Prior posts have noted that a) for every 1 human cell there are 10 bacteria in or on our bodies; b) these bacteria are key to the digestion of our food, production of necessary nutrients, and disease prevention; c) the nature of our diet influences the make-up of bacterial colonies in our GI tract; d) the bacterial make-up in our GI tract can have a major influence on disease, especially those that impact adults (e.g., inflammatory processes); and e) eating yogurt can help nearterm with digestion, but does not alter the longterm make-up of bacertia in our GI tract.
Now science is taking a hard look at exactly what is the diversity of the make-up of bacteria on and in humans, and what is the genome of said bacteria. It is a fascinating new world in terms of understanding this incredibly important aspect of our co-physiology (one might call it). For those interested in an overview of what studies are being undertaken, I recommend an interview on the NewsHour. See http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june12/miccrobes_06-14.html.
An interesting discussion of the diversity of bacteria on and in the body can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/science/studies-of-human-microbiome-yield-new-insights.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120619.
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