Bacteria living in the gut play an active role in the development of crohn’s disease

Forget that old saying, “The way to a person’s heart is through his stomach.”  With all of the recent research, it should be revised to say, “The way to good health is through the stomach.”  In last week’s post on a recent Crohn’s and Colitis research initiative, we talked about a gut protein and how its absence plays a crucial role in fighting inflammation and infection in the intestinal tract, thereby staving off the development or worsening of crohn’s disease.  Now, there is research that indicates that there are hundreds of bacteria living in the gut that play an active role in the development of obesity, diabetes, and crohn’s disease.  From these two studies, it appears that whatever is going on inside of our gastrointestinal tract is calling the shots.

The Chinese research team, led by scientist Wang Jun, examined various species of bacteria that are present in the human gut.  The bacteria were evaluated by using stool samples from approximately one hundred and twenty-four Danish and Spanish citizens.  According to Reuters, the researchers then analyzed all of the bacteria genes, thereby creating the first genetic catalog of the different organisms that live in the digestive system.  What they discovered was that many genes appeared to be linked specifically to the onset of obesity and crohn’s disease, although they cautioned that additional research will be needed.  According to Wang, in an interview with Reuters, “apart from helping you digest, these bacteria may also play a very important role in … diseases like Crohn’s disease, cancer, and obesity.”  He further noted that, “If you just tackle these bacteria, it is easier than treating the human body itself. If you find that a certain bug is responsible for a certain disease and you kill it, then you kill the disease.”

It is still not clear from this study whether crohn’s is only caused by various strains of bacteria in our guts or whether genes and environmental factors also play a role.  It does appear, however, that an association exists between the bacteria and disease.  It is now just a matter of figuring out what that relationship is how it can be prevented, and what causes those bacteria to be present in the human body.  Fortunately, the research team is following up on these findings by conducting a similar study on one hundred and twenty patients from Chinese hospitals.  This line of research could prove very useful in diagnosing diseases, such as crohn’s, and hopefully, treating the exact source, rather than disrupting the entire body for therapy.