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Even if you are single, you are not alone. Your body is home to about two kilos of microbes. They are with you continuously, day and night, 365 days a year. In probiotic yoghurts and frequent washing that will shorten your life …
Zuzanna Opolska. Medonet: Doctor, do each of us have a unique microbial profile?
Dr Paweł Grzesiowski: Just as each of us has different fingerprints, the microbes inhabiting the skin, throat and digestive tract in each of us differ in terms of species and their numbers. Our set of bacteria depends on many factors: genes, age, sex, diet, climate and living conditions.
And how can we get confused in this profile?
First of all, by overusing antibiotics, even a 7-day therapy may disturb the intestinal flora for 1-2 years. Some studies show that after antibiotic treatment, the microbiota does not return to its original shape for many years. We should also use other drugs in moderation: anti-inflammatory, hormonal or reducing gastric acid secretion. Another issue is excess hygiene.
The old saying: “no one has died from dirt” is true.
Maybe not necessarily, but certainly excessive hygiene is not recommended. Using antibacterial gels or high pH soaps eliminates the natural flora of the skin, leading to immune system dysfunction and allergies. Asepsis works well in healthcare facilities, but not on a daily basis. Disinfectant – Triclosan, which can be found in toothpaste, bath lotions or deodorants in the United States, is to be withdrawn from use. Pursuant to European Union regulations, the concentration of this chemical compound in finished products should not exceed 0,3%, and its use in intimate hygiene products is prohibited.
Let’s move on to nutrition: are we what our microbiome eats?
Nutrition plays a colossal role for the quality of the intestinal flora. Different species of bacteria need different foods, so diversity is essential. Popular cabbage or yoghurt monodiet, which are only slimming, lead to disorders of the bacterial flora, i.e. dysbiosis. If we are allergic to milk or lactose intolerance, we should always look for substitutes that will provide us with the appropriate nutrients. In this case, it can be goat’s milk, yoghurt, kefir and cheese. Strong alcohol, strong coffee, synthetic sweeteners and laxatives also have a negative impact on the intestinal microbiota. Some people believe that the use of laxative teas will allow them to eat more. This is absurd – in this way we flush the bacterial flora from the intestines, which will have to be rebuilt over time. Research shows that less bacterial diversity in the gut affects digestion and increases the risk of abdominal obesity, which is the most dangerous.
It is not only what we eat that matters, but also what our mother ate. How do we inherit the microbiome?
Inheriting the microbiome is not genetic, it is environmental. The moment we are born is the moment of the first colonization with microorganisms and a lot depends on the type and place of birth. At best, the baby is born through nature and is covered with a layer of microbes from the birth canal. It is said that it takes about a year for the microbiome to adjust after delivery as a result of cesarean section in relation to the microbiome after natural delivery. The type of childbirth also influences the composition of the breast milk microflora – women who have undergone a scheduled cesarean section have less food rich in microorganisms than mothers who give birth by natural force. Interestingly, however, when the incision was not planned and it happened after the spontaneous commencement of labor, the milk is very similar to that produced after natural childbirth. The infant’s microbiome can also be influenced by the high level of stress in the mother during pregnancy or the use of antibiotics by the mother.
The composition of the intestinal flora influences not only our metabolism, but also our mood. The gentleman, dealing with intestinal microbiota transplants, noticed that transfer patients get rid of depression.
We do not fully know what is primary: whether a disturbance of the microbiome causes depression, or people with depression destroy their own microbiome by changing their lifestyle. One thing can be said for sure: patients who come for a transplant with a depressive attitude experience a significant improvement in mood after the procedure.
And can we expect other effects – resolution of insomnia or chronic fatigue syndrome?
I cannot answer this question because so far transplants are not performed to treat neurological disorders. Such effects can be observed only in the case of a coincidence of two problems, i.e. the patient has dysbiosis or Clostridial infection and describes his own condition as chronic fatigue syndrome. After a bacterial transplant, the patient often experiences improvement in both intestinal and brain function. Previous studies have shown that specific strains of bacteria can affect brain function, and people who regularly take natural yoghurt have better concentration, memory and mood.
Is a bacterial flora transplant reserved only for people infected with Clostridium difficile?
Yes, it is a recognized method, recommended with the A-1 strength (effectiveness confirmed by clinical trials) in the treatment of severe, recurrent cases of enteritis due to Clostridium difficile infection. The effectiveness of a correctly applied transfer is about 90%. in the absence of side effects. However, in the other indications, i.e. dysbacteriosis, Crohn’s diseases or ulcerative colitis, large clinical trials are underway all over the world. It can already be said that the preliminary results suggest a clear improvement in patients. The only question is: to what extent? And, therefore, will we be able to apply this method more widely?
More and more is being said about the relationship between the gut flora and brain diseases. Could the pathogenesis of autism be related to an abnormal gut microbiota?
Unfortunately, not everything is so simple. Research shows a link, but there is no evidence of a cause-effect relationship. We know that autistic children have an altered microbiome, but many do not experience any changes in autism symptoms after gut microbiota transplantation. Perhaps the thing is that disturbing the proper development of the intestinal flora early in life affects neurological development, and after a few or several years we are no longer able to reverse this process. What if we transplanted the flora into such a child when he was a month or a year old? We don’t know that. However, we already know for sure today that there are species of especially anaerobic bacteria that produce neurotransmitters, and their deficiency can damage the brain.
Can we study the composition of the microbiome?
I think it would be perfect to check how our microbiome is doing. Unfortunately, even on a scientific scale, we are not able to define its composition in detail. We can only give an approximate proportion of the individual strains of bacteria, but we still cannot name many of them. It is an “unknown land” in many respects.
Probiotics are the number one sale of dietary supplements, is it worth using them on your own?
As a result of advertising and promotion, many of us choose to self-medicate, which is not always effective. We must remember that probiotics differ from each other and their properties are closely dependent on the bacterial strain they contain. One of us will be helped by Lactobacillus and another by Bifidobacterium, but someone else needs E. coli.
Is it better to reach for yogurt every day? Only which one?
When choosing a product, it is worth paying attention to the composition. Good practice of producers assumes that the packaging should contain information about which strains of bacteria were used for production. The very inscription: yogurt with probiotic, unfortunately, tells us nothing.
Dr Paweł Grzesiowski – Graduate of the Medical University of Warsaw, 2003nd degree specialist in paediatrics with the title of doctor of medical sciences. He gained clinical practice as an assistant and then an assistant professor at the Children’s Teaching Hospital in Warsaw, and then as the head of the Department of Prevention of Hospital Infections and Infections at the National Medicines Institute in Warsaw. The founder and president of the board of the Institute for Infection Prevention, currently heads the NZOZ at the Institute of Infection Prevention Foundation, which includes, among others Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Warsaw. Academic lecturer, incl. at the Faculty of Public Health of the Medical University of Warsaw, at the Postgraduate School of Medical Law at the University of Warsaw and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw. Medical consultant in the field of hospital epidemiology, diagnostics, therapy and control of infections, immunology and preventive vaccinations. Since 2012, he has been the President of the Association of Medicinal Hygiene. He is the initiator of the introduction in 230 of the intestinal microbiota transplantation method in Poland. Author and co-author of 2013 scientific publications in national and foreign medical journals in the field of immunology, immunization, prophylaxis, therapy and control of infections and nosocomial infections. Promoter of medical knowledge, collaborates with the media, in XNUMX he received the “Great Educator” award from the Association of Journalists for Health.