Links in relationships also link gut bacteria
Aug
17
We begin with proximity. Proximity to peers plays a role in the microbial content of our gut. Gut microbiome links in family relationships begin at early childhood when the mother’s microbiome influences the gut microbiota of the baby, and continues throughout life, according to an August 09 2023 article in Psychology Today.
People who live with us or are relatively close to us impact the shape of our gut, skin, and oral microbiomes, say the Psychology Today article. This includes family members, friends, and neighbors (1).
Diseases associated with microbiome dysfunction, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive disorders, could be influenced by the microbiomes of those around us.
For instance, some diseases that were not previously found communicable have now been considered to be at least partially communicable, such as diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease (1).
The downside of these influences however, include antibiotic resistance that develops in a common community due in part to their micriobial commonalities, as warned by Alexander Fleming in 1945 in his Nobel acceptance speech (2).
1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-behavioral-microbiome/202308/microbiome-new-criteria-for-selecting-a-partner?amp
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939477/
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