Earlier I talked about the human ‘microbiome’ and the hygiene hypothesis. I was discussing this with my lovely wife over the weekend (got to kill 4 hours each weekend in the car somehow) and felt that there might be a very close correlation with antibiotic use and obesity and other health problems. Today I felt motivated to actually Google on the topic and guess what? I find this is an area of substantial interest:
In Some Cases, Even Bad Bacteria May Be Good
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/health/scientist-examines-possible-link-between-antibiotics-and-obesity.html
If I didn’t have so many other projects lined up, I think I might dive into this area of research because I think that producing tailored cultures of bacteria will go a very long way toward making humans healthier again. This handily explains why obesity seems to be inherited, but doesn’t seem to be genetic: babies get their microbiome from mom, dad, brother and sister. Also, since it is now well-known (in the world of genome research) that epigenetics is driven by environment, life-time alterations of gene activation can be directed by the bugs you carry for the journey. Given the wide spread impact of most antibiotics, another parallel could be drawn with the popularity of DDT and the substantial adverse effects that resulted in the environment. Indiscriminate killing in any ecosystem is going to greatly disturb that ecosystem, in this case we are talking about the ecosystem that is us, and the more often you devastate that ecosystem the less likely it is to recover to an optimal or efficient one. Most people freak out when they learn about the number of organisms (individuals as well as species) that hitch a ride on our body (I got to admit that as a youth I was well on my way to becoming a Howard Hughes, but since I didn’t have the money to indulge my passion the real world wore off the edge), but to my mind, the evidence that there is a stable, optimal ‘personal ecosystem’ is overwhelming. Since it is gross, though, it will probably be a further generation before such treatments become commonplace. Too bad for those of us suffering.
Bottom line: be very cautious about taking antibiotics (but if you do, be sure to take them as prescribed! Failure to do so creates antibiotic resistant strains (evolution in action!)). It is well known that antibiotics tend to be prescribed just as the patient starts to get better, ask your doctor if it is OK to wait a couple more days before taking them to see if that happens. After they have worked their course, try to bolster your gut by eating ‘live’ yogurt (that which _hasn’t_ been pasteurized). There are also yogurts specifically produced that are supposed to help ‘regulate’ your gut (I haven’t seen any research on them to know if they are worth anything, but there ain’t much chance that they will hurt you), you can try them. Additionally, spend some time making out with your significant other and try reestablishing your bugs from them (presuming they are healthy, of course!). As mentioned in the earlier post, I think that in a couple of decades or less, you will be given a pill with a tailored microbiome to consume once you are done with your antibiotics, but these approaches outlined above could help while you have to wait.
