Our bodies are teeming with tens of trillions of microbes. They help us digest food, kill germs, and generally maintain a well-balanced internal ecosystem. According to Washington University microbiologist Jeffrey Gordon, "The total number of microbes associated with our adult bodies exceeds the total number of our human cells by a factor of 10… We're sort of a superorganism–one that's 90 percent microbial." Science News has a cover story about new efforts to better leverage our internal microbes in the fight against disease. Seen here is a scanning electron micrograph of yogurt, revealing bacteria that can be used to promote health. From Science News:
In the future, "pharmaceutical companies might be drugging your bugs, not drugging you," suggests Jeremy Nicholson of Imperial College, London.
Probiotic microbes' role in fighting generic diarrheal disease is old hat, but in the past decade, other influences on human immunity and metabolism have emerged. Certain microbial supplements show the potential to reduce the severity of colds and other infections, temper body weight, and even help the elderly fight osteoporosis.
The rub: Research is showing that a probiotic's benefits can be very specific. In fact, it might be more appropriate to view these microbes as a cornucopia of diet-based, over-the-counter micro-pharmacists–each able to dispense only a few therapies or services.
