Lifestyle is a danger to gut bacteria: Ötzi demonstrates it, the study reveals

The intestinal microbiome is a delicate ecosystem comprised of a huge number of microorganisms, bacteria specifically, that help the immune system, protect individuals from viruses and pathogens, and assist them with absorb nutrients and produce energy.

The industrialization procedure in Western nations hugely affected its content. This was affirmed by an examination of the bacteria found in the intestine of Ötzi, the Iceman who, in 1991, rose up out of the ice of the Ötztal Alps, where Italy borders with Austria. Researchers of Eurac Research examined samples of the mummy’s bacteria, affirming the discoveries of the analysts of the University of Trento who had examined the genome of intestinal microorganisms of more than 6500 people from all continents.

Past studies by the University of Trento had shown that there is a connection between the microbiome’s bacterial content and the increase, in Western nations, of obesity, autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, allergies and other complex conditions. In the examination that showed up in Cell Host and Microbe, specialists from Cibio of the University of Trento and Eurac in Bolzano/Bozen exhibited that the differences between Western and non-Western or prehistoric microbiome lie in the lessening of certain kinds of bacteria that complex and vegetal fibers in the intestine.

That may have been brought about by the Westernization procedure. Changes in diet, which is presently higher in fat and low in fibers, a stationary lifestyle in a urban setting, the improvement of new hygiene habits and the across the board utilization of antibiotics and other medical products have, with no uncertainty, made life more secure, yet affected the delicate balance of our microbiome.