The Human Microbiome is Going Extinct, Scientists State

The human microbiome is threatened, which is not an excellent thing1 for your health or the rest of the world.

A new documentary, The Unseen Extinction, highlights how the human microbiome– also referred to as microorganisms and the bacteria living within the human body, most prevalent in the gut– is on the verge of disappearance. Moreover, it is all your mistake.

In discussion with People, two researchers behind the doc, Martin Glaser and Gloria Dominguez-Bello, state that the human microbiome is essential to digest food, make vitamins, and training our body’s immune systems. “When we consume,” Blaser tells Individuals, “we are nourishing both our human cells and likewise our microbial cells.”

Human Microbiome

The slow death of the human microbiome is thanks to our modern lifestyle. We use antibiotics to exterminate harmful bacteria. However, antibiotics kill off plenty of great things, also. Blaser says the more antibiotics offered to a child, the more likely they are to create a range of diseases. Blaser adds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about one-third of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, leading to overuse.

After that, there is the highly processed, chemical-laden food that’s ruining our gut health. “The single crucial component of the diet to feed the microbiome is fiber,” Dominguez-Bello states. These fibers feed your microbiome, while processed food removes the fiber, posing a negative result for your microbiome.

The researchers desire better options for the antibiotic problem. Both with enhanced testing to see if a bacterial infection is in play and by developing new antibiotics that do not have the “collateral damage that is killing every bacterium inside.”

“We are making a complete mess of biodiversity, including microbial,” Dominguez-Bello states. “Microbes are necessary for every ecosystem, not just in people, animals or plants, but also in the oceans. The impact of human activities links the whole thing together. We need to preserve microbes since they truly regulate the functions of Earth. They regulate the climate. They regulate whatever. They regulate our own gene expression.”

The human microbiome is a big deal. Let us not kill it.

Read the original articie on Popular Mechanics.

Read more: Scientists Clarify Role of Blood Cell Mutations in Illness.