Gut Health And Microbiome: How Social Relationships Shape Gut Microbiome
Gut Health And Microbiome: According to Nature, a recent study revealed that an individual’s gut microbiome composition is not only influenced by their direct social contacts but also by the connections of their friends.
Social interactions, such as sharing a meal or a cheek kiss, do more than just bring people closer together—they also align the composition of their gut microbiomes. The more people interact with each other, the more similar their gut microorganisms become, even if they do not live under the same roof.
Gut Health And Microbiome, The gut microbiome consists of a collection of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microbes) that naturally inhabit the human gut. These microorganisms play a crucial role in food digestion, immune system support, and numerous metabolic processes.
As Nature reported, this recent study showed that the composition of an individual’s gut microbiome is influenced not only by their own social interactions but also by those of their friends.
Gut Health And Microbiome, This research is part of a growing body of studies suggesting that health status may be affected by microbiome transfer between individuals, not just diet and environmental factors.
Dr. Katherine Robinson, a microbiologist from the University of Oregon in Eugene, explained:
Gut Health And Microbiome, “We’ve been trying to identify the factors that shape an individual’s microbiome. It turns out that social interactions are definitely a piece of the puzzle that we’ve overlooked so far.”
Gut Health And Microbiome; Creating Connections That Last
Gut Health And Microbiome, The new study stems from research published nearly 20 years ago, which examined how obesity spreads within social groups. Certain viruses and bacteria within the gut microbiome can alter an individual’s risk of obesity. This prompted Nicholas Christakis, a social scientist, to question whether friends not only influence each other’s eating habits but also transfer these microbes to one another.
“This idea was something I couldn’t ignore,” Christakis said.
Since then, numerous studies have highlighted the impact of social interactions on the gut microbiome. To further investigate, Christakis and his colleagues traveled to the forests of Honduras. There, they mapped social networks and analyzed the microbiomes of individuals living in 18 isolated villages with minimal contact with other regions. In these villages, face-to-face interactions were the norm, and the consumption of processed foods and antibiotics—both of which can alter the microbiome—was minimal.
Gut Health And Microbiome, Results revealed that spouses and household members shared up to 13.9% of their microbiota. However, even individuals who didn’t live together but spent leisure time with one another had a 10% microbiome similarity. By contrast, individuals in the same village who did not spend time together had only a 4% similarity.
Gut Health And Microbiome, Additionally, evidence showed that microbes were transmitted in a chain-like manner across social networks. Friends of friends shared more microbial strains than what could be attributed to chance.
An Enhanced Comprehension
Gut Health And Microbiome, These findings deepen our understanding of the factors shaping microbiome composition. Experts suggest that while people may randomly share similar microbial species, the likelihood of having identical microbial strains is low unless they have been directly shared between individuals.
Gut Health And Microbiome, This research suggests that risk factors for diseases associated with gut microbiome composition, such as high blood pressure and depression, may also be transferred from one person to another through microbiome components. However, experts warn against avoiding social interactions due to a “fear” of microbiome transmission. Social interactions can also transfer healthy microbiome components and offer countless other benefits.
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