Is it possible to "catch" obesity or cancer?

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Is it possible to "catch" obesity or cancer?
Is it possible to "catch" obesity or cancer?
Anonim

Regular bouts of malaria, fatal forms of tuberculosis, constant outbreaks of syphilis, and decaying wounds and cuts were common threats to the lives of our ancestors. Modern mankind is much more fortunate: thanks to the development of more and more new ways to prevent epidemics, the population of our planet can safely prevent outbreaks of diseases not only among people, but also among many species of animals. Be that as it may, in the 21st century, other diseases - non-infectious ones - began to threaten the well-being of people. But what if we are wrong in underestimating some “non-communicable” diseases for their contagiousness?

What are non-contagious diseases?

According to official statistics, about 41 million people die each year due to diseases that are not transmitted from person to person. Various types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, severe diabetes, respiratory diseases and other chronic diseases claim many lives. According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death in more than 70% of all reported deaths in the world.

Noncommunicable diseases are thought to arise from a combination of genetic factors with environmental factors or an individual's lifestyle, but are not transmitted by bacteria, viruses or fungi. Be that as it may, experts note that microbes located both on the human body and inside it have a great impact on human health. So, in one of the recent studies, scientists decided to find out whether the human microbiome can serve as a way of transmission of non-communicable diseases from person to person.

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The human body is inhabited by about 2 kilograms of various kinds of microorganisms

According to an article published on the portal Livescience.com, several types of microorganisms help with the vital functions of the human body on a daily basis, controlling important physiological systems, including metabolism, digestion and immunity. Be that as it may, researchers suggest that some chronic diseases may be directly related to bacterial imbalances in the body. For example, people with diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, or cardiovascular disease tend to have a different collection of bacteria in their gut than healthy people. In this regard, some experts believe that healthy people can potentially "catch" the manifestations of these diseases due to exposure to mixed microbes.

During the study, experts collected saliva and stool samples from 290 people living in close proximity to each other in order to determine the types of bacteria that inhabit their microbiomes. As a result of the experiment, scientists have identified specific patterns of bacterial transmission in each of the communities, especially among people living in the same house. And if the mother and her children had many similar microorganisms, then the spouses had even more.

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The study confirmed the possibility of transmission of non-communicable diseases using microbes inhabiting our body

Scientists note that along with “healthy” microbes, “mistakes” can also be transmitted, causing the development of chronic diseases. Thus, a married couple with type 2 diabetes is more likely to develop the disease within a year after one of the partners is diagnosed. In support of this, studies were conducted on mice whose sterile representatives developed diabetic symptoms after they were implanted with a bacterial graft from a sick mouse. Similar trends have been observed in experiments with inflammatory bowel disease in both humans and animals.

Obesity is also thought to have the potential to transmit germs. Sterile mice begin to suffer from obesity symptoms after receiving fecal transplants from diseased mice.

Once scientists can prove the spread of noncommunicable diseases between people, they can develop new ways to treat the microbiota of already sick people. Researchers still have a long way to go to study the effect of human bacteria on the body and its health, recommending at this time to adhere to a healthy diet and moderate exercise to prevent most of the known diseases.

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