By Alanna Collen
Microbes, long associated with disease in the human body, have emerged in recent years as having both positive and negative ramifications. Biologist Alanna Collen’s thoroughly researched volume, 10% Human, explores why this is so.
After contracting a tropical illness in a Malaysian jungle while conducting research on bats, biologist Collen suffered from a deeply entrenched infection for many years. Following her long illness, which was addressed by a course of antibiotics “long and intense enough to cure a herd of cattle,” her focus shifted from bats to bacteria. The reason? Her health had continued to deteriorate after her antibiotic regimen, and new ailments had emerged.
Eager to get to the root of her problems, Collen undertook a deep study of her damaged microbiome, which she learned was responsible for her new round of physical difficulties.
As Collen explains, “Each of us is a superorganism; a collective of species, living side-by-side and cooperatively running the body that sustains us all. Our own cells, though far larger in volume and weight, are outnumbered 10 to one by the cells of the microbes that live in and on us.”
Because we each have nine bacteria and fungi cells for every one of our human cells, over the course of a lifetime we will carry the equivalent weight of five African elephants in microbes. Rather than considering ourselves as individuals, it is more accurate to say we are a “colony.”
However, this colony is quite useful to us. In fact, without the appropriate numbers and types of these microorganisms, a person’s health cannot help but be challenged. Collen connects the dots regarding modern ailments and inadequate microbiomes with more than just intellectually stimulating information. The data she shares and the conclusions she draws illustrate our capacity to improve our personal colonies of microbiota, and thus achieve better health and well-being.
Alanna Collen writes simply and eloquently, in a way that is completely accessible to all readers, yet the timely material contained in 10% Human is academically sound and presented with depth and detail needed to ensure a clear understanding of this fascinating topic. (Harper)
This article is a part of the Annual Food Issue 2015 issue of Whole Life Times.