Microbial Affair

The gut ecosystem can shiftgears from maintaining optimal health to pathogenesis of diseases. Read to know how.

- Dr. Pradeep Gadge

Diabetes mellitus, also generally referred to as people who are unable to regulate glucose metabolism. Diabetes is multifactorial, and also induces the onset of other diseases. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the most common, representing approximately 10 per cent and 90 per cent of cases, respectively. The pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes, which is commonly prevalent in children and adolescents, is due to the inability of the endocrine system to produce insulin because of the immunemediated destruction of islet cells. The more common form of diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, is most often present in adults. It is usually present as a combination of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency. The factors associated with it are excessive visceral obesity, inactive lifestyle, lack of exercise and poor dietary habits, along with genetic factors.

Bacteria are everywhere, even in the far reaches of space. Bacteria love the human body, and every inch of the body is teeming with these little microbes. Some bacteria are beneficial while others are not. Recent study showcases bacteria can be both the cause and cure for diabetes. The human digestive system contains an estimated 10 trillion to 100 trillion bacteria and other microscopic organisms, with each person hosting at least 160 different species of organisms. Some researchers now believe that this community of microbes in the human gut contributes to the onset of low-grade inflammation, which in turn may affect body weight and glucose metabolism. People with Type 2 diabetes or obesity have shown changes in the composition of their intestinal micro-organisms called the gut microbiota that healthy people do not have.