The Human Microbiome Project: Implications for Crohn's Disease.

A guest post from writer Alexis Bonari*, enjoy!

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), human microbial communities have a vast amount of influence on the way our bodies function, especially within the areas of development, physiology, immunity, and nutrition. Microbial cells outnumber human cells by a factor of ten to one, but these communities have been difficult to analyze because of the challenge presented by sustaining their environments in test tubes. However, with the development of metagenomics, these natural environments can be sustained long enough to enable scientists to analyze genetic material within its true microbial context.

Benefits of the Project

The NIH has developed the Human Microbiome Project in order to determine whether or not humans share a core, species-specific microbiome. It also aims to discover the relationship between changes in the human microbiome and changes in human health. These research goals have the potential to profoundly affect our microbiological understanding of human health, allowing scientists to broaden their perspectives on the body and its components. By analyzing microbial communities as part of the human body, project contributors hope to see developments in human immunity against diseases of the digestive tract, especially Crohnís disease.

Current and Future Progress

There are approximately 900 species of microbes found in the human body. Prior to the Human Microbiome Project, only 20 had been sequenced and analyzed. However, in May of this year, scientists published their findings on another 178 of these microbes, and they estimate that the remaining species will be analyzed within the next two years. Researchers hope that within the next 15 years, microbial balance will be a well-integrated diagnostic tool for doctors. The future may also hold artificially engineered microbes designed to perform as part of the immune system or digestive tract. For patients with Crohn’s disease and other chronic digestive conditions, this reinvention of microbiology may be life-changing.

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*Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She spends much of her days blogging about Education and College Scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Photo: Public domain courtesy of Wikimedia

Pass the plantains.

Check this out — a new study finds that certain plant fibers may prevent Crohn’s relapses.

Researchers in Europe tested soluble fibers from broccoli, plantains, leeks, apples, and the food processing additives polysorbate 60 and 80. ... They found that broccoli and plantain fibers prevented E. coli movement by between 45% and 82%; leek and apple fibers showed no impact. The food additive polysorbate 80, however, substantially increased E. coli movement.

Sounds like an easy and helpful arrow in my quiver. Pass the broccoli too. More here: webmd.com/crohns_disease

Fourth time is a charm, yes?

T minus 9 hours until I get a better version of my current knee. And while I am not excited about going through yet another surgery, my fourth in less than 6 years (heart, lung, face/skin cancer and now knee/arthro), I am excited to walk and run without pain, to surf and go to ballet without wincing, and to sit without aching in my right knee.

I am not sure, however, how the mental recovery will be. As ridiculous as this sounds, when they took part of my lungs away, I didn’t feel like the same person when I came to. I lost a part of me. And while the world’s coolest and kindest doctors wanted to ask me about my health and recovery, no one really wanted to hear how I was doing beyond any measurable symptoms.

Just a thought, but I keep wondering if the idea of mental preparation might someday be a part of the pre-op routine. “Here’s what time your surgery is scheduled, and by the way, how are you feeling about the fact that you won’t be able to surf, let alone walk normally for almost 3 months?”

I’m being dramatic, I know, but I can remember all too well what it was like to have a new version of my heart and how odd that felt. Anyway, here goes nothing, again. I’ll catch you all on the other side.

Opening the food revolution to you.

I learned about the benefits of eating real food long ago. It makes me feel better, think faster, exercise, work and play harder. Real food (fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, grains, etc.) is an essential part of any day of mine — but I had the privilege of learning this from an early age and, to boot, live in California now. I walk by a farmer’s market at least 3-times a week.

That said, how can we instill and literally feed these values in our nation’s youth? Currently, children in the US and UK are expected to live a shorter lifespan than their parents due to rising obesity rates — and that is just wrong no matter how you slice it.

I’ve written about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution before, but now I’d like for you to check out something very cool he’s working on with IDEO based on the question “how can we raise kids’ awareness of the benefits of fresh food so they can make better choices?”

Get in there, sign up, and start making a real difference. Who knows? Maybe your idea will be the winner. (And how cool would that be?)

Happy inspiration phase!