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A microbiome, or microbiota, is defined as the community of various types of microbes that live within an organism.
WHAT IS THE MICROBIOME?
The Microbiome
The ratio of the amount of microbes to cells in our bodies is 10:1. The fact of the matter is we are more them than we are us.
There are clusters of microbes that reside in different places in our bodies. Within these body sites, the inhabitants can be "as different as those in the Amazon Rainforest and the Sahara Desert".
The skin is the largest organ of the human body, and it is also home to a very diverse range of microbes. Some of these microbes are beneficial to us while some are potentially harmful.
The microbiota of different body sites. As shown, there can be a different cluster of microbes living between our right and left hands. (I-37)
The microbiota of different body sites. As shown, there can be a different cluster of microbes living between our right and left hands. (I-37)
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The immune system, which our gut microbiome influences, is found to contribute to our skin microbiota as well.
The average healthy person should have a unique cluster of different microbes. An imbalance of the diversity of microbes on the skin may cause diseases; a lack of microbes could also prevent later chances for a successful treatment of an illness.
THE VAGINAL MICROBIOME
THE GUT (INTESTINAL) MICROBIOME
Three types of microbiomes that have been studied are:
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Gut
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Skin
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Vaginal
The microbiomes presented in our bodies are connected and work together in several ways.
Our guts are the homes to the majority of the microbes found on our bodies. About one-third of these microbes are common to most people, but two-thirds are unique to each of us; this essentially means they can serve as another identity card apart from our face and DNA. These microbes contribute to many health-related factors of a person such as:
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a person's weight
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the strength of their immune system and
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their digestive functions
Before birth, when the baby is still in the womb, its skin is clean of microbes. However, the moment after birth, microbes instantly cling to the infant's skin, making up their microbial ecosystem as soon as they are born. How the babies are conceived also contributes to their future human microbiome.
THE SKIN MICROBIOME
To learn more about how microbes affect our digestive system, click here.
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However, in addition to destroying harmful microbes, antibiotics have been proven to alter the beneficial microbes in the guts as well. This leads to an unbalanced amount of good microbes that we had before ingesting the antibiotic, which in turn alters our immune system, making us easily prone to health issues such as:
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obesity
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allergies
Probiotics are also taken to increase microbes in guts. It may also restore the composition of the intestines' microbiome.
Fecal transplants is another method of replacing an unhealthy microbiome. Click here to learn more
A woman's vagina contains bacteria that may be essential to a healthy baby when giving birth. When a baby is born, it is exposed to the bacteria from the mother's canal. As it passes through the canal, it is a "bacterial sponge"; it takes up any bacteria it comes in contact with. These bacteria can essentially determine the baby's health.
Above shown is a few factors of the gut microbiome on human health. (I-39)
Above shown is a few factors of the gut microbiome on human health. (I-39)
Click to expand
Click to expand
The health of a vagina can also decide the health of a newborn. Lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide are produced by a healthy vaginal microbiome, and the acidity of the vagina prevents harmful microbial infections. A disturbed microbiome can lead to bacterial vaginosis.
Research has proved that babies born through the vaginal canal will be healthier than those of c-section because of the microbes that it has been exposed to when passing through the mother's vagina. Just by the method of how a baby is conceived could affect the long-term health and nutrition of the child later on in life.
WHY DO WE CARE?
From researching the human microbiome, scientists have concluded of many solutions to a variety of treatable illnesses. As more research continues to take place, many more treatments to a whole range of diseases may be discovered - including those to cancer.
