When a bacteria has lived in human bellies for tens of thousands of years, it's probably best to assume that it does something worthwhile. The Economist has a story on Heliobacter pylori, a gut-dwelling microbe and longtime Wired Science favorite: nearly annihilated by modern hygiene and drugs, it causes ulcers and certain types of cancer, but may protect against other cancers, asthma and obesity.
That in itself isn't new, but the article examines H. pylori's complicated risks and benefits and concludes that "rather than trying to eradicate H. pylori, a better strategy would be to manage its relationship with humanity in a more sophisticated way."
A very sensible recommendation, and one we ought to apply broadly. Gut bacteria co-evolved with humanity, but haven't yet been studied by science; H. pylori is just the beginning.
The twists and turns of fate [The Economist]
Image: Courtesy of me, proposed story art from "Hacking Your Body's Bacteria for Better Health."
Note: A relevant factoid from my article: "In sheer numbers, bacterial cells in the body outnumber our own by a factor of 10, with 50 trillion bacteria living in the digestive system alone, where they've remained largely unstudied until the last decade."
See Also:
- Internal Bacterial Imbalance Leads to Asthma
- Collateral Damage in The War on Bacteria?
- Low-Calorie Longevity May Be Linked to Gut Bacteria
- Battery Powered Yarn, Red Haired Neanderthals, Gut Bacteria
- Appendix Not So Useless After All?
- Hacking Your Body's Bacteria for Better Health
WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.
