Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 27 | Page 30
THE MI
An update from David Perlmutter, M.D.
David Perlmutter, M.D., FACN ABIHM
Board Certified Neurologist, #1 N Y Times
Best-Selling Author & Expert in the Human Microbiome
ver the past year, discoveries revealed by research
exploring the human microbiome have been nothing short
of phenomenal. I have been quoted as stating that the
information being revealed by this research has created
a paradigm shift in modern medicine that quite likely will have
even more impact than the germ theory. In just a short period
of time, certainly less than the past decade, scientists and health
researchers around the globe have embraced the notion that
our perception of bacteria, and germs in general, was clearly
in need of a major makeover. And despite news reports fanning
the flames of the notion that we are just one step away from
a major infectious disease epidemic involving anything from
Ebola to the Zika virus, we now see that the major emphasis
of research is focusing on the positive health-sustaining attributes
of the various microbes living on and in us.
Globally, one of the most-respected researchers studying the
human microbiome is Dr. Rob Knight. Dr. Knight, whose laboratory
is at the medical school of the University of California, San Diego,
co-founded a massive citizen science study called the American
Gut Project. Knight created this project to harness the power
of crowd-sourcing to gather data. For a $99 fee, anybody can
obtain a full genetic description of the microbes of their gut,
mouth or skin by simply sending in a sample.
Their mission is well-summarized in this quote from their website:
The American Gut Project is a citizen science project.
You get some cool information about the microbes that call
your body home while providing us with the priceless data
that will enable us to start identifying microbiome trends
and to begin answering intriguing questions about the
connection between our microbes and our health.
Several months ago, I was invited to visit with Dr. Knight in his
laboratory. The technology resources that he has been provided
to carry out his research are breathtakingly vast. He has the ability
to sequence the genetic material from almost any source, and
is looking at specimens from the entire planet.
Humans begin to form their microbiomes at the time of birth.
Extensive research has revealed that there are significant
differences in the gut bacteria of children born by natural delivery
in comparison to those born by Cesarean section. And these
differences may account for increased risk for various health
issues in the Cesarean section-born children later in life.