11 Sep Discover Brigham Session of the Week: The Microbiome Across Diseases
Did you know that you are actually made up of more bacterial cells than human cells? That’s right, there are approximately 100 trillion bacteria that call your body home. Turns out, this collection of bacteria referred to as the microbiome is involved in everything from preventing inflammation to making you attractive to a potential mate! If you treat them right, that is. Do you exercise? Enjoy a diet Coke with lunch? Have a pet at home? Eat cabbage? Live in hot or cold weather conditions? All of these factors and more contribute to the composition and health of your microbial friends. During this session, a panel of BWH experts will discuss a range of research topics related to the microbiome including how they might affect the growth and development of babies, how your microbiome could influence whether you develop food or other allergies, how they might affect your reproductive health, and how it might be possible to alter your microbiome via fecal transplants.