Tips for Spring Cleaning: Cleanliness ≠ Health

The cups are toasted to welcome the new year, and the lights are lit at the altar.

When bathing and eating, bacteria are often present.

Written by Li Qingchao (Shandong Normal University)

"On the 23rd, sticky sugar melons are served; on the 24th, the day to clean the house." The 23rd and 24th of the twelfth lunar month are the Little New Year in the north and the south respectively. There are two main things to do during the Little New Year: "worship the kitchen god" and "sweep the house." Everyone is familiar with the worship of the kitchen god. The kitchen god goes to heaven to report his duties and the merits and demerits of the whole family. The kitchen god's mouth is covered with sugar melons, and he is asked to "speak good things to the heavens and keep the world safe." Before leaving, the kitchen god asked one thing, that is, "sweep the house." Cleaning, commonly known as "sweeping the house," is also a very important custom of the Little New Year. It means sweeping away the old, welcoming the new, and removing bad luck.

The place where the Kitchen God lives is full of smoke and fire, so why is he so particular about hygiene?

Here's what happened: The Kitchen God is a good god, easy to fool, but the little ghosts in the house are hard to deal with - the Three Corpse Insects (or Three Corpse Gods). They like to gossip and harm people's lives. They like to write bad things on the corners of the house and mark them with spider webs, waiting for the gods on duty to come down for inspection. Once they see the "crimes" on the wall, they will "take away" the family.

But these three corpse worms are not elsewhere, but on the human body: the upper corpse, the middle corpse, and the lower corpse, respectively, live in the upper, middle, and lower dantian, and all have the surname Peng. The upper corpse is Peng Ju, the middle corpse is Peng Tu, and the lower corpse is Peng Qiao (Figure 1). The Kitchen God came up with the idea of ​​sweeping the dust to deal with the dirt left by these "three corpses". Well, paying attention to hygiene can indeed help you live longer.

Figure 1: Tang Dynasty Three Corpses | Source: The Great Master’s Sutra on Eliminating the Three Corpses and Nine Insects to Preserve Life

The three corpse worms are actually the materialization of human selfishness, greed, and lust. "Becoming a saint by killing the three corpses" is to "break the attachment." So the question is, are there really "worms" in the human body? Do these "worms" really leave "dirty things"?

More than three corpses: The microbiome is more numerous than human cells

The Kitchen God hates the three corpses, but there are an average of 100 trillion bacteria in our bodies. If we consider that the human body contains about 10 trillion cells, the number of “bugs” in our bodies is 100 times more than our own cells (Figure 2)! This data was re-estimated in 2014 and 2016, with the total number of human cells being around 37.2 trillion. The ratio of the number of bacteria carried by the human body to the number of human cells is between 3:1 and 1:1. The latest estimate is 1.3:1. If viruses are included, this ratio may return to or exceed 100:1[1].

Figure 2: The human body carries more bacteria than human cells | Source: https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-ways-body-disgusting.php

After saying this, I felt a little itchy. I felt like this body was no longer my baby! Who has the final say in this body? Am I me? Or am I just a luxury car for bacteria?

The microbial population carried by the human body is called the human microbiome. In the human body, the intestinal tract and skin have the most bacterial species, both carrying more than 1,000 species of bacteria, followed by the oral cavity with more than 600 species, and the urogenital tract is relatively small (Figure 3). In addition to bacteria, there are some fungi, a limited number of archaea, and a large number of viruses in the human body - mainly viruses that target bacteria: bacteriophages. Different people, different parts of the body of the same person, or different time points carry different microbial populations, but the number is indispensable.

Figure 3: Main locations and types of microorganisms in the human body [2]

People have been exposed to bacteria since birth. It is generally believed that the inside of the uterus is a sterile environment, and childbirth is the first close contact between the human body and bacteria. It can be said that the birth canal flora is the first gift from the mother to the newborn, long before the warm hug and breast milk (in contrast, animals such as elephants, pandas, and koalas get this gift by eating their mother's feces). Newborns born naturally are luckier than those born by caesarean section and have obtained more beneficial bacteria. Since microorganisms are almost everywhere in the environment, factors such as a person's diet, medical treatment, and living environment will affect the microbial populations they come into contact with, and thus have a certain impact on the microbiome in their body (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Factors that influence intestinal flora. Starting from the bottom and going counterclockwise, they are birth method, breastfeeding, stress, diet, medication, geographical environment, and age. [3]

The truth is in the shit: What is the human microbiome doing?

These microorganisms that colonize the human body generally do not cause harm to the human body, and some of them even have mutually beneficial effects with the human body. For example, the human microbiome can: ① digest difficult-to-digest foods and help the human body absorb nutrients. Some microorganisms can also ② synthesize nutrients needed by the human body, such as vitamin B12, thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin K.

The above effects are the most obvious, because microorganisms are decomposers and have a variety of metabolic types. In addition, microorganisms can also ③ degrade harmful substances, ④ promote the development of the immune system, and regulate immune responses. Continuous in-depth research, especially intestinal microbial research, has revealed more close connections between microorganisms and the human body.

It has been found that intestinal flora plays a role in the development and function of the innate and adaptive immune systems of the intestine, such as regulating immune homeostasis, helping the development of auxiliary T cells, and maintaining the function of intestinal cytotoxic T cell groups. The intestinal flora also has functions such as inhibiting cancer and maintaining cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health, and even affects your behavior, psychology and other aspects. In layman's terms, uh~ shit can not only force us to find a toilet, but also determine what we like to eat and change our behavior patterns. It is indeed the "master shit behind the scenes."

Figure 5: Gut microbiota performs multiple functions[4]

Figure 6: Different members of the bacterial community play different roles in resisting pathogenic microorganisms (Source: Internet) Sunflowers are similar to microorganisms that can nourish the human body; peas are similar to microorganisms that can antagonize harmful bacteria; they secrete antibacterial substances; potatoes are like placeholders to prevent harmful bacteria from settling. The existence of all characters requires the player's management, similar to exercising the immune system. [5]

Figure 7: Gut microbes regulate mood by producing endocannabinoids. Sustained stress may cause depression by changing the gut microbiota [6]

Trillion Doormen: How to make the human microbiome play a better role?

During the New Year, we should not only clean our homes, but also ourselves. However, no matter how we wash, we cannot eliminate all bacteria, and we cannot live without bacteria. Excessive cleaning and disinfection, abuse of antibiotics, and bad living habits can lead to the disorder of the normal human microbiome, thus causing various diseases.

It is impossible for the human body to be sterile. The right way is to coexist with the human microbiome and even train it to serve human health. Gut microbes are a highly dynamic group with individual differences. They are different for each person, and they are also different for the same person at different ages and in different physical conditions. When you are healthy, you can ensure the health of your intestinal flora by maintaining a reasonable diet and exercising. Mediterranean diets, plant-based diets, ketogenic diets, and other diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables are more likely to develop a healthy intestinal microbial community.

Academician He Jie and Professor Chen Wanqing of the National Cancer Center/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital led a major paper published in The Lancet Global Health. Specifically targeting the Chinese population, they analyzed the incidence of different types of cancer caused by 23 major carcinogenic risks in my country [7]. In terms of diet, insufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and dietary fiber, and excessive intake of red meat, processed meat, and pickled vegetables are important risk factors for the high incidence of cancer. Therefore, if you want to be healthy, you must consume enough fruits, vegetables, and dietary fiber, and avoid processed foods that are high in sugar, fat, and sodium. In addition, if necessary, you can supplement probiotics by taking probiotic preparations.

Figure 8: Gut microbiota can be regulated through diet, exercise, probiotic supplementation, antibiotics, and fecal transplantation [8]

Trillion-dollar rescuer: fecal transplant (FMT) therapy

Next, let's learn about something with a stronger taste, which may help you lose weight: fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Fecal transplantation is the process of transferring healthy human feces from a donor to the patient's stomach, small intestine or colon. Fecal transplantation can help rebuild the patient's intestinal flora and achieve therapeutic purposes. After obtaining the feces of a healthy person, it can be dissolved, stirred and resuspended, and then made into capsules for oral administration, or made into fecal suspension preparations, which can be directly introduced into the gastrointestinal tract through a nasogastric tube or nasoduodenal tube, or introduced into the colon through a colon tube.

Figure 8: Fecal transplant and fecal suspension[9]

Fecal transplantation may seem difficult to accept, but it is actually a very promising treatment method (my country has a long tradition of using feces and urine as medicine, and fecal transplantation is also well used in the field of veterinary medicine). In some cases, such as for patients with Clostridium difficile infection, it is a life-saving medicine.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an infectious disease caused by the excessive proliferation and toxin release of intestinal pathogenic Clostridium difficile. It is a common intestinal flora disorder in clinical practice. In patients with CDI who are ineffective with antibiotics or whose disease recurs, fecal transplantation is used for treatment with an efficacy of up to 85-90%[10].

In addition, fecal transplants have been used in experimental treatments for other gastrointestinal diseases, such as colitis, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome, and neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Figure 9: Koala. (Source: Wikipedia)

——You grew up eating shit!

——Yeah, is there anything wrong?

Healthy poop may benefit more patients. In 2012, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology established the world's first public stool bank.

Personal hygiene still needs to be taken care of

Just because the human microbiome cannot be driven away and is still useful, it does not mean that we can indulge it. Most of the bacteria are harmless, but that is under the condition of human health. There are also "outlaws" in the bacteria that "take advantage of your illness to kill you" - opportunistic pathogens. When opportunistic pathogens grow uncontrolled ① out of their normal habitat, ② when the human body's immunity is reduced, or ③ when the flora is imbalanced, they can multiply in large numbers and cause disease. Signals such as odor, itching, and diarrhea all mean that the flora is imbalanced or over-breeding, and they need to be washed. Nutrient-rich, closed and humid environments are places where bacteria breed seriously, such as the mouth, armpits, genitals, feet, etc. If you find odor, redness, swelling, itching, etc., you may need to disinfect or seek medical attention in time.

Oral-fecal transmission is the main mode of transmission of gastrointestinal infectious diseases. Pandemics caused by fecal contamination of water sources have been a common form of epidemics in the past. Therefore, monitoring the intestinal flora in water sources can reflect the extent of fecal contamination of water sources, and thus prevent and control infectious diseases.

Conclusion

It is impossible for a person to be isolated from society, let alone from nature. If you are reading this article alone at this moment, don't forget that there are trillions of cute little bacteria (and viruses) accompanying you in your intestines, on your skin, on your hands, and on your mobile phone. Don't indulge them by overeating. Eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more, improve immunity, and keep the bacteria well behaved. After all, only if you are strong enough can they be cute enough, and only then can the Kitchen God keep you safe.

References

[1] Gilbert JA, Blaser MJ, Caporaso JG, Jansson JK, Lynch SV, Knight R (April 2018). "Current understanding of the human microbiome". Nature Medicine. 24 (4): 392–400.

[2] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microbiome-graphic-explore-human-microbiome/

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128143308000044

[4] https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article/40/1/117/2467665

[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/gut-microbiome

[6] https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/772086

[7] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X%2818%2930488-1/fulltext

[8] https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijmm.2020.4674

[9] https://www.omixon.com/fecal-transplantation/

[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_microbiota_transplant

Source: Fanpu

Copyright statement: Personal forwarding is welcome. Any form of media or organization is not allowed to reprint or excerpt without authorization. For reprint authorization, please contact the backstage of the "Fanpu" WeChat public account.