• The gut microbiome has extensive, reaching health implications on us
• Recent research suggests that stimulating the gut microbiome could be responsible for promoting immunological responses
• Additional studies suggest that cancer may be prevented or limited through ensuring a healthy gut microbiome
• Continued research is necessary, but initial tests allow researchers to be optimistic

The Gut Microbiome – Promoting Health From the Inside

Often overlooked but increasingly being recognized as a pivotal component of human health, the gastrointestinal tract, and the species of organisms that inhabit it, are responsible for aiding digestion, extracting essential nutrients from food and beverages, and seemingly keeping you cancer and disease free!

A fascinating news report published by Nature, a premier scientific journal praised for its rigor and impact on global scientific knowledge, summarized some interesting studies on the impact of microorganisms on health in experimental lab mice. When inoculated with a series of bacterial organisms, studies showed mice had significantly greater quantity of CD8 cytotoxic T-cells (more commonly known as killer-T cells, which are responsible for destroying infectious organisms and disease causing cells). This indicates that the presence of these bacteria were able to affectively stimulate the body’s immune responses, assisting in the prevention of infection.

Maintaining a healthy immune system is what allows us to live our daily lives without constantly subsuming to illness. Our immune systems keep us alive and running, even in the presence of disease-causing microorganisms. But much like any machine, regular upkeep is required to keep it functioning properly. Replenishing essential nutrients and bacterial strains has been shown to promote gut-microorganism health and further stimulate immunological responses.

Additionally, and perhaps even more exciting, is the suggested impact the gut-microbiome has on carcinogenic compound processing and oncogenesis (cancer formation). Nature reports that mice that have been treated with bacterial strains to promote gut health showed reduction in tumor formation and cancer incidence. What is interesting is that this could be due to the stimulation of immunological responses. Similar to the increasingly popular cancer therapy technique known as immunotherapy, it may be possible that the previously mentioned increase CD8 cell production could reduce tumor and cancer cell incidence, and may prevent the formation of cancer!

It is important to note that much of this research is still ongoing, and new information is coming out frequently. Researchers (myself included) however are optimistic about these findings, and are curious to see how continued innovations into the impact and importance of the gut microbiome could impact medicine and healthcare in the near future.

On a more personal note, we at Spirochete Brewing are thrilled to be a part of this exciting global research effort. Through studying microorganisms and their impacts on human health, as well as their by-products, we can better understand how to promote health from within the patient. And furthermore, how we can better craft products to be more biologically active in promoting the health of our consumers.