OF LONGEVITY
Nose
The nose is an important entry point for harmful bacteria and viruses. Microbes in the nose – including Cutibacterium, Moraxella, and Staphylococcus epidermidis – help fight these invaders and stimulate mucus production.
Mouth and throat
The microbes living in the various areas of the mouth – tongue, teeth, cheeks – are very different. Dental plaque is composed of bacteria such as Streptococcus. The microbes living in the throat are similar to those in the mouth and nose.
Lungs
In most cases, the body tries to keep microbes out of the lungs. Although some bacteria, such as Veillonella, Prevotella e Streptococcus, can help lubricate lung tissues.
Gut
Current research suggests that gut microbiome can impact every aspects of our health. The colon is home to almost 90% of all microorganism in the human body and about 70% of our immune cells reside there. Some are well known such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and l’Escherichia coli.
Sexual organs
The sexual organs, and especially the vagina, are inhabited by microbes such as Lattobacilli that help maintain a low pH and can produce H₂O₂ to keep bad bacteria in check.
Skin
The skin is the largest organ and therefore has a wide variety of microorganisms, especially Staphylococcus e Propionibacterium. The microbiome in our skin is the first line of defense against pathogens. The skin microbiome changes with age or can be altered by swimming in ocean water.
What is Microbiota and what is the difference with Microbiome?
While Microbiota refers to the population of microorganisms that colonizes a specific environment of the human body, such as the gut, the term Microbiome refers to the genetic make-up of the microbiota, i.e. all the DNA and RNA of the microorganisms.
Which factors influence the composition of the microbiota?
The role of bacteria in inflammatory, immune, and metabolic processes is acknowledged. Factors such as disease or genetic factors, environmental pollution, unbalanced diet and hormonal imbalances can lead to changes in our microbiota.
Genetics: the blood group we belong to (A, B, 0, AB), as well as other genetic factors, influences the strains that colonize our gut, such as Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium spp.
Environment: the presence of pollutants in the air can lead to a decrease in the bacteria that colonize the gut, such as Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Ruminococci, Bacteroides, and Firmicutes, which effectively fight pathogens. A healthy environment, on the other hand, promotes their growth.
Lifestyle: our lifestyle (diet, physical activity, and stress levels) modulates the growth of the naturally occurring bacterial populations in the gut (Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Ruminococci, Bacteroides, and Firmicutes) through mineral intake or the endogenous production of substances that serve for the development of these bacteria.
Hormones: hormones influence several natural physiological functions such as reproductive functions, mood, and sleep. A healthy microbiota helps maintain the balance of these functions, for example by improving the absorption of nutrients in food.
(9) (10) (11) Sitography at the foot of the page.
The gut is the largest immune organ
in the human body
Do you want to find out more about your Microbiota?
Take the test!
Sitography
(1) https://www.marionegri.it/magazine/microbiota
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9320618/
(3) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453018301642
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2493210/
(5) Beck JM, Young VB, Huffnagle GB. The microbiome of the lung. Transl Res. 2012 Oct;160(4):258-66. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2012.02.005. Epub 2012 Feb 28. PMID: 22683412; PMCID: PMC3440512. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3440512/
(6) https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/reproductive/
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010680/
(8) https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro.2017.157
(9) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome
(10) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8641399/
(11) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8110851/