Modern Lifestyle Practices may Diminish the Variety of Gut Bacteria that Digests Food

Gut microbiota refers to the microbe population living in our intestine. It helps the body to digest certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest. A healthy and balanced gut microbiota is the key to ensuring proper digestive functioning. Researchers have now found that some modern lifestyle practices may diminish the variety of bacteria that naturally reside in our gastrointestinal tract. Senior author Jens Walter from the University of Alberta in Canada said, "There are several aspects of western lifestyle that have been hypothesized to alter the gut microbiome and decrease diversity. These include diet, sanitation, and clinical practices such as antibiotic use and Caesarean sections, but we lack a conceptual understanding of how our microbiomes are altered."

Researchers compared the fecal bacteria of adults from two rural, non-industrialized regions in Papua New Guinea with those of the US residents. They found that Papua New Guineans have microbiomes with greater bacterial diversity, lower inter-individual variation, and vastly different compositional profiles compared with the US residents. Bacterial dispersal, or the ability of bacteria to move from individual to individual, appeared to be the dominant process that shapes the collection of gut bacteria in residents of Papua New Guinea but not those in the US residents.

Walter said, "These findings suggest that lifestyle practices that reduce bacterial dispersal, specifically sanitation and drinking water treatment, might be an important cause of microbiome alterations." However, the researchers noted the importance of caution when questioning specific modern lifestyle practices, though, because overall, health and life expectancy is higher in westernized societies.

The study is published in the Cell Reports.

Source-Medindia