Geisinger Preventive Medicine Lecture Series: “The Gut Microbiome and Health”
Lecture Type: Online Video (Link Here)
Time: 57 minutes 25 seconds
Date: April 18, 2018
Speaker: Dr. Gail A. Cresci, PhD, RD, LD, CNSC
Topic: The Gut Microbiome
Introduction
The gut microbiome is a complex system that is colonized and impacted by a variety of factors, including medications, the environment, and nutrition. Dr. Gail A. Cresci, PhD, discusses her clinical results in gut microbiome function and its clinical significance.
Gut Microbiome Colonization
The gut microbiome refers to the large colon, where the majority of our digestive systems’ good bacteria are located. Here, these bacteria break down complex carbohydrates, like fiber, and other substances that humans are not able to digest alone. These bacteria provide the body with a large variety of beneficial functions, some of which are reviewed by Dr. Cresci in her lecture.
The species of bacteria in the gut change throughout our lives based on exposure to a variety of factors. As infants, the gut is first colonized (i.e., bacterial group established and able to survive) during birth. Being born vaginally or via c-section changes the composition of bacterial species, with children born by vaginal birth having similar a similar microbiome to their mothers. Similarly, throughout adulthood bacterial species are altered in response to stress, exercise, dietary composition, the local environment, and medication intake.
Bacterial Byproducts
Do you take a probiotic? Not all probiotics are made the same. A probiotic contains both living and dead microorganisms, as well as their bioactive components, and are taken by mouth to confer some health benefit. Each probiotic contains a different composition of bacterial species, as well as different colony forming units (CFUs), which are the number of bacteria that are able to potentially multiply to. It is a standard measure for how many live bacteria the probiotic contains.
On the other hand, a prebiotic is nutrient that humans are not able to digest but can be digested through fermentation by gastrointestinal bacteria. Basically, it is food for the gut bacteria! Some common examples of prebiotics given by Dr. Cresci include, inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and lactulose.
Finally, a symbiotic simply combines a prebiotic and a probiotic together.
Dr. Cresci’s Research
Dr. Cresci gets into the methods and results of her research over the last 10 years. Specifically, she focuses on her studies treating Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections post antibacterial treatment. In mouse experiments, Dr. Cresci and colleagues found significant improvement in treating C. difficile with a symbiotic compared to saline controls. This suggests clinicians may be able to use certain symbiotic formulations to treat post-antibiotic C. difficile infections. This may be a better alternative than turning to further antibiotic treatment. Further research is needed to explore the most effective methods for treatment, as well as to confirm replicable results.
Dr. Cresci also briefly reviewed her research on small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). In a survey-based study using human subjects who had symptoms of SIBO, subjects reported improvement in symptoms when treated a symbiotic. Again, further research is needed to replicate the results of this study, as well as to compare to a control.
This is at the frontier of research! Dr. Cresci works to understand how we can alter gut function and composition to improve treatment for various chronic health conditions today.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope to bring you more research on gut health in the coming articles on Nature Nurture Health. I highly recommend watching this lecture to learn more about gut function and to explore Dr. Cresci’s work in this field.
See links to view!
Citation
Cresci, G.A. (2018, April 18). The Gut Microbiome and Health. [Lecture Recording]. Geisinger Commonwealth Preventive Medicine Lecture Series in partnership with WVIA. https://video.ket.org/video/gail-cresci-the-gut-microbiome-and-health-qcmfke/
Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. The publisher of this content does not take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, exercise or other lifestyle program.