s biochemistry and metabolism. 

Human twin data provide additional evidence to support the hypothesis that the classes of microbiome species impact host energetics. 

Using 16S rRNA data from both monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, Turnbaugh and colleagues (2009), found greater than 300 microbial genes associated with obesity-related manifestation to the relative abundance and shift in the bacterial classifications of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. This shift appears to be associated with obesity in mice that can influence carbohydrate and other metabolic pathway activity and is being studied now in humans.

Our earliest bacterial flora ratios happen most optimally through the event of vaginal birthing as the initial source of inoculation and further supported through nursing.

From then on, it’s largely in our hands to enhance, maintain, ignore or abuse our incredible microbiome balance based on our diet, level of stress, medications, drugs, physical activity, ingestion of toxins, and lifestyle decisions.

A core and varied plant-based diet rich in botanical actives, fiber, fruits, vegetables, grains, essential fats, and lipids, is very vital to a healthy microbiome and also helps to keep the role of the gut endocannabinoid system healthy, which is of crucial importance to the health and vitality of one’s immune system.

Coupling these above dietary recommendations with a smart supplement program, including probiotics and prebiotics, can make for an excellent baseline strategy to better optimize your microbiome throughout your life.