Article

A wave of publications continues to cascade from top scientific journals illustrating that the “bugs” (bacteria) that live on and within us have an important influence on our health. The collection of bacteria is referred to as the microbiota or microbiome, and their breadth of influence on our health is astonishing.

Bacteria can dictate how drugs or metabolites interact with our brain, make us susceptible to infectious diseases, and affect a host of conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Since they have cohabitated with humans throughout evolution, it’s not surprising that they play such an important role. For better or worse, we’re in this together.