Can gut bacteria improve your health?
- May 26, 2015
- / William Rabb
- / training-development
For more than seven decades now, Americans have turned routinely to antibiotics, even when we knew the medicines wouldn't help.
We've also relied increasingly on C-section childbirth and an abundance of hand sanitizer everywhere we go.
But new research suggests that all three of these pillars of modern life may be having unintended consequences in ways we never dreamed of just a few years ago.
Studies show that the microbiome — the ecosystem in our intestines — plays a much larger role in a wide range of conditions and diseases, including obesity, diabetes, asthma, allergies, psychological disorders and more.
Antibiotic medications, while fighting some diseases, also may be wiping out species of gut bacteria that help the human body process carbohydrates.
What does that mean in practical terms?
[caption id="attachment_23919" align="alignright" width="245"]
Dr. Roger Orth[/caption]
Without natural childbirth, many beneficial microbes aren't passed on to infants. And frequent hand-washing, while killing off bad germs, also diminishes helpful ones, according to several recently published studies.
As one recent national news report put it, most Americans' digestive tracts look like barren deserts compared with the lush rainforest found in the guts of a recently discovered tribe of indigenous people in South America.
While much more study needs to be done, some local physicians are paying close attention to this growing field of research.
An upcoming series of podcasts hosted by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition later this year, will delve into these findings. And Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on BLAB-TV, Pensacola gasteroenterologist Dr. Roger Orth will discuss the topic with Ken Ford, CEO/director of IHMC, who has studied the issue.
"Sweet Home Microbiome" is the name of the episode, and Orth said he will talk about how people can regulate their microbiome, and will discuss new medications that affect disorders linked to it.
Dr. Roger Orth[/caption]
Without natural childbirth, many beneficial microbes aren't passed on to infants. And frequent hand-washing, while killing off bad germs, also diminishes helpful ones, according to several recently published studies.
As one recent national news report put it, most Americans' digestive tracts look like barren deserts compared with the lush rainforest found in the guts of a recently discovered tribe of indigenous people in South America.
While much more study needs to be done, some local physicians are paying close attention to this growing field of research.
An upcoming series of podcasts hosted by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition later this year, will delve into these findings. And Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on BLAB-TV, Pensacola gasteroenterologist Dr. Roger Orth will discuss the topic with Ken Ford, CEO/director of IHMC, who has studied the issue.
"Sweet Home Microbiome" is the name of the episode, and Orth said he will talk about how people can regulate their microbiome, and will discuss new medications that affect disorders linked to it.
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