Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
10/25/15, 1:40 PMHow Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health - Scientific American
Page 1 of 6http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In | Register 0
Search ScientificAmerican.com
Subscription Center
Subscribe to All Access »
Subscribe to Print »
Give a Gift »
View the Latest Issue »
Subscribe News & Features Topics Blogs Videos & Podcasts Education Citizen Science SA Magazine SA Mind Books SA en español
The Sciences » Scientific American Volume 306, Issue 6
How Bacteria in Our Bodies ProtectOur HealthResearchers who study the friendly bacteria that live inside all of us are starting to sort out who is
in charge—microbes or people?
By Jennifer Ackerman
THIS IS A PREVIEW. Buy this digital issue or subscribe to access the full article.
Already a subscriber or purchased this issue? Sign In
Biologists once thought that human beings were phys -iological islands, entirely capable of regulating their owninternal workings. Our bodies made all the enzymesneeded for breaking down food and using its nutrients topower and repair our tissues and organs. Signals fromour own tissues dictated body states such as hunger orsatiety. The specialized cells of our immune systemtaught themselves how to recognize and attackdangerous microbes—pathogens—while at the same timesparing our own tissues.
Over the past 10 years or so, however, researchers have demonstrated that the humanbody is not such a neatly self-sufficient island after all. It is more like a complexecosystem—a social network—containing trillions of bacteria and othermicroorganisms that inhabit our skin, genital areas, mouth and especially intestines.In fact, most of the cells in the human body are not human at all. Bacterial cells in thehuman body outnumber human cells 10 to one. Moreover, this mixed community ofmicrobial cells and the genes they contain, collectively known as the microbiome, doesnot threaten us but offers vital help with basic physiological processes—from digestionto growth to self-defense.
36 :: Email :: PrintMore from Scientific American
ADVERTISEMENT
SwappingGerms:Should
Fecal TransplantsBecome Routinefor DebilitatingDiarrhea?
10/25/15, 1:40 PMHow Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health - Scientific American
Page 2 of 6http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/
Share this Article:
Rights & Permissions
CommentsOldest - Newest
THIS IS A PREVIEW. Buy this digital issue or subscribe to access the full article.
Already a subscriber or purchased this issue? Sign In
Buy Digital Issue
$7.99
Add To Cart
Digital Issue + Subscription
$39.99
Subscribe
May 15, 2012, 12:18 PMBigInScience
The complex relationships between humans and bacteria are fascinating. Many are (at first)horrified to learn that the average person possesses over 100 TRILLION bacteria (includingperhaps a billion or more E.Coli) in and on our bodies. Interestingly, our bodies frequently live insymbiosis with these bacteria: for example, bacteria such as E.Coli in our gut synthesize Vitamin K,a vitamin important for blood clotting. Individuals taking certain antibiotics may experience anearly 3/4 reduction in Vitamin K production. If you'd like to read more on fascinating topicswithin science, medicine, and technology, feel free to browse my blog: http://biginscience.com/
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 15, 2012, 2:27 PMdr.vijay
We could also take a different look at it. I am sure, thousands of years back we might not have hadthe same microbiome. It is ever evolving. Microbes always colonize any organic living tissue forfood. And when any microbe first colonized a host, they might have been pathogens and after along period of fight between host and the pathogen, they co-evolved and thus might've acquiredsymbiotic form of living together happily. And thus even the use of Vitamin K in hosts biologicalprocess could've been after the microbes colonization(may be we didn't have any use for vit.Kearlier, but evolved after long time of cohabitation). In the same way, microbiome would certainlydiffer between different groups of people and would depend on factors like environment, weather,food and even culture. Not to forget the difference between microbiomes in different animals. It isa good scientific improvement, but the question is(based on above mentioned factors) what is theuse of such data? Will it be useful to cure diseases or are we complicating ourselves withhumongous amounts of useless information? Future scientific improvements might hopefully giveus the answer.
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 15, 2012, 4:14 PMLarryW
More than 50 years ago, I was learning in high school that the cow had multiple stomachs and itsdigestive system made use of bacteria to digest. As even typical today, it never occurred to mostthen, as now, that what was the case of the cow was also likely similar to us humans, beinganimals, you see.
It was obvious to me then, so these details are not a surprise. It's a surprise that it took so long.
Report as Abuse | Link to This
Follow Us:
10/25/15, 1:40 PMHow Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health - Scientific American
Page 3 of 6http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/
May 15, 2012, 5:27 PMdeometer
Antoine Béchamp discovered and promoted this fact well over 125 years ago (see "terrain theory"),yet he was ridiculed and dismissed by the scientific community at large in favor of Louis Pasteur -who insisted that a "healthy" human body was completely sterile. So Pasteur's inadequateteachings became the ruling medical paradigm, and Béchamp's considerable body of research wasput aside and forgotten. If we had listened to Béchamp, we would have accepted that "the humanbody is not such a neatly self-sufficient island after all" ages ago and our current progress andunderstanding would be light years ahead.
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 15, 2012, 5:29 PMdeometer deometer
That would be Antoine *Bechamp (apparently the commenting system doesn't display accentedletters)
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 15, 2012, 6:02 PMChristine Gorman deometer
Interesting point about Pasteur. I did not know that he thought the body was sterile.
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 16, 2012, 7:47 AMStagnaro
It is evident that human life is in symbiosis with bacteria, as well as other environmental agents.The point is how is it possible recognise at the bedside when life is encouraged, or not, by bacteria?In my opinion, the absence of Acute Antibody Synthesis, I described in 1997, is a reliable clinicaltool among an awful number of others: Stagnaro-Neri M., Stagnaro S., Semeiotica Biofisica deltorace, della circolazione ematica e dell’anticorpopoiesi acuta e cronica. Acta Med. Medit. 13, 25,1997
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 17, 2012, 1:29 PMBeth Lambert
Why is there so much autism, ADHD, food allergies, asthma?? Changes to the human microbiome(in combination with other environmental factors) is what is leading to an unprecedented numberof children developing autism, ADHD, food allergies, asthma and many more chronic conditions inthe industrialized world. Yes, imbalances in our microbial ecology are resulting in dysregulatedimmune systems; What's more, commensal microorganisms are also responsible for helping us todetoxify and eliminate environmental toxins as they enter our bodies (including heavy metals,pesticides, and other chemicals). See Rowland et al., Archives of Environmental Health 39, no 6(1984):401-8; there are volumes of articles published in the medical literature on this subject. Weare raising an entire generation of immunocompromised children because the human microbiome(and thus immune function) has been been altered considerably over the last few decades inAmerica. To learn more, see A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness inAmerica's Children www.acompromisedgeneration.com or Epidemic Answerswww.epidemicanswers.org
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 17, 2012, 11:19 PMwscovel
I have read that there are about 10+13 cells in the human body.
If we were to assume there to be ca. 10 times as many bacterial cells in our constitution, that wouldmake ca. 10+14 bacterial cells
If the bacterial cells are about 1/10 the size, & therefore guesstimating to be about 1/10 the weightof a human cell, then the weight of the bacterial cells would be ca. equal to the weight of the human
Most Popular
An Overreaction to FoodAllergies
Hurricane Patricia RapidlyBecomes Strongest StormEver in WesternHemisphere
Time Travel SimulationResolves “GrandfatherParadox”
Back to the Future, Part IIPredicted Techno-Marvelsof October 21, 2015
Computers Would NeverHave Found "AlienSuperstructure" Star--ItRequired Citizen Science
Solve Innovation Challenges
Portable Roof Damage Detection
Deadline: Nov 10 2015 Reward: $75,000 USD$75,000 USDThe Seeker desires a technology that can detect seenand unseen anomalies, such as hail damage, onasphalt shingle roofs. The technology
Quantifying Drift Invertebrates in River andEstuary Systems
Deadline: Nov 16 2015 Reward: $30,000 USD$30,000 USD
Habitat restoration, improvement, and creation inrivers, streams, and estuaries are key elements for therecovery of salmon, trout, and
More Challenges »
Powered By:
ADVERTISEMENT
10/25/15, 1:40 PMHow Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health - Scientific American
Page 4 of 6http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/
More Comments
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmerican.com member to submit a comment.
cells.
So a 150 lb person would be 75 lbs "human" and 75 lbs "bacteria".
It would be interesting to know how this number (10 times as many bacterial cells in a human )was derived.
Any microbiologists reading this thread??
Report as Abuse | Link to This
May 18, 2012, 7:34 PMrobbinlynn
My doctoral thesis work in the 1990's involved host-commensal interactions, and we weregenerally relegated to the backwaters of the microbiological meetings. It's nice to see that thiscrucial area of interface biology is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Report as Abuse | Link to This
Master's in Education100% Online w/Top Ranked UC.NCATE Accredited. Learn More Today!
Latest from SA Blog Network
A Few of My Favorite Spaces: The Fano PlaneRoots of Unity | October 24, 2015
Why Binge Drinking May Wire the Brain forAlcohol Dependence.Guest Blog | October 23, 2015
To Mars via HawaiiExpeditions | October 23, 2015
Is The Future of Transport All-Electric?Plugged In | October 23, 2015
How Does Poverty Affect the Brain?MIND Guest Blog | October 23, 2015
News From Our Partners
Hurricane Patricia Batters Mexico as One ofStrongest Storms Ever
The Tantalizing Links Between Gut Microbesand the Brain
Many Ads in Parenting Magazines Show UnsafePractices for Kids
Clean Power Plan Hits the Books, Soon theCourtroom
ADVERTISEMENT
