Gut Microbiota Research Paper

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Gut microbiota is a community of bacteria that can be found in the intestine and is constantly changing. These bacteria are considered complex because there are about 1 trillion bacteria and about 1000 different types of species of bacteria. There have been studies that helped determine and explain several factors that influence the number of bacteria that reside in the intestine and what effects they have, resulting in alteration of the composition. These factors can influence a person’s metabolism, energy balance, gut permeability, and inflammation.
Altering the gut microbiota can either be beneficial or harmful because it can directly affect the immune cells or indirectly through the microbial products. If bacteria are altered into becoming harmful it causes dysbiosis, which is a microbial imbalance that helps develop chronic diseases. Some of the factors that influence the altering of the gut microbiota are the method of birth, breastfeeding as infant vs formula, genetics, medication taken, and a person’s diet. …show more content…

Giving vaginal birth gives exposure to the mother’s bacteria, which helps alter the baby’s microbiota and encourages a better immune system development. Due to the lack of bacterial exposure, those born through cesarean section have a higher risk of developing chronic disease. These same benefits are obtained through the method of feeding. Human milk contains more than 700 species of bacteria, which serve as a probiotic and rich source of antibodies. A person can also inherit irregularities in their metabolism through passed down genes from their family, which increases the risk for harmful microbiota and chronic disease. Though medication is something that many people need to take to help against diabetes or other chronic diseases, studies have shown that early exposure to medication can lead to

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