Keep the microbiome hungry
How a well-fed life destroys us from the inside
After the end of the Second World War, along with the growth of life well-being, numerous patterns of diseases associated with civilization began to appear in industrialized countries.
Examples of so-called "environmental diseases" are intestinal inflammations like Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis. They are directly related to disorders in the human microbiome. Until now, scientists have explained the imbalance between the host organism and microbes with various hypotheses: for example, that excessive hygiene spoils the microbiome, or intensive use of antibiotics, or certain genetic factors. However, these attempts at explanation were incomplete.
A team of specialists from the Center for Joint Research at Kiel University named after Christiana Albrecht (Germany) formulated a new, more comprehensive ecological and evolutionary theory of the development of diseases (Over-fed bacteria make people sick - VM). Researchers from Kiel suggest that constant access to a varied diet disrupts the symbiotic relationship between bacteria and host organisms; in a way, our bacteria begin to develop on their own, independently of humans.
Article by Lachnit et al. Exposure of the Host-Associated Microbiome to Nutrient-Rich Conditions May Lead to Dysbiosis and Disease Development—an Evolutionary Perspective published in the journal mBio – VM.
The starting point for the formulation of the new theory was the study of the ecology of marine habitats, namely, research related to the death of corals. Scientists have found that the cause of death is not only climate change or overfishing, but also an overabundance of food in seawater caused by human influence.
As soon as there is a lot of food, bacteria living in community with corals begin to separate from their hosts. They no longer want to eat the products of the host's metabolism, but prefer richer nutrients from the surrounding water. Due to the separation of the symbiotic partner (bacteria), the balance of the coral microbiome is disrupted, and as a result, corals get sick. In studies of a model organism, the freshwater hydra polyp, scientists were able to experimentally confirm the existence of this causal chain.
With a high degree of probability, the knowledge gained during the experiment can be transferred to human health. The balance of bacteria in the human intestine is similarly changing along with changes in eating habits induced by civilization – towards an unbalanced, high-calorie diet with a low fiber content.
In addition to the direct negative health consequences, the constantly present, easy-to-process supply of nutrients in the intestine affects not only human metabolism, but also the colonizing bacteria of the intestine, which also "feed" on our food. Microbes switch from host metabolites to a more luxurious menu made up of human food products and thus evade interaction with the host organism.
Excessive nutrition of bacteria contributes to their growth in general, and some types of bacteria begin to multiply to the detriment of other members of the microbiome, serious maladaptation occurs, more commonly known as dysbiosis.
Previously, scientists proposed to correct the disturbed microbiome with the help of probiotics, that is, the addition of certain beneficial bacteria or even fecal transplants to restore balance. Now, the ecological-evolutionary perspective or "overfeed hypothesis" shows a new way.
First of all, the new approach implies the natural ability of the microbiome to rebuild and restore a healthy combination of bacteria. Therefore, scientists see their main task as the discovery of specific mechanisms that can balance the microbiome. Mainly, it is supposed to reduce the "over-feeding" of bacteria by changing eating habits and periodic fasting. Probably, before the advent of the industrial era, it was these factors that allowed the microbiome to regularly return to normal and, thus, restore a healthy and natural composition.
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