FUTURE SOLUTIONS
The aim of all this research is to target treatments, not just for particular diseases but for people as well. Given the current work being done, the future, could look like this:
Jacka says 99.5 per cent of our genetic material is microbial (in other words, made of tiny bugs). So the more we can figure out which genes are involved, and how the bacteria evolve to outsmart the body’s immune response and trigger the inflammation pathway, Pearson says this will help us identify targets for treatments. We’re not quite there yet, but researchers are definitely heading in that direction.
Jacka says what we eat can be a major influencer on the type of bacteria we have, and with expert guidance, we’ll be able to target the foods to eat to encourage the good bacteria rather than the bad guys.
Our body can react to medications differently depending on the type of bacteria that rules our microbiome, according to research. Scientists are still working on how this information will help in the future but the aim is that doctors may one day be able to screen your microbiome to determine if a drug will work for you.
GUT INSTINCTS
You probably first heard about the gut “microbiome” about four years ago – the good and bad bacteria that has been shown to impact our health, whether it be funny tummies or not-so-funny anxiety. Now, scientists want to understand how bacteria behaves and can be manipulated. The results could influence future medicine.
UNLOCKING THE SECRET
Dr Jaclyn Pearson, a microbiologist at the University of Melbourne Doherty Institute, is leading research that’s bringing us closer to understanding how our gut bacteria behaves – the good, the bad and the ugly. Supported by the L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science program, Pearson is hopeful the insights gleaned from her PhD on how clever diarrhoea-causing bacteria can hide from the human immune system, will improve the current understanding of the mechanisms at play for sufferers of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She’s been gathering intelligence on the tactics pathogens use to cause disease, and to pin down which bacteria are important to help the gut stay healthy. “I’m hoping I can find out exactly what these bugs are doing, and how we can stop them from being so clever, so quickly,” she says.
HERE AND NOW
Practically speaking, our diet and lifestyle is where we can make the most impact on our gut microbiome and, it turns out, our mood. Professor Felice Jacka, director of the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University, has been examining how our diet influences the body’s immune system and inflammation pathway, and the links to depression. At the recent Australasian Lifestyle Medicine
It may not be a conversation you’ll have around the dinner table but it’s certainly one that’s top of mind for scientists as they work to figure out how gut bacteria influences our health and can be used in future treatment for diseases such as diabetes.
symposium, Jacka shared how eating ultra-processed, high-fat foods (think packaged crisps and pastries ) can reduce the diversity in our gut, while a diet rich in fermentable fibre and polyphenols (think pulses, apples and green tea), gives our mood a boost. So it’s a wide variety of foods you’re after, to ensure bacteria have lots of good things to feed off.