microbiome

The Microbiome

The microbiome is the vast quantity of organisms and viruses on and in our bodies beyond our human cells. Of particular interest since about 2010 are the bacteria in the intestines. There are about 1,000 times more bacteria than human cells in your body, and they have about 100x more genes. Science 13 May 2022 reports if your microbiome is not healthy, those genes contribute to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. However, if you eat a healthy diet with a variety of different foods, fiber, and probiotics like kefir or yogurt, your microbiome helps you maintain good health and weight. Technology has now been developed to record which proteins are expressed by gut bacteria in response to the particular foods you eat (pg 697). It is also known that the vagus nerve goes from your gut to your brain, controlling appetite and even mood.

From Molly Smith, Community Outreach | KnowYourDNA: The microbiome is one of the most interesting places in science. Just now, doctors are making the link between the gut and several health issues. We created two guides to help people understand the connection between gut health and medical conditions like allergies or anxiety:

• https://knowyourdna.com/gut-health-and-anxiety/
• https://knowyourdna.com/gut-health-and-allergies/

Given how all of us have guts and gut health, we made a point of including things like:

• The gut/brain axis
• How to get rid of anxiety through the gut
• What causes food allergies?
• How to treat allergies