The Human Microbiota

MicroBiome

The world inside us

When I see myself in the mirror, I see a specific living being looking back at me. When I think about the people, animals or plants around me, I also think of them as a unique life form. But every living organism shares its existence with many invisible living companions - they are intertwined, inseparable. These tiny creatures were present on Earth long before humanity came along and will probably survive us. They are complex life forms that have evolved in parallel and have evolved together to become mutually supportive partners in evolution. This partner living with us is microbial life, which is constantly interacting with us and is present in almost every conceivable place within our own bodies.

Have you ever wondered what the number of microbes living with us (in the human body) might be, including bacteria, fungi, other single-celled organisms and viruses? It is thought to be on the order of tens of thousands to billions, and these microbes are present on the surface of our bodies and in our body cavities, from the mucous membranes to our intestines.

As we know it today, we get our first microbes from our mothers at birth, and we get more from breast milk and the environment after birth. Throughout our lives we are constantly intertwined, in a permanent biological relationship.

Our gut flora

There are tens of billions of tiny organisms in our digestive tract, which we refer to as microbiomes. Perhaps one of the most important scientific achievements of recent decades has been the recognition of the importance of this system. It has become clear that the basis for everyday well-being, a disease-free life, a healthy body and mind is a balanced environmental system of diverse components that coexist with us in dynamic equilibrium, collectively known as the matrix. The microbiome in the intestinal tract, the skin, the various body cavities, in a healthy state of balance with the host organism, is an indispensable condition for healthy life and existence.

Modern microbiome-associated microbiological research is fundamentally changing the way we see ourselves and our environment. Until recently, microbes have been seen as pathogens, and we have tried to eradicate their presence with anti-infectives, disinfectants or antibiotics. After treatment, we used probiotics to reintroduce the organisms we thought were beneficial. We now know that the vast majority of microbes are present in healthy individuals and that disease is only caused by their overgrowth or by an imbalance between them. It is therefore conceivable that the presence of organisms previously thought to be harmful does not necessarily mean disease and that most of them are essential for healthy life. Inappropriate and unjustified use of disinfectants and antibiotics can destroy microbes and upset the delicate balance between them. The alteration of the optimal microbiome composition (called dysbiosis) leads to the development of diseases and pathological conditions, which some believe is the real cause of disease.

Bacteria balance

The composition of the microbiome is not constant. It changes from day to day. It is highly influenced by general health, nutrition, stress, environment and medication. There are conditions in which some bacteria in the microbiome are repressed and an abnormal composition develops. This is known as dysbiosis. To see what changes are needed to restore the balance in lifestyle or diet, a microbiome composition test is performed.

While the sampling is not, the procedure itself is very complex, there are few laboratories in the world that can analyse human microbiome samples using a test method that matches the complexity of the issue. And determining the sub-optimality is a complex expert task. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to treat dysbiosis through dietary modification, probiotic foods or complex transplantation of the microbiome culture. High quality food raw materials, including a suitable microbial environment, free of antibiotics and other chemicals, and the existence of a natural environment with a wide variety of microbiota are prerequisites for the maintenance of an optimal microbiome.

Microbiome composition

The 15 most common bacteria in the subject

The consequences of disbiosis

Microbiological background of the diseases

Decades of scientific research have shown that the loss of a healthy microbiome contributes significantly to the development of the following conditions:

- Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection;
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS);
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD: e.g. Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis);
- Certain mental and behavioural disorders (depression, Asperger syndrome, autism);
- Obesity/abnormal thinness;
- Diabetes;
- Chronic skin conditions (e.g. psoriasis, chronic eczema, atopic dermatitis);
- Degenerative neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. multiple sclerosis, certain types of dementia);
- Chronic diarrhoea/constipation;
- Allergic symptoms.

It is therefore logical to assume that by eliminating dysbiosis, the onset of these diseases can be prevented or slowed, and possibly symptoms alleviated.

The microbiome assessment

its aim is to reveal the bacteria behind the discrepancy and to highlight lifestyle problems that the patient may not be aware of. If you would like to find out more about this, let's continue with the tests!

Coming soon...