Microbiome news

Microbiologist Chris Mason conducted a study on the microbiome of cities. He was able to prove that cities have their own distinct microbial fingerprint .

We all have come to face that we are amidst a gigantic mass extinction of global scope. The reasons for it are the rapid change that ecosystems are underlying, caused by climate change and utter destruction of habitats. In a nutshell, humans shape the planet faster than life on it is able to adjust to the new settings.

Caesarean section children have been shown to be more prone to various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. A newly released study be the University of Helsinki shows that fecal transplant from mother to child after birth could be the solution.

The article starts off explaining in detail what the human microbiome is all about. Assuming that the target group on the magazine is above all scientists, alumni, students, and employees of TUM, we can derive that even in this presumingly educated readership of academics, general awareness on the microbiome is still lacking.

It may be uncertain what the main drivers of the current obesity epidemic are, but claiming that “fat is bad” or “carbohydrates are bad” appears to be far too simplistic, given the accumulated knowledge. Our nutrition from the perspective of microbes. 

When we talk about the microbiome, we usually forget that the microbiome is only part of a very complex interplay. The composition of our microbiome is influenced by nutrition, lifestyle, early maternal transmission, immune status and genetics of each individual.