The microbiome is an amazing, ever changing community that lives right alongside us, yet we never noticed until now. It is what helps us to function, and protects us against infections that otherwise would be deadly to us. There has been a huge increase in research involving the microbiome in the past few years, but much of it still remains unsolved. In this weeks blog, I am looking at two different parts of the body’s microbiota, the lungs and gut. These bacteria can help determine medical treatment and how the body functions.
One study showed that gut bacteria affects how the colon moves. This in turn affects digestion, which is a process that is essential to our health. Without it, we would not be able to get all the nutrients that we need to survive. These bacteria are also key in maintaining bowel movement and ensuring that chronic inflammation does not occur. If the bacteria gets off-kilter, it can cause long term digestion problems that are not easy to fix, and can be very painful to manage. It’s crazy to think that such small organisms play such a big role in our daily lives, and ensure that we can function properly. Even the colon, which is a muscle that once was thought to be controlled by the brain, relies heavily on the presence of good bacteria in order to function.
Another study looked into how the lung microbiome affected how patients responded to treatment. It found that patients with a higher amount of bacteria did not respond as well to treatment and had to spend more days in the ICU. Bacteria that was normally found in the gut caused problems to worsen when they were in the lungs. Those who had pneumonia had a higher percentage of bacteria, which makes sense because pneumonia is caused by bacteria. It’s very interesting to me because we usually think of lungs as sterile places, but they actually contain a diverse community of bacteria that can easily be thrown off. Research in the future could look into how the presence of these bacteria affects responses to medication, and develop better treatment for diseases. The microbiome is truly a diverse and fascinating place of study.
Fluffy Cows 