In 2005, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was jointly awarded to Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren for their discovery of a gut bug’s role in disease. The “prize winning” bacterium was
Helicobacter pylori and the associated disease was stomach ulcer, more specifically, duodenal ulcers (for those googling picture of the intestine right now, the pylorus is the junction between the stomach and the duodenum and small intestine).
So the “Germ Theory of Disease” that was postulated 450 years ago, and scientifically proven by Louis Pasteur only 150 years ago, has now taken a turn to look at the “gut” and the specific bacteria living there. And since the 1970’s and 1980’s, when the 2005 Nobel laureates got their start, there have been an ever-increasing number of scientists looking at the microorganisms living in the gut and exploring their potential roles in disease and health.
What I find interesting about today's gut bug discussion is that many scientists are suggesting that it’s not always just an issue of good bacteria, but also a matter of balance – balancing the good with the bad. I say this because it is suggested that most intestines harbor as much as 15% bad bacteria. Thus, in order to be healthy, we must maintain enough good bacteria to keep the bad bacteria from gaining the upper hand or from moving to a new location in the GI tract (where they aren’t supposed to colonize).
The best way to maintain an optimal balance of good and bad bacteria is to:
- Give the good bacteria the things they need to survive; they can’t do it alone!
Probiotics are delicate and can die off very easily. By giving them the right food (prebiotics) and a hospitable natural environment, that they can multiply and colonize.
- Avoid things that give the bad bacteria an upper hand.
In the coming months I will talk about the various environmental factors, common in the Western world, that help give bad bacteria a fighting chance.