{"id":19652,"date":"2020-10-28T16:19:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T15:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gently.curaden.com\/?p=19652"},"modified":"2020-10-28T16:19:59","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T15:19:59","slug":"five-facts-about-our-microbiome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gently.curaden.com\/de\/?p=19652","title":{"rendered":"We are not alone. Five incredible facts about our microbiome and its vital role for our health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s instinctive to think that our bodies are fully independent; a perfect machine built with all that is necessary to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our organs execute all the crucial functions that we need \u2013 they enable us to breathe, assimilate food, pump blood into the veins… However, there is something in our body that is not \u201cpart of us\u201d, but which turns out to be incredibly important to the ways in which our bodies function: the unimaginable number of micro-organisms that reside on our skin, in our mouth, in our gut and in other parts of our body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rich and diverse microbial community \u2013 the human microbiome \u2013 has evolved alongside humans in a constant, mutual relationship: microbes are with us from the moment we are born until the moment we die, developing with us through all stages of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists are now revealing just how important this population of microbes is for our overall health and well-being, and suggesting ways in which we can take care of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Trillions of microbes live with us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scientists have classified more than 10,000 different species of micro-organisms populating our body, amongst which they\u2019ve estimated there is up to 100 trillion single micro-organisms. Some recent studies<\/a> have estimated that number at a lower approximation of around 30 trillion, but it is undoubtedly still a huge population \u2013 particularly when compared to the number of human cells in the body, which is \u201cjust\u201d 10 trillion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even from a genetic point of view the dimension of the microbiome is impressive, with approximately 3.3 million genes in the microbiome compared to the approximately 22,000 in the human genome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists and viruses are all different kinds of microbes that compose the wonderful community of our microbiome. They inhabit the different parts of the body \u2013 the mouth, the skin, the vagina, the uterus, and so on \u2013 spawning different sub-communities of the human microbiome. But definitely the largest community and probably the most important, is the gut microbiome<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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CEO recommends<\/h3>\n

A healthy mouth means a balanced body, and it is now time for oral health professionals to adopt a forward-thinking approach, rather than to merely focus on just mending teeth. Only through a healthy mouth can our bodies \u2013\u00a0as a whole \u2013 be healthy. Our goal in Curaden is to achieve a paradigm shift in the way the medical fraternity and health-interested public think. That\u2019s the reason we bring you articles and studies showing new approaches and revealing fascinating connections between oral and overall health.<\/p>\n

Ueli Breitschmid, CEO of Curaden<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

2. Our gut microbiome is just like another organ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our microbiome \u2013 especially the bacteria populating the gut \u2013 takes care of many tasks relevant to our well-being. For example, through fermentation, bacteria digest fibres that our small gut cannot break down, and synthesise vitamins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Dr. Daniela Weiler, oncologist at the Lucerne Hospital and specialist of nutritional medicine, states in a Curaden Academy webinar on the microbiome and nutrition<\/a>, \u201cgut bacteria can manufacture about 95% of the body\u2019s supply of serotonin,\u201d which regulates our mood. The microbiome also communicates with our immune system, has an impact on metabolism and \u2013 when not well balanced \u2013 can influence the development of diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as the start of the 1990s<\/a>, scientists started to refer to the gut microbiota as a virtual<\/em> or forgotten<\/em> organ. And \u201clike any other organ,\u201d as explained by microbiologist Fernando Baquero<\/a>, \u201cthe microbiome has physiology and pathology, and its individual health might be damaged when its collective population structure is altered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, unlike other organs, we still don\u2019t know a lot about it. In fact, even though thousands of research studies have already been carried out, the human microbiome is still an almost unexplored land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Diet, drugs and sport shape our microbiome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each gut microbiome has a fairly unique character, with 80% of its composition varying from person to person. Still, do we have any ability to influence which microbes are living in our intestines? Luckily, yes \u2013 to a certain extent \u2013 through nutrition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiments have shown that changing our diet can induce large, temporary shifts in our microbiota within 24 hours. More stable alterations happen in one week. Researchers from the University of California comprehensively described, in a paper published in the Journal of Translational Medicine<\/a>, how diets rich in plant proteins and fibres are linked to a more diverse and balanced microbiota, which definitely helps our health. Conversely, a diet high in animal protein and fat lowers the number of total bacteria and their diversity, leaving space for opportunistic microbes that lead to a higher risk of developing inflammation, to settle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Curaden Academy webinar on the microbiome and nutrition<\/a>, Dr. Daniela Weiler warns that the diversity of the gut microbiome is also negatively affected by drugs like antibiotics, antidepressants and laxatives, whereas physical activity and good oral health both have a positive impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Good microbes fortify our immune system and help our digestion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of the bacteria populating our gut represent a beneficial relationship to our body. Bifidobacterium<\/em> and Lactobacillus<\/em> are some of these good<\/em> bacteria (see an overview of the gut\u2019s bacterial genera and species here<\/a>). Digesting fibres that our small gut normally cannot break down, they manufacture particularly helpful byproducts for us: the short chain fatty acids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As described by scientists at the Imperial College of London<\/a>, \u201cthe short chain fatty acids produced primarily from the microbial fermentation of dietary fibre appear to be key mediators of the beneficial effects elicited by the gut microbiome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acetate<\/em>, propionate<\/em> and butyrate<\/em>, for example, are short chain fatty acids that trigger a stabilising effect on our immune system, lowering the inflammatory responses and promoting tolerance and homeostasis. Essentially, they balance the whole system. The short chain fatty acids <\/em>are also known for regulating food intake, helping us to control weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Up to 90% of all diseases are somehow influenced by the microbiome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If a balanced microbiome is our ally in staying healthy, a poorly balanced and less diverse microbiome is something we want to avoid: it increases the risk of inflammation and leaves space for other \u2013 less beneficial \u2013 pathogenic microbes to settle. In fact, as Dr. Daniela Weiler suggests in her webinar<\/a>, up to 90% of all diseases appear to be indirectly or directly linked to the microbiome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She describes how research studies have shown this connection. For example, an ill-composed gut microbiome is linked to a higher risk of \u201cincorrect\u201d, inflammatory responses in our immune system, which are the cause of autoimmune diseases. Chronic inflammation appears to also increase the risk of cancer, while other gut microbes have a more direct connection to cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obesity may also be linked to our microbes. It has been scientifically observed that obese and lean people have very different compositions of the gut microbiome. Researchers also found associations with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s disease, autism and psychiatric disorders such as depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other human communities of microbes \u2013 like the mouth microbiome \u2013 are also somehow linked to diseases. For example, scientists have detected the same bacteria associated with gum disease in both colon and pancreatic cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This article is part of a series about microbiota and its connection to all aspects of the human body, including oral health. If you would like to learn more about this topic, have a look at other articles from the series:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n