Researchers from the Weizmann Institute discovered that the part of human genetics in determining the population of bacteria hosted in our bodies is very small
How is the composition of the bacteria that live in our body determined? This question is of great importance, since the population of bacteria "hosted" in our body (microbiome) affects a variety of medical aspects and the quality of our lives. The working assumption was that the genetic differences between humans significantly affect the bacterial population. According to this concept, our genetics create environments with different characteristics, which affect the identity of the bacteria that can thrive in them. However, scientists from the Weizmann Institute, who recently examined this question, were surprised to find that the part of human genetics in determining the population of bacteria is very small, and that it contributes to only about 2% of the diversity in this population.
The study was led by research students Dafna Rothschild, Dr. Omer Weisbrod, and Dr. Elad Barkan from the laboratory of Prof. Eran Segal, in collaboration with the research group of Prof. Eran Alinev from the Weizmann Institute. In an article describing the research and its findings, published today in the scientific journal Nature, the scientists are basing themselves on information collected from about 1,000 Israelis participating in a long-term experiment in the field of personalized nutrition. Israel, whose population is characterized by significant genetic differences, is in this sense an ideal place to conduct this type of research. In the long-term experiment, a lot of information was collected about the participants, including genetic composition, microbiome composition, dietary habits, lifestyle, medication intake, and more. The analysis of the data led to the conclusion that environmental factors, such as lifestyle and dietary habits, shape the population of bacteria in the body.
After showing that genetic variation causes only a small part of the variation in the bacterial population, the scientists examined relationships between the composition of the microbiome and various medical indicators, such as blood cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes, and more. Surprisingly, it was found that in most of the indices tested, the strength of the relationship with bacterial genetics is equal to the strength of the relationship with human genetics, or even exceeds it.
The scientists say that these findings indicate that the composition of our bacteria holds the key to a better understanding of many health phenomena. Prof. Segal explains: "Our findings give hope that in the future we will be able to improve various aspects of health, since, as we know, we have no practical way to change our genetics, but there are various ways in which we can influence the distribution of the various types of bacteria hosted in our bodies, and maybe even Reshape it."
"Our findings give hope that in the future we will be able to improve various aspects of health, since, as we know, we have no practical way to change our genetics, but there are various ways in which we can influence the distribution of the various types of bacteria hosted in our bodies"
The study of the microbiome It is a relatively young science, so in this context, a complete database of about 1,000 people is considered one of the largest in the world. The scientists say that as time passes, more data will accumulate in Israel and around the world, so that in the future it will be possible to examine the connections between microbiome, genetics and medical indicators in a larger population, to further strengthen the validity of the current findings, and to discover additional connections between the bacteria and our health.
One response
PCA1 which explains 0.5%
Enough with such science.
It's more respectful to say I don't know.