The bacteria Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, Veillonella, and Rothia (cleverly grouped in the easy-to-remember acronym Flvr) might be the key to stopping asthma.
Huh?
Children who are missing these bacteria were shown to be more at risk for developing asthma, and asthma, around 3 years old compared to children who had these bacteria livin' in them at 3 months. Allergies and asthma results from an inflammation of the airways. (Allergies are also due to an immune response of the smooth tissue, but that is a topic for another day).
Flvr is not in some children due to the so-called "Hygiene Hypothesis." This term defines the new trend of protective parents to protect children from all "harmful" exposures, such as infectious diseases and microorganisms. Sanitized surfaces are prevalent, and children are raised in an environment that is as "safe" as possible. While major illnesses have decreased in occurrence, allergies and asthmas have increased, due to the stunting of the immune system.
This relationship between Flvr and the development of asthma was seen in the microbiomes of three month olds, but was not seen in 1 year olds. This indicates that the initial months of exposure dictate the allergy and asthma affliction of the child in their later years.
After establishing that Flvr presence was necessary for the development of asthma, researchers then tested if Flvr presence was sufficient for asthma. They did this by injecting Flvr into mice with airway inflammation, and observing the results. The injection of Flvr reduced the presence of inflammation, indicating that Flvr, or lack thereof, might be sufficient for the development of asthma.
So, moral of the story? Give your kids exposure to the good stuff. They need it to be healthy, functional adults. Now, don't go giving the children all the pathogens, it is important to be exposed to the "right stuff at the right time." The first year of life is crucial for establishing a strong immune system.
TL;DR Let your kids eat dirt.
PS: Ok, so this is too cool not to share. There are many immunoglobulins in your body, each responsible for a different function. IgE is responsible for parasites. Think about what happens when you get a parasite. Smooth muscle response - right? Your body acts to expulse the parasitic bacteria in the quickest way possible. The cool thing is this: there are not a lot of parasites in the USA. Awesome! But, not awesome for IgE. IgE is "bored." IgE makes antigens to innocuous substances, aka "allergens," and what happens results in a mild version of your body's response to parasites. Smooth muscle responses: sneezing, coughing, and respiratory responses. In countries with rampant parasites, allergies are not common. Some allergies are being treated with dog parasites, to better utilize IgE. HOW COOL IS THAT!!!! kbye
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34392522
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/02/9418/asthma-tied-bacterial-communities-airway
Speaking of asthma, I found this article that also showed how even breastfeeding could reduce a child’s risk of developing asthma. In the study that I looked at they pooled together the results of studies done from 1985 all the way to 2012 and saw a trend between breasting feeding and a reduced risk in developing childhood asthma. I wonder if it also has to do with all the good bacteria the babies are able to ingest from the mothers milk because I know it helps to reduce other allergies. Maybe some day, if they haven’t already, they could find a way to inject Flvr into humans and cure us of asthma (of course pending that there's no life threatening risk with a direct injection).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/05May/Pages/Breastfeeding-cuts-childhood-asthma-risk.aspx
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think so! The mother's milk does supply the immune system for the infants while they are breast fed. So, it would make sense that breastfeeding would transmit a "proper" immune response to substances that would otherwise produce an allergic reaction. Allergies and asthma are both immune responses to stuff that should not elicit an immune response. Through breastfeeding, then, the mother is transmitting a mature, adult immune system that is able to differentiate between harmful and non-harmful substances. So, it would make sense that more breastfeeding, and more of a mature immune system, while the baby builds its own immune system, would prevent the development of asthma! I wonder if asthma in the mother would be passed through to the baby during breastfeeding, or if the baby's own immune system would prevent that from manifesting. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystemanddisorders.html
OK, just looked it up. Turns out that mothers who are atopic (have a high immune response to things that are common - like most allergens are) DO have a tendency to pass along asthma to their children. But, this does not mean that mothers with asthma should not breastfeed. Good point Emma!
http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(05)00370-2/fulltext#sec9
Interesting post, Mia! It reminded me of a topic I wanted to blog about: the "five second rule". As a future physician and current Masters student, I'm sure you have experienced friends and family members approaching you with random medical questions like I have. "Why is my eye twitching?"; "How long should your uncle be on blood thinners?"; "Is it bad that my toenail is falling off?"; and the ever-important "Is the 5 second rule a real thing?!". So, the other day I decided to look up the answer to this last question in order to give the people asking an educated answer (afterall, these people are trusting me with their critical medical needs right?!). It turns out that food really does have more bacteria on it the longer it stays on the ground. According to this article by the Science American Journal, moist foods lefts on the floor for 30 seconds had 10 times more bacteria than if left on the ground for 3 seconds! Further, they investigated which floor types will spread the most bacteria during initial contact and found that bacteria is much more likely to contaminate the food if left for more than five seconds on wood or laminate material. The "cleanest" floor surface to drop your food on is actually carpet, which is bizarre because my carpet is usually full of nasty dog hair. Adding the information you blogged about to this "5 second rule" theory, it seems we can argue that children should not only abide by the 5 second rule, but even eat that lollipop that fell on the ground for more than 5 seconds to get the Flvr bacteria you mention. Now I can make this argument when people judge me for eating every bite of that delicious brownie that fell on the floor!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-the-5-second-rule-for-dropped-food/
P.S. to comment on your Cool Fact- I totally had a goat parasite in my body that has completely dumbfounded physicians. It has definitely negatively impacted my diet (I can't eat red meat anymore), but now I am wondering if it has positively affected my respiratory system which would be SO COOL.