The human body has billions of bacteria inside itself and around itself. Some of them are pathogenic, cause disease, while others are considered beneficial to the body, and even live symbiotically with us. When we take antibiotics, we eradicate the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria, which can cause more disease than it helps.

The common practice of overusing antibiotics may be fueling the dramatic rise in inflammatory conditions, including type 1 diabetes, obesity, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma. Many of these diseases have more than doubled over the years, according to experts.

Humans are considered “meta organisms,” which means we have a great many microbial organisms living on the various aspects of our body and within the body, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. Continue reading →

According to research out of Boston University, people who are obese have a harder time fighting off infections and may suffer from a weakened immune system as a result. Obesity has long been linked to inflammation and to the development of metabolic diseases triggered by inflammation but, until know, the relationship between obesity and the immune system has been less clear.

The Experiments

This was an experiment in mice that were infected with a type of bacteria that caused gum infections, called Porphyromonas gingivalis. It was discovered that those mice who were obese had a decreased ability to fight off gum infections caused by this type of bacteria when compared to mice who were of normal weight. Continue reading →