Writing Exercise #5
PROMPT: What choices do you make in terms of food/nutrition/product use and consumption that may have an impact on your microbial communities? Consider choices that are intentional, and choices that are perhaps non-intentional.
There are many different products and foods which my consumption can have an impact on my microflora. A lot of these things are a part of my daily life and I don’t think twice about their implications. From medications to foods, to supplements, they all can influence the specific balance organisms that make up the composition of my microflora.
The thing that probably has the biggest, non-intentional, impact is the over-the-counter Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) I take daily, omeprazole. Due to my chronic gastritis, I have to take this medication daily to decrease the amount of stomach acid produced. The decrease in acid production leads to a reduction in the pH/acidity of my entire GI tract. Studies have shown that the use of antacids increases the risk of developing a C. difficile infection. (1) Interestingly, it has repeatedly been demonstrated that the specific type of medication I take, PPIs, have the highest associated increase in risk of infection. The reason these drugs cause an increased risk of infection is not explicitly apparent. However, the reasoning behind the association is clear upon further thought. Most organisms can only live in a small pH range, and their optimal environment for reproduction is an even smaller range. The pH of stomach acid can go as low as 1.5, which is incredibly inhospitable. By suppressing the production of stomach acid, the pH raises to a more neutral level. This allows other microbes to colonize an environment where they usually wouldn’t have a chance.
A more obvious influence on my microbial flora comes from some of the foods I eat. Yogurt and cheese are two food items which commonly come to mind when thinking about microorganisms in food. Bacteria is added to milk, and thru fermentation make yogurt. Fungal species, as well as bacteria, are added to milk, and perform fermentation of the lactose in the milk and make cheese. That means that if you consume cheese or yogurt, your introducing live microbial cultures to your body. This is an example of how food can have a direct impact on my microflora.
While I don’t drink often, I do have the occasional alcoholic beverage. Interesting, beer impacts my microflora in two different ways. First, beer production requires yeast, an Ascomycota fungus named Saccharomyces pastorianus, is used to ferment glucose into ethyl alcohol. That means that drinking a beer would mean drinking a beverage which contains residual yeast from the fermentation process. (However, most commercial breweries filter/remove any microbes before bottling the beverage) Additionally, another impact on my microflora stems from the ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, itself. Ethyl alcohol has antimicrobial effects, so the consumption would likely kill some of the microbes found in my GI tract.
There are many different ways which I can alter the distinct composition of my microbiome. Some ways have a more significant impact than others, and some ways are more direct than others. Additionally, some ways are less readily visible and require deeper thinking to understand their influence, but play an essential role in the balance of my unique microflora.
- Dial S, Delaney JAC, Barkun AN, Suissa S. 2005. Use of Gastric Acid–Suppressive Agents and the Risk of Community-Acquired Clostridium difficile–Associated Disease. JAMA. 294(23):2989–95.
