None of us are ever really alone. That’s because at any given moment in the day, our gut is alive with tens of trillions – tens of TRILLIONS – of microorganisms that make up what is called our gut microbiota, or gut flora. These trillions of microorganisms include at least 1000 different species of known bacteria that contain more than 3 million genes. To put this into a bit of perspective, that’s 150 times more than human genes!
What’s particularly interesting is that while one third of our gut microbiota is common among most people, two thirds are very specific to each one of us. That’s more incredible even than our individual fingerprints.
Scientists now consider our gastrointestinal (GI) tract as one of the most complex microbial ecosystems …show more content…
Eva Sirinathsinghji who studied how microbiota influences cancer susceptibility. These organisms also appear to impact the efficacy of various cancer treatments. Dr. Sirinathsinghji cites a study in which mice that were given antibiotics three weeks before tumor inoculation responded poorly to the tumor immunotherapy.
Some therapies, including specific chemotherapy agents, actually rely on your gut’s probiotics to eradicate the tumor. Again, this good bacteria has a positive effect on inflammation as well as metabolism, two of the biggest hallmarks of cancer.
Dr. Sirinathsinghji has said, "With the advent of metabolomics and deep sequencing techniques, researchers are beginning to decipher the role of specific microbes as well as specific global microbiotic profiles associated with different cancers. These discoveries are leading to new avenues of research into cancer prevention and treatment. The relationship between our gut microbiota and cancer appears to be complex, involving both specific microbial species as well as dysregulation of the global microbiota, called
What’s particularly interesting is that while one third of our gut microbiota is common among most people, two thirds are very specific to each one of us. That’s more incredible even than our individual fingerprints.
Scientists now consider our gastrointestinal (GI) tract as one of the most complex microbial ecosystems …show more content…
Eva Sirinathsinghji who studied how microbiota influences cancer susceptibility. These organisms also appear to impact the efficacy of various cancer treatments. Dr. Sirinathsinghji cites a study in which mice that were given antibiotics three weeks before tumor inoculation responded poorly to the tumor immunotherapy.
Some therapies, including specific chemotherapy agents, actually rely on your gut’s probiotics to eradicate the tumor. Again, this good bacteria has a positive effect on inflammation as well as metabolism, two of the biggest hallmarks of cancer.
Dr. Sirinathsinghji has said, "With the advent of metabolomics and deep sequencing techniques, researchers are beginning to decipher the role of specific microbes as well as specific global microbiotic profiles associated with different cancers. These discoveries are leading to new avenues of research into cancer prevention and treatment. The relationship between our gut microbiota and cancer appears to be complex, involving both specific microbial species as well as dysregulation of the global microbiota, called