Why I Want To Study Gut Microbiology

The relationship between the human gut microbiome to health and disease is strong. Human physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function are all affected by the composition of the gut. If the composition of the gut microbiome is altered in a way that any of these functions are negatively affected, this can lead to disease. The developments of the microbiome, its complexity, and its functionality in health and disease have been extensively studied. In addition, the way in which it is altered has many implications in the cause of diseases, such as bowel disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

Unique microbiota could suggest a human’s current health or if there is any forthcoming chronic disease (Ley, 2006). Families with shared healthy microbes may be able to help relatives who suffer from gastrointestinal disease; but the extant to which the microbiome is shared across generations is not readily known and more research is needed. The core trends for current research revolve around control of obesity, treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s, and hormonal manipulation in cases of depression. It is imperative to learn to eat for optimal health, to evolve along with the commensals (Turner et al., 2013) as human diets influence diversity of microbes present (Ley et al., 2008). This is a relatively new field with exciting prospects of positive outcomes for some of society’s more chronic

Gut microbiome is one of the densest, most dynamic, and complex microorganism populations located in the body (Costa et al., 2012). Gut microbes act against transient pathogens, aid in digestion and absorption, stimulate the immune system, and support enteroctyes (Suchodoiski et al., 2012). Gut microbiome population differs between species, individuals, and organs (Fraga et al., 2011). It is noted that there are one billion microbes from one drop of cecal fluid, consisting of anaerobic microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and archae (Fraga et al., 2012). If these microbes are changed, this could result in gastrointestinal disease and even death. Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficle, Escherichia coli general and K-12, and Streptococcus bovis/equinus complex (SBEC) are common bacteria found in the microbiome of the hindgut. These strains are considered opportunistic bacteria, and if the immune system becomes compromised by changes to the hindgut microbiome, this will trigger proliferation of harmful and opportunistic bacteria that can cause numerous gastrointestinal

It’s amazing how in sync our bodies are when it comes to keeping us healthy. To maintain optimal health all the systems within your body need to work closely together and support each other, if something is off balance it not only impact that specific area but symptoms can show up all over the body.

The use of the first form of microbe-based therapeutics, probiotics, is beneficial for preventing disease. These live microorganisms are known to strengthen the equilibrium of the gut flora by the development of healthy gut

Research was conducted comparing the intestinal bacteria of obese and thin people, which showed that microbes in the thin individuals intestines where much more diverse than that of an obese individuals. Studies showed that thin individuals

These diseases are more common in affluent, Western countries, and are also seen in immigrants to these countries. According to the hygiene hypothesis, many childhood diseases can be attributed to too clean of an environment. (Neu, 2011). The human body is made up of 100 trillion cells. There are 10 times this many intestinal microorganisms. Estimations project that there are 100 times as many genes in aggregate of intestinal flora than there are in the human genome. These bacteria are basically like a vital organ when considering their metabolic function. Gut bacteria promote the intestinal mucosal immune system. Microorganisms and humans have developed a co-dependence. Microorganisms react to the drastically changing environment with increased inflammatory responses such as psychological stress, inappropriate diet (specifically the exponential increase of processed food), toxins, and cesarean delivery. The extent of chronic inflammatory disorders is potentially far larger than previously assumed including allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmunity, vascular disease, depression, anxiety, cancer, and possibly type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. Children delivered by CD have a much higher chance to have celiac disease and gastroenteritis. Gut bacteria police their environment with toll-like receptors and pattern recognition. Gut flora influences oral

The gut microbiota encompasses trillions of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract (Carding et al. 2015). The composition of the gut microbiota is constantly evolving and can be susceptible to both endogenous and exogenous modifications (Carding et al. 2015). The microbiota

The research in this article focuses on gut bacteria found in people from different cultures and how this can negatively impact us. At the end of the article, Zimmer explains that Americans, residing in a western society, have microbes in the gut that attack the body. He explains that this is because of the carbohydrates attacking the body when not given enough dietary fiber. This problem is not found in foraging cultures because of their seasonally changing food source which positively impacts their body. This is an important discovery of gut bacteria in western culture because now researchers can underscore the importance of dietary fiber in modern industrialized societies with enough evidence to back up their claims. This can also provide insight on how diets in western societies can adapt and change to improve the health and well-being of its people.

The human gut microbiota has become the subject of researches in recent years and our knowledge of the resident species and their potential functional capacity is rapidly growing. Our gut harbors a complex community of over 100 trillion microbial cells. Therefore, our gut microbiota evolves with us and plays a pivotal role in human health and disease. This has clear effects on physiologic, immunologic, and metabolic processes in human health, aberrations in the gut microbiome and intestinal homeostasis have the capacity for multisystem effects. Changes in microbial composition are implicated in the increasing for a broad range of inflammatory diseases, such as allergic disease, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, and associated

I want to major in Biology/Pre-Med because I have ulcerative colitis and I want to find a cure for this disease.I will need to become a dotor particularly a gastroenerologist. Thankfully, my ulcerative colitis is mild, but my life was chaotic for a few years. If it had been any worse, I am sure my life would have been ruined. Whenever I have an appointment, I notice the younger children who live with devastating forms of this disease. Living with any gastrointestinal disorder is a nightmare, and watching babies who have never lived a healthy life is exhausting considering when I complain even though I was diagnosed only five years ago. With this in mind, I decided to become a gastroenterologist. Although, I would focus more on researching any

Over two-thirds of adults, or nearly 69 percent are considered overweight or obese. Of those, more than one-third are considered to be obese, while more than 1 in 20 are classified with extreme obesity.1 The main causes of these overwhelming rates of overweight and obesity are all too familiar: an unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle and to a lesser extent perhaps genes play a role as well. In recent years, however, researchers have become increasingly focused on a potential additional contributor to the obesity epidemic that lives inside us all: billions and billions of gut microbes or microbiota.2

Did you know that there are more than a thousand different types of different tiny organisms called microbiota living inside your digestive system? Most people are probably grossed out by that, but it’s actually a good thing. The organisms break down food that our bodies can’t so that we can get nutrients from it. The article Gut biogeography of the bacterial microbiota explains that there are a lot of factors that affect the lives of the microbiota inside our digestive system. What we eat is a big factor that affects how microbiota live. When we were babies and drank breast milk, our microbiota used the nutrients from the milk to outlive other bacteria that could have been harmful to us. Experiments done to prove this were called

Bacteria, fungi, viruses and other organisms that make up the digestive system of our body actually outnumber the quantity of our cells. Over time research has made clear that these small organisms play a very important role in our health - both physically and mentally. All these microbes that inhabit our body are called microbiome, and they are estimated to weigh between two to six pounds. Most of these microbes live in our gut and intestines and they help us digest food, incorporate vitamins, and fight infections. Recent studies have revealed that bacteria in our digestive system not only affect our physical health, but it also plays a major role in our mental health. Gut microbiome has been linked to a range of complex behaviors, such

These complex communities play an important role in health and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. The microbiota living symbiotically with their host are generally non-pathogenic and have evolved with humans in order to combat colonization by harmful bacteria while extracting energy from non-digestible polysaccharides. There are many factors that contribute to the stability of the gut microbiome. Typically, the gut microbiome is established at birth and differs with mode of delivery (vaginally vs. cesarean) [7,9]. Therefore, the manner in which a child is born influences the composition of bacteria. Other factors include host environment, genetics and lifestyle, the latter of which is the focus of this proposal [8,16]. The gut flora are beneficial to humans as they provide essential nutrients while also acting as an adaptive immune system [7, 23]. Research has suggested that antigens released from gut microbiota can be absorbed and infiltrate adipose tissue, thereby worsening chronic inflammation and oxidative stress associated with obesity [23]. Therefore, identifying the specific microbiome of an individual can be diagnostic of metabolic disorders [8] and may contribute to impaired endothelium-mediated