Ah, the microbiome. Sounds like such a complicated word doesn’t it? Well, if your wondering what the microbiome is, look no further. The microbiome is you! It is the congregation of all microbiota such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses, etc. that make up the human body. I know I know, it can sound kind of scary and gross hearing about the millions of bacteria that live inside of us. However, that is the beauty of the microbiome! Not all bacteria are bad. They aid in digestion, harvesting energy, fighting off pathogens, and so much more. In this post, we are going to talk about some of the new interesting findings regarding our microbiome and learn a little more about what it means to us.
Besides all of the important jobs that the microbiome does regarding our body and our health, it also can provide some answers and information to scientists. According to a new study put out regarding our microbiome, Katerina Johnson claims that there may actually be a link between our gut bacteria and our personalities. 655 adults were given at-home “gut kits” and were asked to fill out questionnaires with questions regarding their personalities. The results revealed that the people who tended to be more social had a more diverse microbiome. The people who’s microbiome was not as diverse showed signs of having increased levels of anxiety and stress. So what does this information do for us? Why do we care what the microbiome does for our personalities? Well, with revelations like these, it opens the door for more research to be conducted. This information could be used to develop beneficial therapies for people with mental health problems.
Another interesting finding regarding the microbiome is that the microbiota found on our skin, mouth, and gut can help predict your age. This article lays out the details of the research project. Using different machinery, the researchers were able to take microbiota from different locations on the body and predict a person’s age to within under 4 years. The saliva provided some of the most accurate readings, and bacteria from one’s feces provided the least accurate. Now I know you probably read that and thought to yourself, so what? Why is this important? Well, as mentioned previously, our microbiota have a huge affect on our health. Because of this, knowing the age of your microbiota could perhaps be a tell tale sign of how healthy an individual is. If someone is 70 years old, but their microbiota suggests that they are 50 years old, then that could be an indicator that they are very healthy. With much more research, this information could be useful for a number of things in the future.
See? Not all bacteria is bad. Our microbiome-although small is an integral part of our human body and does so much for us.
Diana's Micro World 