Over the last couple of years, we have all been exposed to far-reaching messages that were created with only one goal in mind: to keep us from getting sick from COVID-19. Oversimplified, this has left us to believe that all microorganisms are bad for our health and well-being. This concept has caused an unparalleled shift in our perception, one that is simply not true.
An understanding of the relationship between our bodies and the microscopic organisms that inhabit our environment and our bodies is extremely important relative to understanding our own health and wellness.
The vast majority of microorganisms that we encounter in our interactions with our environment each and every day are either harmless or actually beneficial to our overall health. Meanwhile, it is true that there ARE classes of microorganisms that are pathological (cause diseases) in humans and other animals. However, even the problematic bacteria and viruses that we are exposed to can contribute to our our (hopefully) immune system’s health, creating “immune memory” to fight them off and create antibodies to a particular invader.
As you can see, the topic that I have chosen for this article is deep. It is also broad, because there are many facets to it. It may also be considered controversial, evoking emotional responses from some who have been adversely affected by our recent pandemic outbreak. Thus, I would like to confine my discussion today to the “good” microorganisms that reside in our bodies. More specifically: those that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract or what is more commonly referred to as our gut.
The scientific term that is commonly used to describe this varied group of microorganisms is the “microbiome.” A microbiome is the community of microorganisms (such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses) that exists in a particular environment. I promise you that it is worth your time to learn about your intestinal microbiome’s ability to impact your physical, neurological, and mental health.
WHY I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS TOPIC
My major in college was biology. In order to help fund my education, I took part in the college’s Work Study Program. I worked in various positions, such as in the cafeteria washing dishes and on the grounds crew mowing the lawns and pruning trees and bushes. My ultimate goal was to work in the micro-lab. (No, it wasn’t an extremely small laboratory; it was the microbiology laboratory.) I finally secured this position in my senior year, and I was able to learn a lot about the viruses and bacteria that inhabit our world and our bodies.
Upon graduation, I was able to secure a position in a microbiology lab of a manufacturing facility. During that time, while working on my master’s degree at night, I took a course in cell culture. In that lab, we actually grew human tissue. So, my interest in the microbiology started early in my career and has stayed with me for all these years.
THE MIRACLE INSIDE
Here is a comparison to give you an idea of the scope and complexity of the microbiome topic:
The human body is made up of trillions of cells. These cells are divided into about 200 different types, each with its own particular function and purpose and its own specific structure, size, shape, and a unique set of internal components. Examples include red blood cells, muscle cells, adipose cells (fat cells), and neurons (nerve cells). According to Biology Dictionary, scientists estimate that the average body contains 37 trillion cells. Meanwhile, the number of microorganisms that inhabit our gut (a.k.a. the intestinal microbiome) could be up to 100 trillion. That’s nearly 3 times the number of cells in the entire human body.
Researchers have identified 750,000 different genes in the human intestinal microbiome. That is 30 times the number of genes in the entire human genome.
Healthy adult humans each typically harbor more than 1,000 species of bacteria. So, you can see that the intestinal microbiome is an important component of our body’s overall make up.
The microorganisms that reside in the gut are of varied types and serve multiple purposes. Further, the interactions that we share with these bacteria, viruses, and fungi would be called a “symbiotic relationship.” Symbiosis is defined as a close and usually obligatory association of two organisms of different species that live together, often to their mutual benefit. So, in other words we benefit from the relationship and so do the microbes that inhabit our intestinal tract. However, I have always said that I believe that we get the best end of the deal. You decide as we discuss what we gain by having a healthy microbiome.
I cannot say this better than the authors of an article published in the January 31, 2015 journal Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. They describe the gut flora (or intestinal microbiome) in this way: “The human microbiome is composed of bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotic microbes that reside in and on our bodies. These microbes have tremendous potential to impact our physiology, both in health and in disease. They contribute metabolic functions, protect against pathogens” (bad bacteria), “educate the immune system, and, through these basic functions, affect directly or indirectly most of our physiologic functions.”
Archaea may be a term that you have never heard before. These are a specific group of microorganisms that reside in our gut. While they are similar to bacteria, they differ in specific ways from bacteria. For example, although they are microscopic (i.e., cannot be seen with the naked eye) their size and shape are different than bacteria. They also generate energy differently, and they produce biological methane. The important thing to remember is that they are a part of our gut flora or microbiota.
So, what do all of these little microorganisms residing in our gut actually do for us? They are an integral part of our digestive process. Without them we would not be able to digest and breakdown certain indigestible foods and absorb the nutrients contained in those food particles.
ESSENTIAL TO PROPER HEALTH
We are omnivores, meaning that we consume both animal and plant-based foods. However, we can only break down certain plant-based carbohydrates. That is where our intestinal flora or microbiota come in. This is also why a broad spectrum of different microorganisms is essential to proper health. This fact was recently elucidated through research conducted and published in the journal Nature. These researchers demonstrated that our ability to digest carbohydrates is restricted to only a small group of simple carbohydrates (sugars).
Two examples of those simple carbohydrates are lactose and sucrose. However, a specific group of bacteria (Bacteriodes ovatus) that should reside in our microbiome produce the enzymes that are necessary to break down what would be otherwise indigestible fiber (polysaccharides) into what are called “short-chain fatty acids,” which we can digest. These specific carbohydrates provide up to 10% of our daily caloric intake. Other members of the microbial community that should reside in our gut are responsible for what is called the “saccharification and fermentation” of these complex carbohydrates that we would not be able to digest without them. And therefore, we would not be able to receive the nutrients from those complex carbohydrates, or if you would prefer the “indigestible dietary fiber,” that we consume.
You see this “symbiotic” relationship allows us to compensate for the paucity (insufficiency) of enzymes that we are able to produce ourselves in our digestive tract without the aid of our microbiota. So, to derive the energy/nutrients from the dietary fiber that we consume, we are totally dependent on a healthy and broad compliment of microorganisms in our bowel, our microbiome.
The importance of the gut microbiome in regard to proper digestion and nutrition, particularly the absorption of specific nutrients is well known and accepted. But how about other functions of these microorganisms on our physical and mental health?
Stay tuned. I’ll tell you in our next issue.