{"id":8944,"date":"2025-03-29T15:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T13:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/?p=8944"},"modified":"2026-04-20T18:54:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:54:33","slug":"the-human-microbiota-is-a-mysterious-world-that-shapes-our-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/the-human-microbiota-is-a-mysterious-world-that-shapes-our-health\/","title":{"rendered":"The human microbiota: the invisible world that shapes our health"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"204\"><strong>What is microbiota?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"206\" data-end=\"528\">The human microbiota is the collection of all microorganisms that constantly live on and inside our bodies: in the intestines, on the skin, in the oral cavity, respiratory tract, genitourinary system. It includes bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses and protozoa, most of which are symbiotic or commensal in nature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"530\" data-end=\"732\">The most studied is <strong data-start=\"550\" data-end=\"572\">intestinal microbiota<\/strong>, which contains over 100 trillion microbes and weighs up to 2 kg. It is formed from birth and changes under the influence of diet, environment, medications and lifestyle.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"734\" data-end=\"768\"><strong>Functions of the microbiota in the body<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"770\" data-end=\"859\">The microbiota doesn&#039;t just &quot;live&quot; in our body - it actively participates in many processes:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"861\" data-end=\"1322\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"861\" data-end=\"1005\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"863\" data-end=\"1005\"><strong data-start=\"863\" data-end=\"876\">Digestion<\/strong>: helps digest fiber, produces short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, acetate) that nourish intestinal cells<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1006\" data-end=\"1094\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1008\" data-end=\"1094\"><strong data-start=\"1008\" data-end=\"1026\">Immune protection<\/strong>: regulates the activity of the immune system, promotes the maturation of lymphocytes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1095\" data-end=\"1153\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1097\" data-end=\"1153\"><strong data-start=\"1097\" data-end=\"1117\">Vitamin synthesis<\/strong>: in particular K, B12, folic acid<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1154\" data-end=\"1224\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1156\" data-end=\"1224\"><strong data-start=\"1156\" data-end=\"1176\">Barrier function<\/strong>: inhibits the growth of pathogenic microorganisms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1225\" data-end=\"1322\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1227\" data-end=\"1322\"><strong data-start=\"1227\" data-end=\"1245\">Effects on the brain<\/strong>: participates in mood regulation via the gut-brain axis<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1324\" data-end=\"1436\">These functions are especially important in childhood, during pregnancy, in chronic diseases, and after antibiotic therapy.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1438\" data-end=\"1477\"><strong>Factors affecting the microbiota<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"1479\" data-end=\"1959\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1479\" data-end=\"1575\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1481\" data-end=\"1575\"><strong data-start=\"1481\" data-end=\"1499\">Type of birth<\/strong>: children born naturally have a microbiota similar to their mother&#039;s<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1576\" data-end=\"1639\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1578\" data-end=\"1639\"><strong data-start=\"1578\" data-end=\"1602\">Breastfeeding<\/strong>: forms the dominance of bifidobacteria<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1640\" data-end=\"1722\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1642\" data-end=\"1722\"><strong data-start=\"1642\" data-end=\"1651\">Diet<\/strong>: a diet high in fiber supports a diverse flora<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1723\" data-end=\"1799\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1725\" data-end=\"1799\"><strong data-start=\"1725\" data-end=\"1740\">Antibiotics<\/strong>: can cause dysbiosis \u2014 a decrease in beneficial bacteria<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1800\" data-end=\"1878\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1802\" data-end=\"1878\"><strong data-start=\"1802\" data-end=\"1821\">Chronic stress<\/strong>: changes the composition of the microbiota and the barrier function of the intestine<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1879\" data-end=\"1959\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1881\" data-end=\"1959\"><strong data-start=\"1881\" data-end=\"1888\">Age<\/strong>: in old age there is a decrease in bacterial diversity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8946\" src=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/themes\/woodmart\/images\/lazy.svg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki.jpg\" alt=\"Table with the names of beneficial bacteria and their functions\" width=\"850\" height=\"447\" srcset=\"\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki.jpg 850w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki-150x79.jpg 150w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki-600x316.jpg 600w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/probotiki-ta-prebotiki-768x404.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1961\" data-end=\"1991\"><strong>Microbiota and disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1993\" data-end=\"2103\">An imbalance between beneficial and opportunistic microorganisms (dysbiosis) is associated with many conditions:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2330\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2139\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2107\" data-end=\"2139\">irritable bowel syndrome<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2140\" data-end=\"2177\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2142\" data-end=\"2177\">Crohn&#039;s disease and ulcerative colitis<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2178\" data-end=\"2205\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2180\" data-end=\"2205\">obesity, type 2 diabetes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2206\" data-end=\"2265\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2208\" data-end=\"2265\">autoimmune diseases (celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2266\" data-end=\"2299\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2268\" data-end=\"2299\">allergies and atopic dermatitis<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"2300\" data-end=\"2330\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2302\" data-end=\"2330\">depression, anxiety disorders<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2332\" data-end=\"2543\">Research published <em data-start=\"2358\" data-end=\"2379\">Nature Microbiology<\/em> in 2022, confirms that the microbiota can act not only as an indicator, but also <strong data-start=\"2460\" data-end=\"2497\">modulator of pathological processes<\/strong>, affecting metabolism and immune response.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2545\" data-end=\"2593\"><strong>Table: Main groups of bacteria in the microbiota<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"overflow-x-auto contain-inline-size\">\n<table data-start=\"2595\" data-end=\"3363\">\n<thead data-start=\"2595\" data-end=\"2703\">\n<tr data-start=\"2595\" data-end=\"2703\">\n<th data-start=\"2595\" data-end=\"2617\">Group of bacteria<\/th>\n<th data-start=\"2617\" data-end=\"2665\">Functions<\/th>\n<th data-start=\"2665\" data-end=\"2703\">Deficiency disorders<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody data-start=\"2813\" data-end=\"3363\">\n<tr data-start=\"2813\" data-end=\"2921\">\n<td><em data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"2832\">Bifidobacterium<\/em><\/td>\n<td>Fiber digestion, immunomodulation<\/td>\n<td>Decreased immune defense<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"2922\" data-end=\"3030\">\n<td><em data-start=\"2924\" data-end=\"2939\">Lactobacillus<\/em><\/td>\n<td>Protection against pathogens, pH maintenance<\/td>\n<td>Susceptibility to infections, inflammations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"3031\" data-end=\"3140\">\n<td><em data-start=\"3033\" data-end=\"3051\">Faecalibacterium<\/em><\/td>\n<td>Butyrate production, anti-inflammatory properties<\/td>\n<td>Intestinal inflammation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"3141\" data-end=\"3249\">\n<td><em data-start=\"3143\" data-end=\"3156\">Akkermansia<\/em><\/td>\n<td>Strengthening the mucous barrier<\/td>\n<td>Metabolic disorders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"3250\" data-end=\"3363\">\n<td><em data-start=\"3252\" data-end=\"3270\">Escherichia coli<\/em><\/td>\n<td>Vitamin synthesis, iron metabolism<\/td>\n<td>Pathogenic growth in excess<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"3365\" data-end=\"3401\"><strong>How to maintain a healthy microbiota<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"3403\" data-end=\"3731\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3403\" data-end=\"3513\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3405\" data-end=\"3513\">a diet with sufficient quantity <strong data-start=\"3435\" data-end=\"3450\">prebiotics<\/strong> (vegetable fiber, vegetables, legumes, whole grains)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3514\" data-end=\"3583\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3516\" data-end=\"3583\"><strong data-start=\"3516\" data-end=\"3541\">fermented foods<\/strong> (kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3584\" data-end=\"3633\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3586\" data-end=\"3633\"><strong data-start=\"3586\" data-end=\"3605\">sugar restriction<\/strong> and overly processed foods<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3634\" data-end=\"3681\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3636\" data-end=\"3681\"><strong data-start=\"3636\" data-end=\"3679\">controlled use of antibiotics<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3682\" data-end=\"3731\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3684\" data-end=\"3731\">moderate physical activity and stress reduction<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"3733\" data-end=\"3757\"><strong>References to sources<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol data-start=\"3759\" data-end=\"4203\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3759\" data-end=\"3866\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3762\" data-end=\"3866\">WHO \u2013 <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/human-microbiome\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"3768\" data-end=\"3864\">Human microbiome and health<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3867\" data-end=\"3971\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3870\" data-end=\"3971\">Mayo Clinic \u2013 <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/gut-bacteria-and-overall-health\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"3884\" data-end=\"3969\">Gut bacteria and health<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"3972\" data-end=\"4089\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3975\" data-end=\"4089\">Nature Microbiology \u2013 <em data-start=\"3997\" data-end=\"4034\">Microbiome and disease associations<\/em> (<a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41564-022-01101-3\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"4036\" data-end=\"4086\">https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41564-022-01101-3<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"4090\" data-end=\"4203\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4093\" data-end=\"4203\">FDA \u2013 <a class=\"cursor-pointer\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"4099\" data-end=\"4203\">Regulation of probiotics and microbiome-related products<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The microbiota is not just a companion, but one of the most important regulators of human physiology. Taking care of it is taking care of your health in the long term.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the microbiota? The human microbiota is the collection of all microorganisms that constantly live on the surface and inside our body: in<\/p>","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":8945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}