The human microbiome and the future of probiotics
(Room Golden West)
29 Jun 16
7:30 PM
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8:45 PM
About 100 trillion bacteria inhabit the gut of just a single human—and we are now beginning to find out that they play an essential role in our physical health and psychological wellbeing. New advances in genetics are driving a quantum leap in our knowledge of the human microbiome—the bacteria and other microorganisms inhabiting our gut, skin and tissues. Disturbances in gut microbial communities are associated with obesity, allergies, autoimmune diseases, autism, depression and many more adverse health conditions. There is an emerging link between these conditions and our hyper-sterile modern society. The good news is that knowledge is power: in the near future we will be able to manage our microbiomes for greatly improved health and wellbeing. In addition, the genetic potential of probiotics is just beginning to be tapped—the next generation of probiotics will bring some startling possibilities to the table.