Human Microbiome in danger

[Opti]

www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-human-microbiome-is-going-extinct-scientists-say-the-end-will-be-devastating/ar-AA172k3I?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=c4ecb330b12c4dd6a895dce16a34936f&ei=17


Researchers say the human microbiome that lives in your gut is now endangered.

The loss of bacteria and microorganisms reduces your chance at a healthy life.

You’re the one killing off your own microbiome.

The human microbiome is endangered. And that’s not a good thing for your health—or the health of the rest of the world.



A new documentary, The Invisible Extinction, highlights how the human microbiome—also known as the bacteria and microorganisms living within the human body, most prevalent in the gut—is on the verge of extinct. And it’s all your fault.



In a discussion with People, two researchers behind the doc, Martin Glaser and Gloria Dominguez-Bello, say the human microbiome is essential for us to digest food, make vitamins, and train our immune systems. “When we eat,” Blaser tells People, “we are nourishing both our human cells and also our microbial cells.”

“We are making a complete mess of biodiversity, including microbial,” Dominguez-Bello says. “Microbes are essential in every ecosystem, not only in humans or animals or plants, but also in the oceans. He whole thing is linked together by impact of human activities. We need to preserve microbes because they really modulate functions of Earth. They modulate the climate. They modulate everything. They modulate our own gene expression.”

I have read warnings about this pre Covid, but likely the situation has gotten considerably worse since the pandemic as not dying became a very big thing.

[Tiny]

This has been a concern for a couple of decades if not longer.

I'm pretty sure several generations have now grown up eating food that's not really "food". As in food that's gone through many transformations where much of it's nutrition or what your body needs has been stripped out (and maybe put back in).


And unfortunately, there's no easy one and done way to help improve your own gut health. There's the battle with peer pressure, marketing pressure, and the fact that most products we buy to consume keep changing in composition so you have to keep reading the labels.   

And then there's the extremes - eating only organic or "grass fed" or whatever on one side (not sure that really does anything useful - since the "organic" products can have just as many "not food" stuff in them)   or    then taking lots of supplements (that's a whole other conversation) to make up of the lack in one's diet.


I've just learned to bite my tongue when one of my friends is excited about eating some newly marketed as "Healthy!" for you product - be it a loaf of bread or snack chips or some bottled drink. If I ask why it's "healthy" they may look confused or point out it's got added vitamins or less fat or less sugar.  

I bite my tongue when one of them is crowing about the wonders of some new supplement they are taking (they pretty much give up taking it after a week or two - one of my friends has a closet shelf filled with vitamin/supplement bottles (all still filled with pills) it looks like the "vitamin" aisle at Walgreens/CVS. ) 

I personally don't don't think anyone eats products labeled as "healthy" or "good for you" or whatever because it's actually "good for you" - they eat it because it's trendy and fashionable. Like wearing the latest color of nail polish or drinking the currently trendy new "cool" beverage.

All that said, I don't think anyone cares about the human microbiome - you can't see it or feel it (until it's too late).
It's like like believing the earth is "flat" - because it more or less looks/feels like it's flat.

[Deleted]

100% agree with Tiny's comments.  I take a senior multi-vitamin daily and don't advocate other supplements unless a person has been diagnosed as lacking in something.  DH takes several supplements such as magnesium and Vitamin C; I don't agree with that but it's his choice to make.  Fortunately, any excess of most supplements is excreted but others are dangerous as they accumulate in the body to a toxic level.

There's nothing wrong with drinking a green smoothie, but it's not a magic bullet either.  Quinoa is very tasty but it doesn't offset junk food.

We went to a large chain grocery last week and DH wanted to look for a different beverage.  He's trying to limit his caffeine intake and his sugar/sweetener intake too.  I don't usually spend any time on the beverage aisle so it was an eye-opener.  I could not believe the immense amount of energy, vitamin, hydration, whatever products.

For us, healthy eating means a wide variety of foods with a focus on whole grains, fresh/frozen veggies without sauces, limited amounts of red meat, and lots of baked or grilled seafood.  Sure, we enjoy the occasional burger but it's a special treat, not a daily meal.

And label reading is essential.  Look at some foods marketed as "low-fat"; you will notice that they are often much higher in sodium to offset the loss of flavor from fat.

[weltschmerz]

I don't eat a lot of processed food and I cook from scratch. No red meat, but I eat chicken and fish.
I take Vitamin C and multivites, and prescription Vitamin D, 10,000 units, once a week.
I drink water and plenty of it. Now that I have a Sodastream, sometimes I put bubbles in it and a squeeze of lemon.
Water, water, water. No vitamin or energy water, just plain water I put through my Brita filter.
I tried live probiotics, but it made me sick.

I think I'm good.

[Tiny]

I, by no means, have the best eating habits.

I do try to consume the recommended amount of fiber per day and I do take a multi vitamin (with D and the B's) I have found that looking at fiber content of foods - tends to help me limit the amount of empty calories I eat everyday (cause it keeps me from buying and eating even more empty calories than I am already eating). This doesn't mean I am a healthy weight - I'm not - I'm guessing I'm in the obese category again.


I had a woah! this is crazy moment - back a decade or more ago. I joined Weight Watchers and the approach at the time was to concentrate on protein, fiber, and carbs (not necessarily in that order) - preferably avoiding foods that didn't have at least some fiber or weren't a source of protein. Following the plan basically steered you towards eating less processed foods and steered you towards better "snacks" if you needed to eat snacks.

That got me looking at the amount of fiber in my "pre weight watchers" food consumption - and it was way below the recommended 25 to 30 grams per day - heck it was below the average 15 grams per day that Americans typically consume.
Most of what I ate was carbs with a side of protein.

I have found that focusing on fiber helps me make better choices. I don't have to deal with the "only eating protein" thing or the "I'm not eating "sugar" " thing (what does that even mean) and it lets me eat a variety of things.

It's not hard to eat more fiber - the foods that provide it just are not very trendy - veggies, fruit, whole wheat bread products, whole grain breakfast cereals, whole grain rice, whole grain pasta, lentils, beans.

I find I feel better when I'm not eating empty calories day in and day out.

And as an aside:

There's also this weird thing where EVERY meal you eat (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!) should be gourmet and it should be a special occasion type meal. Which means it may have some good for you stuff - but it's also got a lot of "filler" or "empty" calories in it.

I've also witnessed friends who need a "dessert" after every meal with breakfast being more of a "dessert" than a "get you going for the day" kind of meal.

Weight Watchers got it right about the psychological part of eating being a prime driver behind weight gain. We don't eat to fuel our bodies - we more often than not eat to "feel good emotionally". That's not to say that we should eat food we don't like.

[Tiny]

The article in the OP is kind of a "oh, that's interesting... but I don't have to do anything I'm eating fine!" no matter what you are eating on a daily basis.

I have friends who swear they are getting enough fiber every day - but I'm pretty sure they are barely getting the average 15 grams per day. Perhaps they are taking a supplement. Which if they are - that means they are eating a lot of "empty" foods every day... and wouldn't it be better to change what they are eating rather than taking a supplement?


The article doesn't really help you realize your eating habits may not be all that great - it lets you assume you are doing great!

[Tiny]

From the google:

that adults eat at least 1½ to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables as part of a healthy eating pattern.

And yet most pictures of a healthy meal - have like 3 spears of Asparagus or maybe a single broccoli "stem and head" on the plate.

I never see fruit as a snack or as part of a meal - it's mostly a dessert smothered in sugar.


People eat a lot of Beige food...

[nidena]

Jun 7, 2023 10:24:14 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

100% agree with Tiny's comments.  I take a senior multi-vitamin daily and don't advocate other supplements unless a person has been diagnosed as lacking in something.  DH takes several supplements such as magnesium and Vitamin C; I don't agree with that but it's his choice to make.  Fortunately, any excess of most supplements is excreted but others are dangerous as they accumulate in the body to a toxic level.

There's nothing wrong with drinking a green smoothie, but it's not a magic bullet either.  Quinoa is very tasty but it doesn't offset junk food.

We went to a large chain grocery last week and DH wanted to look for a different beverage.  He's trying to limit his caffeine intake and his sugar/sweetener intake too.  I don't usually spend any time on the beverage aisle so it was an eye-opener.  I could not believe the immense amount of energy, vitamin, hydration, whatever products.

For us, healthy eating means a wide variety of foods with a focus on whole grains, fresh/frozen veggies without sauces, limited amounts of red meat, and lots of baked or grilled seafood.  Sure, we enjoy the occasional burger but it's a special treat, not a daily meal.

And label reading is essential.  Look at some foods marketed as "low-fat"; you will notice that they are often much higher in sodium to offset the loss of flavor from fat.

My cousin and I were just talking about beverages the other day.  More specifically, the advice that we ensure we "stay hydrated."  Like, how did we know, as kids, to stay hydrated?  We didn't.  We just drank (from the hose lol) while out playing is what we concluded.  A few hours later, I was at Target and in the kitchen area.  When I came across the water bottle AISLE.  I took a picture and sent it to her and said "This is how I know that staying hydrated stemmed from a marketing campaign."  We're talking THOUSANDS of bottles/containers/whatever on multiple shelves, spanning a good 30 feet in length and, what, six feet high.  There was NEVER that many damn beverage bottles in one Target aisle before this century.  Not that we shouldn't stay hydrated but DAMN!

[blue]

A few years ago I had my gut microbiome checked by a functional medicine doctor. Basically I had to poop in a test tube for three days. I was quite proud because the doctor said mine was the best she has ever seen. 

[NoNamePerson]

Jun 9, 2023 10:04:43 GMT -5 blue said:

A few years ago I had my gut microbiome checked by a functional medicine doctor. Basically I had to poop in a test tube for three days. I was quite proud because the doctor said mine was the best she has ever seen. 

Was it "blue"?  Ok evil twin is going back into the attic as we speak