By Kris James
Let me begin by saying I knew that the gut microbiome was an incredibly hot area of research these days, but beyond that, I was pretty much ignorant. Thankfully, Alanna Collen, author of 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness, does a stellar job of presenting this complex topic to the layperson that makes the subject both riveting and at times mind-blowing.
The book title is intriguing, and explained thus: “You are just 10% human. For every one of the cells that make up the vessel that you call your body, there are nine impostor cells hitching a ride. You are not just flesh and blood, muscle and bone, brain and skin, but also bacteria and fungi. You are more 'them' than you are 'you' Your gut alone hosts 100 trillion of them. Over your lifetime, you will play host to bugs the equivalent weight of five African elephants.”
Collen is a science writer with a master's degree in biology and a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University College London. At age 22, while doing field work studying bats, Collen unknowingly developed a tropical infection after being bitten by ticks. She subsequently, suffered debilitating symptoms including pain, fatigue and confusion, yet it was many years before she was properly diagnosed and treated with antibiotics. The antibiotics were successful in treating the infection. However, a new set of symptoms arose, which Collen suspected were caused by the antibiotics wiping out some of her healthy microbes. Taking matters into her own hands, Collen got her microbiome DNA sequenced (which is surprisingly easy and cheap for any of us to do). She also made big changes to her diet, including significantly increasing dietary fiber. Her efforts were successful, and she regained her health.
According to Collen, there is a decline in the diversity of our microbiome. Collen presents strong evidence that gastrointestinal symptoms are much more common in people with mental health and neurological disorders such as ADHD, OCD, autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and even Parkinson's and dementia. There is also increasing evidence that the dramatic rise in autism spectrum disorders may be triggered by changes in children's gut microbiomes.
Only decades ago, the average person had 1600 distinct microbe colonies, which today average just 1200 in number. As scientists discover the unique, complex and important roles each of these microbes play in our bodies, it becomes imperative for us to take this dramatic drop in diversity seriously.
According to Collen, there is a decline in the diversity of our microbiome. Collen presents strong evidence that gastrointestinal symptoms are much more common in people with mental health and neurological disorders such as ADHD, OCD, autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and even Parkinson's and dementia. There is also increasing evidence that the dramatic rise in autism spectrum disorders may be triggered by changes in children's gut microbiomes.
Only decades ago, the average person had 1600 distinct microbe colonies, which today average just 1200 in number. As scientists discover the unique, complex and important roles each of these microbes play in our bodies, it becomes imperative for us to take this dramatic drop in diversity seriously.
Many factors impact microbiome diversity, including overuse of antibiotics, the ubiquitous hand sanitizers in daycares and supermarkets, highly processed diets that do not support gut microbes, and other environmental challenges. An episode of food poisoning, a course of antibiotics, or a diet that is heavy in processed food can alter our gut for the worse. It's not inconceivable that you take an antibiotic (truly necessary to treat an illness), and subsequently struggle with inexplicable weight gain, foggy brain or depression, and fail to see the link between them, or develop an autoimmune disorder like MS. Think of broad-spectrum antibiotics as carpet-bombing a city to take out one terrorist, yet killing countless civilians in the process.This is what happens in your gut during a course of antibiotics. While antibiotics are sometimes necessary to treat life-threatening infections, they wield a double-edged sword with potentially unintended consequences that can be devastating for health.
Collen also writes that children born through cesarean section have higher rates of illness, caused by missing out on the bacterial colonization that normally happens as the baby travels through the birth canal.
Even though this research is still in it's infancy, it cannot be overstated how much our physical, emotional and psychological health are impacted by the microbes that inhabit our bodies.
If you have been dealing with brain fog, emotional or psychological disorders, there is a good chance that things have gone awry in your gut. And according to Collen, “The beauty of the microbiota is that, unlike our genes, we have some control over it.”
10% Human provides easy and practical to implement steps you can take to help improve your gut microbiome. In fact, my new perspective from having read this book, is that paying attention to your gut's health should be the first place to start to address any brain related issues.
Collen also writes that children born through cesarean section have higher rates of illness, caused by missing out on the bacterial colonization that normally happens as the baby travels through the birth canal.
Even though this research is still in it's infancy, it cannot be overstated how much our physical, emotional and psychological health are impacted by the microbes that inhabit our bodies.
If you have been dealing with brain fog, emotional or psychological disorders, there is a good chance that things have gone awry in your gut. And according to Collen, “The beauty of the microbiota is that, unlike our genes, we have some control over it.”
10% Human provides easy and practical to implement steps you can take to help improve your gut microbiome. In fact, my new perspective from having read this book, is that paying attention to your gut's health should be the first place to start to address any brain related issues.