Millions of microbes live in our bodies, and no two bodies are same. From our skin to our lips to our mouths, each provides a unique environment for microbial communities. Our stomachs are filled with interacting microbes, each with a specific function. Energy is released and absorbed by the cells of the digestive tract at each step of the digestive process.
Every person’s gut microbes are unique and diverse, and they can metabolise food in a variety of ways. The calories released by one person’s gut microbes may be a fraction of what another person’s gut microbes can extract. Our microbial ecosystems can be influenced by our genetic composition and the bacteria we encounter throughout our lives. The microbes that live in our stomach are also influenced by the food we eat.
Food made up of complex compounds, such as an apple, necessitates the use of a variety of microbes to break it down. Gut microbial communities containing only a few different types of microbes do not work properly. Humans with disorders like diabetes or chronic gut inflammation, for example, have reduced microbial diversity in their stomachs.
We do not yet know the optimal approach to manage our unique microbial ecosystems, but lifestyle modifications like consuming a diverse diet of complex, plant-based foods are likely to help revive our gut microbial communities.
We will discover how to nurture this complex, unseen world that defines our personal identity, health, and well-being as we learn more about how our microbes interact with each other and with our bodies.
