For more than 200,000 years, humans were foragers, consuming large amounts of fibrous plant material and evolving with gut microbiota which was well-adapted to utilise this ancestral diet. (1)
During industrialisation however, the gut microbiota was subjected to numerous insults, leading to two significant and detrimental changes:
1. A loss of diversity. Researchers confirm the compounded effects of reduced microbiota-accessible fibres, chlorinated water, antibiotics and other environmental pressures, has led to a loss of more than half the microbial diversity found in traditional populations. (2)
2. A microbiome and human genome miss-match. New research suggests our gut microbiota is rapidly evolving in an attempt to cope the industrialised diet. This rapid adaptation is in stark contrast to the much more slowly evolving human genome. The result is an incompatibility between adapted gut microbiota and human hosts. (1)
The combination of loss of diversity and incompatible microbiota, scientists suspect is a significant driver in the emergence of chronic conditions such as: (1,2)
How can we create more compatible and resilient microbial ecosystems?
Specific probiotics strains derived from minimally disturbed traditional communities, may hold the key. Research suggests unique strains are capable of remodelling industrialised microbiota, to become more compatible with our human genome and improve microbial diversity. (1,3)
In conjunction with healthy dietary changes, restoration of our gut microbiome may promise improved immune health, metabolic balance and a reduction in mood disorders. (1-4)
References:
During industrialisation however, the gut microbiota was subjected to numerous insults, leading to two significant and detrimental changes:
1. A loss of diversity. Researchers confirm the compounded effects of reduced microbiota-accessible fibres, chlorinated water, antibiotics and other environmental pressures, has led to a loss of more than half the microbial diversity found in traditional populations. (2)
2. A microbiome and human genome miss-match. New research suggests our gut microbiota is rapidly evolving in an attempt to cope the industrialised diet. This rapid adaptation is in stark contrast to the much more slowly evolving human genome. The result is an incompatibility between adapted gut microbiota and human hosts. (1)
The combination of loss of diversity and incompatible microbiota, scientists suspect is a significant driver in the emergence of chronic conditions such as: (1,2)
- mood disorders
- immune dysfunction
- chronic inflammation
- obesity
How can we create more compatible and resilient microbial ecosystems?
Specific probiotics strains derived from minimally disturbed traditional communities, may hold the key. Research suggests unique strains are capable of remodelling industrialised microbiota, to become more compatible with our human genome and improve microbial diversity. (1,3)
In conjunction with healthy dietary changes, restoration of our gut microbiome may promise improved immune health, metabolic balance and a reduction in mood disorders. (1-4)
References:
- Sonnenburg, J. L., & Sonnenburg, E. D. (2019). Vulnerability of the industrialized microbiota. Science, 366(6464), eaaw9255. doi:10.1126/science.aaw9255
- Bello, M. G. D., Knight, R., Gilbert, J. A., & Blaser, M. J. (2018). Preserving microbial diversity. Science, 362(6410), 33–34. doi:10.1126/science.aau8816
- He, B., et al. (2019). Lactobacillus reuteri Reduces the Severity of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice by Modulating Gut Microbiota. Frontiers in immunology, 10, 385. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.00385
- Laitinen, K., & Mokkala, K. (2019). Overall dietary quality relates to gut microbiota diversity and abundance. International journal of molecular sciences, 20(8), 1835. doi.org/10.3390/ijms20081835
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