Many COVID-19 patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition where the lungs cannot provide the body's vital organs with enough oxygen. Patients with ARDS are usually placed on ventilators to help get enough oxygen into their bodies. Now, new research presented at the 'virtual' European Respiratory Society International Congress [1] has found that having fewer different types of fungi in the lungs is linked to increased severity of disease in ARDS patients.
The human microbiome [2] is made up of tiny organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Presenting her research to the meeting, Ms Noel Britton, a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, said that up to now researchers had tended to concentrate on studying the effects of bacteria on human health, partly because the microbiome is primarily composed of bacteria and there are technical difficulties in extracting enough fungi to study.
This fits in with Martin Blaser's view in his book "Missing Microbes" in which he suggests that a narrowing of our microbiomes, which correlates well with the rise of a whole host of chronic illnesses he describes as 'modern plagues' in the more developed countries, are likely to be causally linked.
Had not come across specific evidence that a broader spectrum of fungal species was needed to achieve good health. As we too often think of fungi as pathogenic, this does feel somewhat counter intuitive, . . . . . but may be confirmed as correct.
Yes, that in essence is the 'Missing Microbes' proposition, for which there does seem to be considerable evidence already; those with many types of chronic health issues, including inflammation-causing & auto-immune type conditions, are generally found to have less diverse microbial colonies, . . . . as assessed by stool analysis. Sadly to date, this is not too widely recognised in clinical practice.
One of the more knowledgeable UK medics about this is Prof Tim Spector ( - whose team gathered the data on levels of 'anosmia' with Covid-19). His views, including in book "The Diet Myth" may be of interest, . . . . to all masticators, . . . not least retired dieticians !
Jeannette Hyde's views, also microbiome-inclined, worth considering too !
AMAZING that whilst its said 9 out of 10 people don't get sufficient "fibre", clear advise on the simplest ways to increase this is remains too poorly explained, as most fruit & veg contain such LOW amounts.
Likely to be worth most people increasing their prebiotic or 'fibre' intake, from a variety of sources, by 10g+ per day. This is said to be the 'food' for our microbiome !
Yup, peas, beans, sweetcorn, berries, nuts: any veggie food that's small with lots of skins. I also boost mine with oat bran in my home-made muesli mix. Wheat bran is not such a good idea as it can strip out the calcium in the same meal. That saying, wholemeal bread can help, plus oatcake biscuits like Nairn's and supermarket's own brand and small jacket potatoes with their skins on.
I thought I was on a pretty healthy diet for decades, . . . . . but couldn't work out the strong cravings for sugars & carbs.
Also, misguidedly thought a 'sure-fire' symptom of insufficient fibre was constipation, and this was never an issue. Further, with a predominantly veggie intake, I assumed I'd be getting enough 'fibre' already - how wrong was that assumption, . . . . & relying on constipation as a reliable sign ! ! !
I was, & remain a fan of all the foods you list, including mixed nuts ( - where roasted are far more palatable) and oatcakes. However, none of these have 'fibre' content approaching even ~15%. The issue with fresh fruit tends to be the relatively low ratio of 'fibre' to the (digestible) sugars ( - which are also a 'prebiotic' for the yeasts that feed & grow on them, quite clearly ?).
By increasing 'fibre' ( - soluble & insoluble prebiotics) from higher fibre content foods, so that intake is 10g+ per day, real changes became apparent, as if by MAGIC: far lower sugar & carb. carving, . . . . . & better, healthier-seeming stools.
In addition to Jeanette Hyde's, gastroenterologist Robynne Chutkan's ideas ( - which I found earlier) are really worth a look at ! See what you think ?
Hence adding oat bran to my homemade oats, nuts and dried fruit muesli. Works a treat.
The lung microbiome is incredibly poorly understood. As I sit here watching bod’s rather toxic antifungal infusion run through, it does make me wonder, though....as with antibiotics and bacteria, you can’t be selective as to which fungi it’s killing off!
Was not aware any parties were looking at the lung microbiome specifically. Did go to a talk ~5years ago that said the immune system is clearing up pathogens we breath in 24/7, and without this, we'd soon perish.
Won't be surprised if by the end of the 2020s, we are introducing 'missing microbes' ( - including some fungi ?) into our bodies selectively and proactively, assessed on a case by case basis. This medical science is already somewhat established, - & now with the "big data" processing and deep-learning AI algorithms - seems to show good promise.
Not all of these are necessarily currently active, but this link should take you to the research studies that the Health Research Authority have had applications to undertake having put lung microbiome in to the search field:
I think clinicians are increasingly recognising that the relationships between both naturally occurring, necessary organisms and pathogenic ones are complex and of real importance when it comes to managing superlative lung diseases. Certainly in cf they’re beginning to understand that certain pathogens prevent other pathogens from surviving, either by actively targeting the new invader and destroying it (which is something they hope they may be able to replicate and harness in time to come up with new antimicrobial drugs), or creating an environment as part of the infective process that particular other bacteria find inhospitable somehow. Anecdotally they’ve also known for a while that certain bacteria only ever infect adolescents and adults, sparing children, and there’s now research going in to understanding why that’s the case to see if we can replicate whatever protective factor is found in children’s lungs. It’s a fascinating topic, but I personally think we’re a long way off truly understanding both the effect and the importance of the microorganisms routinely found in the human body.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
