Intestinal flora, "one has to ask three I do not know"

A close relationship with human health, the case study on the promoting slow intestinal complex with flora, "knowing":

Lactic acid bacteria

Human intestinal bacteria total amazing huge.

Obviously, they must do something. According to previous studies, human intestinal bacteria can help people break down some of the nutrients and the "training" for the immune system, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, produce some of the human body needs vitamins, as well as produce regulation body fat reserves of hormones; at the same time, some types of intestinal bacteria can cause disease, increasing the risk of cancer of the host. Because of the intestinal microflora is too complicated, so people on them before, and their relationship with human health poorly, even as we know on the lunar surface.

1 important

Although many small role bacteria

The human body and many Microbe Microbe symbiosis, most of them live in the gut, mostly bacteria, there are some fungi and Protista.

In human feces, approximately 60% of dry weight is bacteria.

"There are so many bacteria, they sure did.

"" The human intestinal flora element Genomics "participant Ridge (DuskoEhrilich) said. Before scientists discovered through research, bacteria, and not simply "harmless parasites", it and human relationships are mutually beneficial to human health have a critical role.

The most intuitive, since the introduction of the half is bacteria, the bacteria is sure to have a large bowel, constipation and "bad" bacteria.

Bacteria can produce some carbohydrates can be degrading enzyme, these degradation products can be used by the body.

Without the presence of these bacteria, the degradation of human body may not, for example some nutrients the body needs specific bacteria to degradation of lactose, missing they may suffer from the "lactose not naizheng". However, whenbacterial decomposition of proteins, could generate some toxic and carcinogenic substances.

The human body fat attract and storage also and intestinal bacteria has a lot to do, the intestine in patients with intestinal microflora and normal people.

Intestinal bacteria also produces some nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin H, folic acid, also helps the body absorb calcium, magnesium, iron and other trace elements.

Intestinal flora also prevents harmful bacteria reproduction, protection of human health, one of the methods is to produce lactic acid, the bad bacteria die "acid".

Some bacteria can also help prevent enteritis.

Human intestinal bacteria and even will produce some more human and a "direct" role, it can accelerate the growth of intestinal epithelial cells, control their differentiation.

They also may promote intestinal lymphocytes of growth in the vicinity. Intestinal flora will stimulate the human intestinal immune system development, and constantly "training" in it, allow it to increase the "ability to distinguish friend or foe". It also and prevent human allergy related, through the intestinal microflora and reasonable "training" in the body's immune system will not easily make radical reaction, that is to make people "allergy". Ridge said, baby gets some bacteria, the body's immune system you want to exclude these bacteria, some bacteria survived. In fact everyone and their common evolutionary intestinal bacteria.

2 understanding

Unknown "come from?"

Although already know some of the intestinal microflora, but scientists themselves, and they and the interaction between the body of knowledge is just getting started.

In the press and the ridge of the Exchange, the most heard a Word is "don't know".

Ridge said, "the human intestinal flora element Genomics" is a contemporary one of the most important research.

Because the human gutmicrobes in human health and the daily happiness are crucial. A lot of people have constipation problem, although not large, but let people every day are "not happy"; and the intestinal microflora associated enteritis often repeated attack, to cause great pain patients; obesity also and intestinal bacteria, is likely to "thin out" the secret is in the human intestines. In "human intestinal flora element Genomics" selected 124 sample providers, people with colitis and obese patients. Through the first stage of the study, have found that patients with intestinal microflora genetic composition and normal people in very different ways, but the specific mechanism remains unknown.

So, how do these bacteria into the body of?

Ridge said, before it has been suggested that baby milk from the mother are intestinal bacteria, but the study found that infants of intestinal bacteria and mother of similarity was not high. So scientists, most likely the baby are at play in eating into the environment of bacteria. But if you want to ask "what happened". Sorry, currently scientists do not know. In the past, because of intestinal bacteria are difficult to distinguish from the appearance, is also very difficult to cultivate in the laboratory, scientists are very difficult to study them. Gene sequencing technology provides basic means. "The future we can track baby's environment and intestinal bacteria, to understand how the bacteria enters the body. " Ridge said.

Then, each person's body, the body of flora vary.

For flora, a person's Constitution is it the "natural environment", some people like "rain forest", some people like the "desert". Then, simply by changing the flora to change people's health, or the person's fitness to decide his own flora? Ridge said: this is very good, but I'm sorry, we don't know the answer.

Then learn to human health and the flora of relations, we can

What to do? Ridge said, we must not simply engagein scientific research, and then throw in there to patients, said: "you are like this," we must try to help them, but how can I help? sorry, we do not know.

Now, human development and the improvement of health conditions have significantly changed the environment that affect the human intestinal bacteria?

Ridge answer if you want to remain a "don't know". But he said that this possibility exists. Sweden, for example, 50 per cent of the population suffering from allergies, and not far from Sweden Estonia but only 10% of people suffer from allergies, at the same time, the latter of social economy developed much better than the former. This may indicate health condition (very good) and allergy, allergy may and intestinal cells. Therefore, Chinese people say "buganbujing, ate no disease" could really have a point.

3 future

Further research has begun

Now we are on the intestinal flora is "ask three I do not know", but Ridge said, with gene sequencing tools, and research on the intestinal microflora will turn over a new leaf.

However, genetic scientists do not know about medicine and nutrition. The future they will and medical scientists, dieticians, extensive cooperation an in-depth understanding of intestinal bacteria and human health. In the future, they will be more understanding of the Group of comparison, the age, the food, the environment and other factors on the intestinal flora.

"Human intestinal flora element Genomics" leader is Europe's "MetaHIT" plan, China Shenzhen huada gene Research Institute is responsible for gene sequencing work.

This study a sample of 124 providers from Europe. Now, with Shenzhen huada gene, do Chinese study of intestinal flora. This study mainly for two purposes: first, to comparison of Chinese and Europeans in the intestinal flora differences, after all their different food cultures; and second, the study of intestinal microflora and diabetes.

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Ridge said that in 10 years, the doctor will want your blood and urine samples, but also to your will.

To participate in research of Burke (PeerBork) said: "know the intestinal microflora genetic combinations on understanding the people doing the intestinal microflora balance is very important, we can use the feces of this non-intrusive inspection means, as a measure of human health. Maybe one day we can drink contains specific bacteria in yoghurt, to address a health issue. ”

4 Note

Commercial advertising hyperbole

Although scientists now know the human intestinal flora is small, but looks like food, and health care providers are already on their "understanding a lot".

" Probiotics" advertising was overwhelming. United States Purdue University Biology Department of agricultural and food engineering Dr. cloud Centerless said that advertising most words exaggeration.

More than 100 years ago, the Russians Immunology home plum Cobra Kolesnikov (Metchnikoff) notes that Bulgaria farmers more longevity.

He attributed to its food fermentation of milk contains live bacteria. The next hundred years, scientific research has endorsed the concept of supplementary sufficient number, the appropriate types of live bacteria, helps human enhance immunity, resistance to bacterial infections, and so on. For Probiotics Research, more and more attention.

According to statistics, in 1965 until 2008, 3000 people at least on a clinical study of probiotics.

Against diarrhoea, immunization, allergies, cancer, women's health, there are many positive results of the experiment. For bacterial species, dosage, mechanism, security, performance, and also had a lot of exploration.

For the study of probiotics, thankfully so far with almost no side effects; but unfortunately, the problem is far more than we can imagine to complex.

Current research has made great progress, but distance really reliably benefit mankind, but also a long way to go.

"Probiotics" is a similar concept of the "good guys", there are countless bacteria could be called "Probiotics", but each one is different.

Probiotics a function may completely in Probiotics b does not exist. Moreover, the current study are generally against a bacteria. When multiple strains blend together to want access to a variety of functions, they will influence each other between? unfortunately, this is still a lack of research.

New knowledge weekly interviews/reporter Liu Zheng this topic information with pictures are pictures of the topic, thanks:

Cloud Centerless (United States of food engineering, Purdue University, science writer) Qin junjie (Shenzhen huada gene Research Institute, the journal nature, one of the authors of the article mainly) Ridge (European MetaHIT program participants)