An update from David Perlmutter , M . D .
THE MI
David Perlmutter , M . D ., FACN ABIHM Board Certified Neurologist , # 1 NY Times Best-Selling Author & Expert in the Human Microbiome
ver the past year , discoveries revealed by research exploring the human microbiome have been nothing short of phenomenal . I have been quoted as stating that the information being revealed by this research has created a paradigm shift in modern medicine that quite likely will have even more impact than the germ theory . In just a short period of time , certainly less than the past decade , scientists and health researchers around the globe have embraced the notion that our perception of bacteria , and germs in general , was clearly in need of a major makeover . And despite news reports fanning the flames of the notion that we are just one step away from a major infectious disease epidemic involving anything from Ebola to the Zika virus , we now see that the major emphasis of research is focusing on the positive health-sustaining attributes of the various microbes living on and in us .
Globally , one of the most-respected researchers studying the human microbiome is Dr . Rob Knight . Dr . Knight , whose laboratory is at the medical school of the University of California , San Diego , co-founded a massive citizen science study called the American Gut Project . Knight created this project to harness the power of crowd-sourcing to gather data . For a $ 99 fee , anybody can obtain a full genetic description of the microbes of their gut , mouth or skin by simply sending in a sample .
Their mission is well-summarized in this quote from their website :
The American Gut Project is a citizen science project . You get some cool information about the microbes that call your body home while providing us with the priceless data that will enable us to start identifying microbiome trends and to begin answering intriguing questions about the connection between our microbes and our health .
Several months ago , I was invited to visit with Dr . Knight in his laboratory . The technology resources that he has been provided to carry out his research are breathtakingly vast . He has the ability to sequence the genetic material from almost any source , and is looking at specimens from the entire planet .
Humans begin to form their microbiomes at the time of birth . Extensive research has revealed that there are significant differences in the gut bacteria of children born by natural delivery in comparison to those born by Cesarean section . And these differences may account for increased risk for various health issues in the Cesarean section-born children later in life .