In this series, we’ll share how the latest developments on this medical frontier are transforming our approaches to illness and offering new strategies to heal and prevent disease.
Previously: The roles that microbes play in the body have been linked to processes that appear protective against disease. When disease happens, the link is dysbiosis, or an improper balance of microorganisms, but the science is too new for many specific conclusions.
What specific bugs—bacteria, viruses, and fungi—in what precise amounts might you find in normal healthy human stool?
It’s an odd question, but important because it’s one of the few clues we have as to what is happening inside the gut microbiome. This microbial community plays several essential roles, from helping to create hormones to supplying the key components of our immune system. Unfortunately, it’s also notoriously difficult to study. One of the few glimpses we can get into its inner workings is by what comes out of us….