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Disclaimer: The content of all articles in this WeChat public account “Life in Balance” is to share information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any illnesses. Information here is not a substitute for advice from doctors or other health professionals. We do not make any implicit or explicit promise that anything described here will cure any illnesses.)
提到细菌，你所能想到的第⼀件事很可能没那么正⾯：发烧？⽣病? ⻝物中毒，是不是？如果我告诉你，你的体内有数万亿细菌，如果没有它们，你跟本就无法⽣存，你会相信吗？
When you think of bacteria, the first thing that pops into your mind is probably not something positive: fever, disease, food poisoning, right? What if I tell you there are trillions of bacteria living in your body and you cannot be a living human without them?
关于微生物的知识很早就有了，但在过去的三⼗多年中，⼈们对微⽣物与⼈类之间关系的研究发展极为迅速。“微生物群” (microbiome) 这个词是直到最近这几年才成为营养学届和医学界的⼀个常⽤语。在此之前，很⻓时间以来，细菌论在病因学中⼀直占据着主导地位：细菌会导致疾病和死亡。现在，科学家开始认识到我们与细菌的关系要远比这个理解复杂得多的多。
Although the knowledge about microbes has long existed, the research in its relationship with humans has evolved rapidly over the past three decades. “Microbiome” did not become part of everyday vocabulary in nutrition and medical science until recently. Prior to this, the germ theory maintained its dominance in our understanding how people get diseases for a very very long time: bacteria causes diseases and death. Now scientists start to understand our relationship with bacteria is much more complicated than that.
2007年，美国国立卫生研究院发起了“人类微⽣物群计划”研究项⽬，以增进对微⽣物群与⼈类健康关系的了解。这⼤⼤刺激了该领域的研发，并大大拓宽了人类对该领域的认知。
In 2007, National Institute of Health in the US initiated “Human Microbiome Project” to improve understanding of how microbiome is involved in human health. This has spurred research in this area and greatly broadened human knowledge in this field.
那么到底什么是微生物群 (microbiome) ？”Micro”的意思是“小”，”biome”的意思是“活⽣物的栖息地”，因此它是指微⼩的⽣物，⽣活在我们体内和体外的细菌，真菌，原⽣动物等。严格说来，病毒并不是微生物群的⼀部分，因为它不是有⽣命的生物体，但通常的说法会把病毒也放在⼀起。
So what is exactly microbiome? Micro means “small”, biome means “the habitat for living organism”, so it basically means tiny organisms, referring to the vast number of bacteria, fungi, protozoa etc that live in and around us. Strictly speaking, viruses are not part of the microbiome, because they are not living organisms, but usually it is lumped together under the same umbrella.
当然，我们知道我们的环境中存在有⼤量微⽣物，但最让我吃惊的，在这⾥我最想谈论的是⽣活在我们体内的微⽣物群：⼈类微⽣物群。
Of course we understand there are tons of micro organisms in our environment, but what mostly shocked me and what I mostly want to talk about here is the microbiome living WITHIN us: human microbiome.
⽬前的数据是，我们的人体细胞大约有10万亿，但是我们体内的细菌有⼤约100万亿。这让我们不得不思考这样⼀个问题：是细菌寄生在我们⼈体吗？还是相反：我们寄存于细菌？
The current estimate is we have around 10 trillion human cells, but have around 100 trillion bacteria in our body. This begs the question: are we hosting the bacteria? Or are hosted by bacteria?
这些微生物总重约3磅，大致相当于大脑或肝脏的重量，但它们在人类健康中起着无可替代的作用。它们遍布人的全身，但绝⼤部分都⽣存在我们的肠道里。它们干着⼈体内最苦最重的活：消化食物，合成维生素，平衡荷尔蒙，甚⾄是保持大脑的清晰。
Weighing about 3 pounds, roughly the weight of the brain or the liver, these micro organisms play irreplaceable roles in human health. They exist all over the body, but vast majority of them are housed in the gut. They are the ones that are doing the heavy lifting of the body’s biochemical process: digesting food, synthesizing vitamins, balancing hormones, even maintaining thinking clarity.
这些细菌有着如同亚马逊森林⼀样复杂的生态系统。⼈体的菌种有1000多种，它们都有自己的基因，生物钟，神经系统，甚至是不同的性格！下次你忍不住伸手去拿那罐冰淇淋时，不要责怪自己，责怪那些⽣活在你体内的小生物们。
These bacteria is an ecosystem as complex as Amazon forest. There are more than 1000 species of bacteria, and they all have their own genes, circadian rhythm, nervous system and even personalities! Next time you reach for that jar of ice cream, don’t blame yourself, blame those little creatures living inside you.
实际上，⼈超过80％的免疫系统位于肠道。均衡的肠道微⽣物意味着健康和活⼒。如果失去平衡，也就是说有害的细菌太多而好的细菌太少，则会导致各种疾病。医学之⽗希波克拉底（Hippocrates）曾说过这句著名的话：
In fact, more than 80% of our immune system lies in our gut. A balanced gut microbiome means health and vitality. When it is out of balance: too many unfriendly bacteria and too few friendly bacteria, it leads to all sorts of diseases. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, famously said:
全部的疾病都始于肠道
ALL DISEASE BEGINS IN THE GUT
不是“⼀些”，而是“全部”。所有疾病都源于不同形式的肠道失衡。是的，不仅仅是消化不良，很多和肠胃好像挂不上钩的疾病其实都源自肠胃菌群的失衡。比如，越来越多的研究指出了不同类型的癌症和肠道菌群的对应关系，以及肠道菌群对免疫性疾病的影响。折磨了你很久的关节炎有可能不仅仅是因为年龄的问题或者身体太湿，而是你肠胃的长期菌群失衡。我们中国⼈其实⼀直都知道这个。在中国，有谁不知道“肠胃是后天之本”？
Not some, but all. All disease originates in one form or another from the loss of balance in the gut. Yes, many diseases that may not have anything to do with gut on the surface all stem from gut microbiome's loss of balance. For example, more and more reserach is pointing to the connections between different types of cancer and the underlying microbiome conditions, and gut microbiome impacts autoimmune disorders. The athritis you have suffered from for a long time may not just be because of aging or too much dampness, it may very well be because your gut microbiome has long been off balance. We Chinese have known this all along. In China, who does not know the saying “肠胃是后天之本“ (Gut health is the foundation of the acquired health)？
很少有⼈意识到，不仅仅是我们的⾁体，我们的⼼理健康也与肠道健康息息相关。实际上，几乎所有的血清素都是在肠道产⽣的。血清素是神经细胞之间传递信号的神经递质。⾎清素的缺乏会导致各种问题，包括失眠和抑郁。大多数治疗抑郁症的药物都是在试图抑制⾎清素的再吸收，这样⼤脑就可以有更多的⾎清素可以利用。
A factor that few people realize is that our mental health, not just physical health, is also intimately connected to our gut health. In fact almost all of the serotonin is produced in the gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carry signals between nerve cells. A lack of serotonin can lead to all sorts of problems, including insomnia and depression. Most of the depression drugs work to inhibit the reabsorption of serotonin so more of it is available for the brain.
⼏年前，为了缓解失眠的困扰，我决定去看神经科医⽣。他先是问我是不是有些抑郁。我告诉他没有，因为我对我的生活从来没有这么满意过。然后我觉得他在某种程度上开始试图说服我，我实际上是有⼀些轻微抑郁的。后来，他给我开了最流⾏的抗抑郁药Zoloft，并让我几周后再复诊。不⽤说，我再也没有去找他复诊。事实上，那是我最后⼀次在失眠问题上寄望于专业医师。那个时候，我还不知道肠道与⼤脑健康之间的联系，否则，我⼀定会问：如果几乎所有的血清素都是在肠道里产⽣的，你为什么根本不去理会，也根本不问任何关于我肠道健康的问题呢？
Years ago, I was desperate to soothe my insomnia and decided to see a neurologist. He first asked me if I was depressed. I told him no because I was never happier with my life. Then I felt he was somehow trying to convince me I was actually slightly depressed. At the end of the session, he prescribed the popular anti-depression drug Zoloft and asked me come back in a few weeks. Needless to say, I never went back. In fact, that was the last time I tried to seek professional help with my sleep problems. At that time, I did not know the connection between gut and brain health, otherwise, I would have asked: if almost all serotonin is produced in the gut, how come you don’t care a bit and don’t ask a single question about my gut health?!
消除肠道中的有益菌群，对我们的⻓期健康造成⻓期损害的⼀个最保险的方法就是服用抗生素。抗生素确实创造过奇迹，但当今普遍的对抗⽣素的滥⽤，让它的⻓期危害可能会超过它的益处。抗⽣素的问题在于它不仅可以杀死坏的细菌，也可以杀死好的细菌，当然另外⼀个极⼤的弊端是会培养出对抗⽣素具有抗药性的超级细菌。仅仅⼀个疗程的抗⽣素就可以永久性地改变你肠道菌群的平衡。如果没有任何外部⼲预，⼀些好的细菌可能永远都⽆法完全恢复到原来的状态。所以，抗⽣素永远不应该是治疗的⾸选，⽽应该是最后⼀道防线。
A sure way to decimate the good bugs in our gut and give a serious blow to our long term health is to take antibiotics. Antibiotics have worked wonders, but the overuse of antibiotics is so prevalent, its long term harm could outweigh its benefit. The problem with antibiotics is it not only kills the bad bacteria, it kills off the good ones too, not mentioning the risk of fostering antibiotics resistant super-bugs. A single course of antibiotics could potentially alter your gut microbiota permanently. Some friendly bacteria may never fully recover without interventions. Therefore, antibiotics should never be the first line of defense, it should be the LAST.
可以把好细菌杀死的不仅仅是抗生素，其他的药物也同样可以。当然，饮⻝，吸烟，运动，压⼒也会改变肠道细菌的组成。
What kills the good bacteria is not only antibiotics, other pharmaceutical drugs do a pretty good job of that as well. Of course, what you eat, smoking, exercise, stress can also alter the make up of the bacteria in your gut.
我的女儿在两到三岁的时候经常生病。我记得几乎每个⽉都会带她去看医⽣。那时我们在美国，我可以完全预知医⽣会做些什么和说些什么。她会开⼀些抗⽣素，然后对我说：再观察观察，如果没有变好，那就吃药。当我问她有没有其它办法可以让她的体质增强，减少重犯的次数时，她说基本上没有什么办法。
Between the age of two and three, my daughter was sick quite often. I remember taking her to the doctor almost every month. We were in the US at that time, and I knew exactly what the doctor would do and say. She would prescribe antibiotics, and told me: just monitor her for a little longer, if it gets worse, take the med. When asked if there is something else we can do to make her stronger and prevent this from recurring again and again, she basically told me there is nothing they can do.
这让我深感失望。如果医生的⼯作仅仅是开抗⽣素的话，那么我女儿健康的真正答案永远不会来自医⽣，只能来⾃我。⼀点⼀点，通过饮⻝和⼀些改善肠胃的保健品，我女儿的健康开始好转。我已经不记得她上次需要服⽤抗⽣素是什么时候了。
This deeply frustrated me. If a doctor’s job is only to prescribe antibiotics, then the real answer to my daughter’s health will never come from a doctor, it has to lie with me. With patience, diet and supplementation, my daughter has got exponentially better. I don’t remember the last time I had to give her antibiotics.
如果你仍然不确定这些小虫子对健康的影响有这么⼤，那可以了解⼀下这几个字：粪便移植：将⼀个⼈的粪便放入另⼀个人的肠道。是的，听起来确实很恶心，但它却可以治愈疾病，挽救生命。粪便移植以前⼤多⽤于治疗和⼤肠于小肠有关的疾病。但是越来越多的研究表明，它可能会影响到健康的许多其它方面，甚⾄包括体重问题和精神方面的疾病。
If you still have doubt about how these little bugs can have such impact on human health, let these two words settle it for you: fecal transplant: putting one person’s stool into another person’s gastrointestinal tract. Yes, it may sound gross, but it cures diseases and saves lives. Fecal transplant has been historically used to treat disease associated with small and big intestines. But research has shown it could affect a lot more aspects of one’s health: even weight issues and mental disorders.
你知道吗，⼈体内细菌的平均寿命为20分钟？这是个好消息！所以即使你在不知情的情况下把⾃⼰的肠道搞得⼀团糟，也随时可以把它变得更好！改善肠道的做法其实和改善整体健康的做法没有什么不同，例如：
Do you know that the average life span of a bacterium in your microbiome is 20 minutes? So that’s the good news! Even if you have wrecked your gut in different ways unwittingly, you can always change it to the better! All those things that you can do to improve your gut health is not that different from the things you should do anyway to improve your overall health, for example:
• 增加蔬菜的摄⼊，减少糖（葡萄糖，果糖，乳糖）的摄入
• 不要久坐，动起来！
• 减轻压力
• 足够的睡眠
• 走出去！吸收不同环境的空气：森林，⼭脉，海洋等。
• 饮食中加⼊⼀些发酵的食品
• 尝试减少或消除传统肉类和家禽的摄入
• 服用优质的益生菌。即使益⽣菌理论有着自己的缺陷（只针对几种菌群），益⽣菌仍然是有好处的，尤其是当你必须服用抗生素的时候
• Increase intake of vegetables, reduce intake of sugar (glucose, fructose, lactose)
• Don’t be sedentary, move!
• Reduce your stress levels
• Have enough sleep
• Get out! Imbibe air in different environments: forests, mountains, sea, etc.
• Get some fermented foods into your diet
• Try to reduce or eliminate conventional meat and poultry from your diet
• Take a good quality probiotics. As flawed as probiotics science is (they only target several species), it is still beneficial to have probiotics on hand, especially when you have to take antibiotics
我对营养了解地越多，就越意识到我们和⾃然界其实就是⼀个不可分割的整体。我们与周边的⼀切都息息相关，那些我们可以看到的和看不到的：每种细菌，每种病毒，每种植物，每种动物，每⼀滴海洋的⽔。傲慢的⼈类认为⾃然是可以被征服的，这让我们深陷泥沼，⽽且越陷越深。没有⾃然，⼈⽆法⽣存，但是没有⼈类，⾃然仍将继续。我们真的需要醒过来了。
The more I learn about nutrition, the more I realize we and nature are really just one. We are connected to everything we see and everything we don’t see: every bacteria, every virus, every plant, every animal, every drop of ocean water. The hubris humans have that regarded nature as something that we can conquer got us into a lot of trouble and it is continuing. Humans without nature cannot survive, but nature without humans will continue to flourish. We really need to wake up.
References:
• Discovery’s Edge, Mayo Clinic’s Research Magazine. Rise of the Microbiome
• Christine Northrup. How to Improve Your Gut Microbiome in a Day
• Dr. Axe. The Human Microbiome: How It Works + a Diet for Gut Health
• Stefanie Malan-Muller, Mireia Valles-Colomer, Jeroen Raes, Christopher A Lowry, Soraya Seedat, Sian M J Hemmings. The Gut Microbiome and Mental Health: Implications for Anxiety- and Trauma-Related Disorders
• Martin Blaser. Stop the killing of beneficial bacteria
• MedicalNewsToday. Everything you need to know about fecal transplants
• Vancheswaran Gopalakrishnan; Beth A. Helmink; Christine N. Spencer; Alexandre Reuben; Jennifer A. Wargo. The Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Cancer, Immunity, and Cancer Immunotherapy
