The Microbiome Part.2

Just to recap, there are trillions of non-human organisms within you, a couple pounds in total and they play key roles in ways that science and medicine are only now beginning to understand.

In the Caribbean, we have a tacit understanding of this microbiome: it’s why we have been up to a few years ago, a healthy and resilient people. Our children generally played outdoors, in the dirt or with the neighbour’s dog, we fed them breastmilk primarily and then raised them on produce from a friendly neighborhood vendor or livestock culled and prepared freshly for us on a Sunday morning.

There are vast swathes of our country that still live like this, but the trend ever increasingly is towards factory-raised animals and livestock, large-scale agriculture and a huge input of American-led ‘food’ via franchises and similar operations locally.

Given that the ‘gut’ where most of the microbiome resides, is the the engine of the human body, let’s look at what’s really in there. Firstly, there are between 500-1000 different species of bacteria with more than 3 million genes in your gut. You would be familiar with some such as Bi_ dobacterium bi_ dum or Lactobacillus as these commonly appear as supplements as well. One third of our gut is common to most people, but two-thirds is unique to us. That is the alarming part - that we are not just unique in looks or attributes but unique even in the non-human entities that live within us.

Professor Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute in Israel, conducted a study of 800 different persons who consumed identical meals while also tracking their physical activity, sleep habits, and bathroom activity. The results were interesting to say the least: people’s bodies react vastly differently to the same food input. So, while one person may be able to consume a large portion of French fries with no adverse glycemic (sugar) response, another person can’t. One possible explanation is the vast difference in our gut microbiome! It’s also important to remember that apart from the gut microbes that live within us, you also have microbes that live on us. The majority live on our skin, with the rest living in cavities like our outer ear and mucous membranes as well as on our eyes, scalp and other areas of the body. Have you ever wondered why you are more prone to eye infections with contact lenses? The American Society for or Microbiology’s 2015 meeting revealed this: “Speci_ cally, contact-wearers had higher numbers of four species: Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter, Methylobacterium, and Pseudomonas. This microbiome disruption could explain why people who wear contacts are more likely to get some kinds of eye infections, including corneal ulcers, which, incidentally, have been linked to Pseudomonas bacteria... Infections often come when people don’t take proper care of their lenses — sleeping in them overnight, or not cleaning them well or often enough.” While bacteria make up 60% of the dry mass of your stool (which shows exactly how much of that bacteria is in you!) and most of the components of the colon, it’s not the only thing that lives with you.

You would be alarmed to know that some things within you have already decided the diseases you will have in a few years, or the length of time you may be alive. So, we really should get to know them.

Next week, we look deeper at that world, within us.

This advice is culled from dozens of books, medical studies, discussions with professionals and experience. Always consult your doctor, your nutritionist or preferred health advisor before starting any health changes. Most of all, listen to your body.