Violation of the intestinal flora can be hereditary in nature
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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In one of the Minnesota universities, a group of researchers found that some bacteria that live in the intestine can be inherited. In particular, we are talking about bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease). Moreover, during the reception of antibiotics, the intestinal microflora is further disturbed, which aggravates the situation.
It has long been established that the intestinal microflora is formed in childhood, and it affects the state of human health throughout life. Scientists have identified genes, which, according to their assumption, can participate in the process of transmission by inheritance of impaired microflora. To this conclusion, experts came after a survey of nearly 500 volunteers who had inflammatory bowel diseases.
Scientists for two years took from each of the participants their DNA and DNA of intestinal bacteria. As a result, it was found that DNA has a direct relationship with intestinal bacteria. In patients with inflammatory processes in the intestine, the microflora was rather limited, in addition there was a large number of bacteria that suppressed others. Given the existing relationship between the microflora and genes, scientists have suggested that this factor is hereditary.
It is also known that the risk of developing a variety of diseases depends on the microflora of the intestine - diabetes, autism, heart diseases, cancerous tumors.
The author of the research believes that it is necessary to work on gene therapy, which will affect the intestinal microflora.
In another study, experts suggested that some bacteria in the gut may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between some bacteria present in the intestine and inflammatory markers of immune cells that are characteristic of multiple sclerosis.
The research project involved 22 people with multiple sclerosis who did not receive treatment and 31 people who received medications (13 of them were glatiramer acetate, 18 were intarferon beta). A control group was also created, which included 44 healthy volunteers.
Conclusions about the microbioma specialists made after the analysis of ribosomal RNA bacteria.
As it turned out, in the intestine in patients patients there were a large number of special unicellular microorganisms (archei), and taxonomic microorganisms, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, were in the minority.
In a group of volunteers who received the necessary therapy, the number of taxonomic microorganisms increased, while the presence of archeas was associated with the expression of immune cells by anti-inflammatory substances. In other words, the bacteria present in the intestine affect the human immune system and the course of the disease. This discovery allows to explain why multiple sclerosis is rarely detected in those who prefer vegetable food, and the diet in the disease significantly changes the intestinal microflora.