It is very important to take care of this part of our body, the microbiota is a set of distributed microorganisms that, by keeping them healthy, prevent colon cancer
A healthy intestinal microbiota reduces the risk of suffering from chronic intestinal disease, colitis and even colon cancer, said an expert in Mexico City this Wednesday.
According to gastroenterologist Solange Heller, who chairs the Scientific Committee of the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation (BMF), the intestinal microbiota "is essential in various functions of the organism" such as in the regulation of energy metabolism, the maturation of the immune system as well as being a barrier that prevents pathogenic microorganisms from entering.
In an interview with Efe, the specialist pointed out that the microbiota "develops in the first years of life, so the first 1,000 days of human life are essential to have a good microbiota."
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The microbiota is the set of microorganisms that are located in different parts of the body, including the intestine.
He explained that even the way in which a human being is born influences the microbiota that it develops.
For example, if the baby is born vaginally, "it has contact with the bacteria in the mother’s vagina, which helps to strengthen the microbiota, while babies born by cesarean section do not have this contact."
Similarly, babies who are breastfed tend to have a stronger microbiota than those who drink formula.
However, he pointed out that changes in diet, stress and the abuse of some medications such as antibiotics can alter the composition of this set of microorganisms, which is known as dysbiosis.
Heller said this can lead to children suffering from allergies, intestinal diseases, obesity, intestinal function disorders, infections, diarrhea, neurodegenerative diseases and, in the future, developing colon cancer.
He pointed out that because of this it is necessary to eat a balanced diet based on vegetables, fruits, high-fiber cereals and few foods of animal origin.
In the same way, he said that you should eat foods that contain probiotics or products that contain them in good quantity to maintain or regain the balance of the intestinal microbiota.
Due to the fact that in recent years the importance of the microbiota has been better understood, the BMF presented the call to support research on the subject in Mexico.
This will be the second consecutive year in which researchers will be able to apply for their research projects to obtain funding of $ 27,900 to develop their work.
Last year, in the first call, Mexico registered 60 projects in total, where the winner was the one presented by the Center for Biomedical Research of Michoacán of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).
This project seeks evidence to show whether bacterial recolonization in rats can reverse the effects of stress exposure early in life.
With this, the BMF seeks to contribute to the development of high quality scientific research, in the search for alternatives for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases based on a better understanding of the links between intestinal microbiota, health and disease.
The deadline for registration for project registration is June 23, 2019. The principal investigator must have a minimum completed bachelor’s degree and the bases are available on the BMF website.