This team of researchers can tell you
Photo credit: The American Gut Project
If you still cringe at the thought of bacteria, we’re here to tell you that the times have changed: In an impressive image turnaround, researchers are increasingly realizing that these wriggly, squirmy outlaws aren’t so nasty after all. And more Americans than ever are both tossing the hand sanitizer and popping a little extra bacteria with their morning orange juice. (Did you remember to take your Lactobacillus today?)
The popularity of probiotics—live microbes that promote health—are one indication that we’re finally less squeamish about beneficial bacterial. In 2010, global sales of probiotic products hit $21 billion, and are expected to exceed $30 billion within five years. But that trend is merely the tip of the iceberg, says a team of researchers that’s got groundbreaking plans to usher the ins-and-outs of bacteria into mainstream consciousness.
“We are on a frontier, the wild west of microbial research,” says Jack Gilbert, PhD, environmental microbiologist and field researcher at Argonne National Laboratory and assistant professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago. Gilbert co-founded the American Gut Project, an ambitious venture newly launched by 32 researchers, all of whom are hoping to discover exactly how gut bacteria impacts our health.
The team plans to analyze stool samples from 10,000 Americans (including dogs and cats) from across the country, to see what our guts really look like. “It will be very interesting if we can say your diet is influencing your bacteria…or the other way around,” Gilbert says.
More from Prevention: The Case For Embracing Probiotics
What’s so special about the gut? You carry 2-3 pounds of bacteria in your intestine alone, says Gilbert (a factoid to remember next time you hop on the scale). An evolving body of research suggests that these bugs say a lot about your health: Microbiologists, for instance, can predict whether someone is thin or obese just by looking at their colonies of gut bacteria. For example individuals with large colonies of some microbes, like those that help the body absorb sugar, are more likely to struggle with weight gain.
The composition of the 100 trillion bacteria that inhabit the gut are also correlated with inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and myriad other health conditions, says Jeff Leach, a graduate student at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and another co-founder of the American Gut Project. One 2010 study, for instance, created a genetic library of 1,000 species of gut bacteria, and linked several genes to different illnesses—though experts are still unraveling whether gut bacteria trigger illnesses or develop as a result of them. A host of factors, including some pretty weird ones, are already known to contribute to your gut’s composition: Whether you were born vaginally, and whether you wash dishes by hand, are but two examples.
But the most important factor, Leach says, just might be what’s for dinner. “We hope to enter the national conversation about what you should eat,” he says. “Our question is this: From the perspective of your microbiome, which is now linked to most acute and chronic diseases, what diet should you follow?”
You’ll have to wait a few months for the group to discover the perfect gut diet—but until then, you can help them figure it out. For $99 and a stool sample, eager individuals can participate in the American Gut Project and receive a detailed breakdown of their own bacteria: What kinds of microbes are flourishing, how many, and what those buggers might be doing to the body.
Scientists are still parsing out the many mysteries of gut bacteria, but earlier research indicates that knowing what’s going on down there might have huge implications for individual health, Gilbert says. Take weight loss as an example: If you struggle with weight, while your best friend noshes on fries and still maintains her figure, you might be stuck with gut bacteria that more efficiently transform dietary fat into the bodily variety.
In fact, Dr. Gilbert says, researchers are already performing experimental fecal transplants (yup, it is what it sounds like) to bestow healthier bacteria into the guts of those with less-than-ideal microbes. Doesn’t sound like a procedure you’d be interested in? Consider these tried-and-true tips for better gut flora (no feces involved):
Eat more plants Plants are packed with dietary fiber, which bacteria ferment and use to fight pathogens. “Dietary fiber is food for bacteria, not for you,” Leach says.
…and try some new ones Most people eat between 15-25 different plant species each week, but you should aim for 40-50, Leach says. “The fiber’s different in each one of those plants,” he says. “You’ll improve the diversity and health of your microbiome at the same time.”
Keep your meat drug-free We all need antibiotics sometimes, but try to reduce your exposure. The meds wipe out bacteria without discriminating good from bad. “ A lot of livestock is fed antibiotics…and that’s transferred to us,” Leach says.
More from Prevention: Can Probiotics Cure The Common Cold?
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Published December 2012, Prevention