Future Medical Advances Associated with the "Microbiome"
In the September 2014 edition of Today’s Dietitian, David Yeager
highlighted a possible breakthrough project that could advance current medical
treatment and disease prevention.
Multiple labs are participating in what is known as the Human Microbiome
Project, which is under the National Institutes of Health. The project entails two phases. The first phase, which was completed from
2007-2013, was aimed to identify and describe the microbial community that
lives within the human body. The second
phase, which is started in 2013 and will continue until 2015, aims to describe
the biology between the interaction of the microbes and the human body. The ongoing study is hoping to target how
health is maintained through the microbiome and how to treat disease
(specifically digestive disease).
Various studies have proved that
microbiota plays a key role in health outcomes.
For instance, the article mentioned a study involving transfer of
microbes from a lean individual to an obese individual. Although the results were short lived, there
was a decrease in insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Krista King, a
senior pediatric dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital and spokesperson for
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states, “The microbiome makes up 1% to
2% of the adult body, so it could essentially be considered a separate
organ. Previously, we thought it was
just there to help us with digestion of foods and the production of certain
vitamins, such as vitamin K or vitamin D, but now we’re seeing that it’s
playing a much bigger role than that.”
Each person’s microbiota is described as a fingerprint, each being
unique to each individual. Now more then
ever there is talk of personalized health plans as well as diets that are
tailored according to each individual’s biology. Microbiota may be the future break through to
be able to accurately prescribe individualized diets.
Yeager, D.
(2014, September). Mapping the gut microbiome. Today’s Dietitian, 16, 12-13.
-DH
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