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Bacteria have gotten a lot of attention in recent years since the discovery of the gut microbiome. Since then we’ve uncovered multiple microbiome sites on the human body that interact with each other and formulate our health. A recent study followed the changes in 4 different microbiome sites of the body for a period of 6 years. In this article, we will cover what was studied and how they came to the conclusion that our “individual microbes” are the most important for our health!The Most Important Bacteria in Your Body

What We Knew About Human Microbiomes Prior to This Study

The human body is a complex organism. For it to function properly, it uses microorganisms to help with cellular processes and to maintain health. The human body has multiple microbiomes. A few of the microbiomes found throughout the body are:

The microbes inhabiting these areas work to keep that area of the body healthy. Each area has its own makeup of microorganisms unique to that area and what it will come into contact with. Much like workers in within the same industry, these microbes have their own niche in what they need to do for that specific area. 

These microbiomes work with the immune system and other cellular processes to keep the body healthy. They are able to cross-talk with other cells and microbiomes to maintain homeostasis. 

However, this study has shown us that this cross-talk is a little more complex than we thought. The way our body responds to infection or disease is also affected by the state of the microbiomes.

Study Set Up: How to figure out the most important bacteria in your body

For a 6 year period, researchers took samples and followed the changes in the microbiomes of participants. The microbiomes that were sampled included:

  • Nasal
  • Oral
  • Skin
  • Stool (for the gut)

The breakdown of participants was;

  • 45 male : 45 female
  • Ages ranged from 29-75
  • BMI range was 19.1 – 40.8

Samples were taken quarterly from each participant. However, if they experienced a time of stress, 3-7 additional samples were taken within a 5-week period. Events that were considered stressors included:

  • Respiratory illness
  • Vaccinations
  • Antibiotic use

Since they were looking at microbiomes and we know they can consist of multiple microorganisms, while impacting many cells in the body, researchers took a multi-omics approach to studying their collected data. This included:

  • Untargeted proteomics (302 proteins)
  • Untargeted metabolomics (724 annotated metabolic features)
  • Targeted lipidomics (846 annotated lipids)
  • 62 targeted cytokine and growth factor measurements
  • 51 clinical markers from plasma samples (including C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting glucose (FG), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL))
  • Glucose control assessments (including annual oral glucose tolerance test and steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) measurement)

The Results: What is the most important bacteria in your body?

The first thing that researchers noticed was that there were clear distinctions between the microbiomes of different territories. 

A good example of this was between the skin and nasal areas. Because these areas can touch, you would think that the microbiomes may overlap. However, there were clear differences between the external and internal nose regardless of shared bacterial types. 

The breakdowns of major strains in the differing microbiomes are as follows:

  • The gut microbiome: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes
  • The oral microbiome: Prevotella, Streptococcus, Veillonella, Haemophilus, Neisseria, and Leptotrichia
  • The nasal and skin microbiomes: Cutibacterium, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus

Changes to these areas were dependent on multiple factors, such as seasonal changes, dietary changes, and exposure to pathogens. 

The effects of seasonal changes on the human microbiomes

The skin experiences the most changes when it comes to the change of seasons followed closely by the oral microbiome. All of the microbiomes were least changed during summer. However, the skin and oral microbiomes fluctuated most during season changes.

Diet seemed to change the oral microbiome the most between seasons, while environmental factors affected the skin and nasal microbiomes more. 

The gut microbiome retained the most evenness throughout the seasons of the four microbiomes.

How insulin resistance affects the microbiomes

At the beginning of the study, they tested the participants to see how many had insulin resistance and what its effects were on the microbiomes. 58 participants showed some form of insulin complications: 28 were insulin sensitive (IS) and 30 as insulin resistant (IR).

Throughout the study it was found that each individual has their own distinct microbes that are often not affected by any changes. This is especially true for the gut and oral microbiomes. However, during insulin resistance, these microbes become depleted. 

We have long known that IR negatively impacts the gut microbiome causing dysbiosis, inflammation, and bacterial translocation. This study has shown that it affects all of the microbiomes drastically. The fact that IR can impact the gut microbiome, the most stable of our microbiomes, so drastically is a very eye-opening finding as to how negatively IR affects our health. 

What is interesting is that the skin microbiome experienced more bacterial species in IR participants while the rest became less rich. However, the bacteria inhabiting the skin microbiome were opportunistic and pathogenic leading to many of the skin-related IR and diabetic-induced conditions.

The oral and nasal microbiomes were the least affected by IR but they still experienced undesirable changes.

The individualized strains were able to recolonize. This explains why fecal microbial transplants (FMT) successfully reverses IR and its related issues.

How the microbiomes are similar and different

The microbes in our body are unique to each person. Microbiomes were known to be as unique as fingerprints, however, this study has shown us just how important our individual microbes are.

The individualized microbial species are the most hardy. When things become imbalanced, our individualized microbes are the ones that make up our “core microbiomes.” The core microbiomes are what our body looks to as a code for homeostasis. 

While many of the other strains can fluctuate during states of dysbiosis and disease, these core microbes keep our bodies running in the best way for us individually. Each person’s core microbes are different and give us distinctive characteristics and responses to infections.

What is interesting is that the things that can most negatively affect our core microbes are obesity and insulin resistance. 

With each territory needing niche-specific microbes to maintain that area, they also are affected differently in regards to the individualized microbes. Areas like the nose and mouth recolonize more quickly than other areas because of their microbes. 

Since the gut microbiome fluctuates the least, it takes a little longer to recolonize the special, individualized microbes when IR strikes. 

People with IR tend to have more frequent and dramatic fluctuations in their microbiomes than those without. Cytokines during infection or inflammatory responses play a pivotal role in the changes of the individual microbes. They allow for pathogenic microbes to develop and restrain the healthy, individualized strains from flourishing. 

How to Support Healthy Bacteria in Your Body

With this all being said, how can you ensure you’re helping the strains that are specific to you and not someone else? 

That’s a great question and the answer is actually pretty interesting — and simple. 

Support your individualized microbes and the rest of them by making healthy lifestyle choices — especially ones that prevent IR, diabetes, obesity, and inflammation.

To do that you need to:

  • Eat mindfully — healthier foods first (prioritizing protein and fiber), limiting processed foods, eating a variety of fruits and veggies, and noticing the food you’re eating instead of scarfing
  • Keeping a healthy sleep routine
  • Exercising daily — walks count!
  • Relaxing and reducing stress often
  • Being around people who make you happy and laugh
  • Exposing yourself to healthy microbes (gardening, eating probiotic-rich foods, etc.)
  • Take Atrantil or AtrantilPRO (get a prescription from your doctor) to keep your microbiome healthy and happy!

Got questions? Drop them in the comments below and we’d love to help you understand more!

 

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