Microbiome
The Microbiome
The Microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that live in and on the human body.
The majority of our microbiome lives in our gut and helps us digest our food, regulate our immune system, and protect against other bacteria. We can help our microbiome do this by keeping a healthy diet. A healthy diet is a complicated term. We have all been told to eat healthy to be healthy, but what does that mean? What foods should I eat? Let us talk about probiotics and prebiotics
Probiotics are foods that contain “good” bacteria that can be added to our microbiome, such as yoghurt or pickles. Prebiotics are foods that contain food for the good bacteria, such as bananas or garlic. a poor diet can lead to an inflamed microbiome which has been linked to causing many diseases, including cancer. Our immune system plays an important role in cancer. The microbiome can have a direct impact on our immune system, the state of the microbiome can either be an asset in the fight against cancer or lead us down its path. When the body starts to develop cancer, the immune system kicks in to recognize carcinogens, cancer-causing agents, and destroy them. If the microbiome is healthy, the bacteria in our microbiome can prompt these immune responses and help fend off carcinogens. If the microbiome is unhealthy, then cells become more susceptible to the effects of carcinogens. Maintaining a healthy microbiome can help prompt this response and make sure that the immune system is in its best condition to fight against ailments.
Even in the later stages of cancer development, when medical treatment becomes necessary, our microbiome can determine how effective the treatments and the side effects of treatments can be combated.