What is the Gut Microbiome?
The gut microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that includes bacteria, viruses, and fungi and plays a central role in our health. In addition to the gut, microbiomes exist nearly everywhere: in both the environment and within the human body’s skin, mouth, and more.
The gut microbiome is home to trillions of microorganisms that influence our health. It is involved in many physical processes (digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune response), and its influence can be either positive or negative based on how the microbes interact with each other and their environment.
It’s a pretty sweet deal for microbes in the gut microbiome: a place to live, a constant source of nutrition, and a massive community of microbial neighbors. Unfortunately, its inhabitants don’t always repay their host’s generosity. Some have a positive (mutualistic) effect, some a neutral effect, and some have a negative effect — so rude!
The human gut microbiome may be one of many microbiomes in the world, but often when you hear the single term “microbiome,” it’s in reference to the gut microbiome. Even more, while the gut microbiome includes a host of microorganisms, much of the conversation revolves around bacteria.
“Bad” bacteria can express various hostilities that are detrimental to human health and can cause an off-balance microbiome status known as dysbiosis. On the other hand, “good” (mutualistic) bacteria in the gut microbiome provide benefits to human health by reducing the number of pathogenic bacteria in the GI tract. They challenge “bad” bacteria by competing for the same micronutrients, carbon sources, and binding locations. “Good” bacteria also secrete antimicrobials and deliver toxins that target pathogenic bacteria, killing them off before they can harm the body. They promote a balanced microbiome status known as homeostasis. They’re basically superheroes who patrol the gut, looking for villains who want to do us harm.
Mutualistic bacteria in the gut microbiome include:
- Bifidobacteria
- Lactobacillus
- Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes
Pathogenic bacteria in the gut microbiome include:
- Campylobacter
- Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis)
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
References:
Role of Nutrition in the Gut Microbiota and Human Health
The Impact of the Gut Microbiome on Human Health: An Integrative View
The Role of the Microbiome for Human Health: From Basic Science to Clinical Applications
