Just like with blood, there are several types of human gut, according to a new study.
Credit: Med. Mic. Sciences Cardiff Uni
PARIS: The human digestive tract, host to an ecosystem teeming with trillions of living bacteria, comes in three variations as distinct as blood groups, according to a new study.
These so-called 'enterotypes' are found in populations worldwide and exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, the study published in Nature reported.
The findings have major implications for detecting and predicting the risk of diseases ranging from intestinal cancers to diabetes to Crohn's disease, a painful inflammation of the bowels, the researchers said.
Determining likelihood of high BMI
They also showed that certain strains of bacteria - varying in concentration across the three intestinal types - boost the likelihood of obesity, a discovery that could help explain why some people struggle more than others to shed excess weight.
"The more efficiently the bacteria extract energy from food, the greater the chance that the person has a high BMI," or body-mass index, said co-author Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich, a professor at France's National Agronomy Research Institute.
"Looking at the genes of the microbiota tells us with much greater precision than looking at the genes of the individual if someone is obese or not," he said.
Varying from person to person
BMI measures deviation from optimal levels of body fat. The study could also help scientists tailor treatments for certain diseases to the intestinal profile of the patient.
"The three gut types explain why the uptake of medicines and nutrients vary from person to person," said co-author Jeroen Raes, a researcher at VIB-Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
"This knowledge could form the basis of personalised medicine with treatments and doses determined on the basis of gut type," he said.
How to stimulate 'good' bacteria
Some 100 trillion bacteria - up to 1,000 different species - live inside our intestines, where they play a crucial role in converting food into energy and protected us from pathogens.
In exchange, our digestive tract provides these single-celled guests with food and shelter. This symbiosis is a crucial element of human health, but when disrupted can lead to disorders with consequences ranging from poor digestion to death.
"Certain species of bacteria can become overly abundant, while others can disappear. It can happen at any point in one's life," said Ehrlich. Researchers can now aim to design treatments that seek to stimulate 'good' bacteria, or inhibit the growth of those that do us harm, in order to reestablish a balance, he said.
