After reading several articles on microbes, I'm starting to wonder if there is anything microbes can't do. Whether you're a dark chocolate lover or not - taking your daily dose of the chocolatey goodness may be worth it in the long run. It's been known for some time that dark chocolate can actually be good for you; some of the benefits provided by the cocoa in dark chocolate includes improvement in vascular function and increased insulin sensitivity. Daily consumption can do as much as reduce cholesterol by a median of two points. Luckily, I am one of the dark chocolate lovers and the article, "Why is Dark Chocolate Good for You? Thank Your Microbes" by Katherine Harmon Courage caught my eye. "Cocoa is good for your heart because of fermentation by gut bacteria, creating anti-inflammatory compounds that improve blood vessel function," says Courage. This sentence basically sums up the newly discovered relationship between the cocoa in dark chocolate and our gut microbes.
Leading some of the experiments for this research is John Finley, a professor of food sciences at Louisiana State University. Finley and students conducted a study that simulated the human gut by making an artificial digestive system. With this "fake" digestive system Finley was able to see the process of chocolate through the human gut. At the end of the experiment it was found that, "They [microbes] fermented these compounds—flavonols that include catechin and epicatechin, which are also found in green tea—into smaller anti-inflammatories that could be absorbed into the bloodstream."
Researchers interviewed in the article said that there is definitely more research that needs to be done; for now its safe to say that dark chocolate will serve as a sufficient supplement to take. This won't be hard for those of us who are already fans of the cocoa goodness... Feast on dark chocolate lovers!

Blame Microbes for Crohn's Disease

I have written a few blogs discussing the affect of gut microbes on the human body. Obesity, mental health, and now Crohn's disease. Ramnik Xavier of Massachusetts general hospital led a study that involved more than 1,500 patients who had Crohn's disease. According to the study, the patients who had Crohn's disease had, "less diverse populations of gut microbes."
The article, "Mix Of Gut Microbes May Play Role In Crohn's Disease" describes this study. Author, Rob Stein, states, "More than a million Americans suffer from Crohn's, which seems to start when an overreactive immune system causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding, weight loss and other symptoms". One of the treatments for the disease is harsh steroids or having pieces of the digestive system removed. I am always for treatments that could be less harmful or chemical related to tend to diseases. Stein says that this study could lead to the possibility of an alternative to the harsh antibiotics. The article suggests that doctors may use something to resemble the bacteria that Crohn's patients have a lack of.
I think this study has a lot of potential and should be further researched. Some of the other articles I have done relating to microbes having affect on human diseases are heading in the same direction. From what I can tell, it seems as if there is a lot of hope for this field of study. I am unsure as to how long the affect of microbes on human diseases has been studied - but as far as my own personal knowledge its fairly new to me. Like I mentioned before, I am all for the closest alternative to remedies or treatments being organic. I think humans tend to become unaware at times of what they are putting into their bodies. Sometimes antibiotics and other prescriptions can harm one's body if not taken properly. Hopefully studies like this one will lead to a healthier alternative!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/12/289041150/mix-of-gut-microbes-may-play-role-in-crohns-disease

The McDonald's Isn't Making You Fat, It's Your Gut Microbes

According to an article, "Gut Check: Based on New Microbe Study, Should We Really Blame Geography for Obesity?" gut microbes may be the cause for human obesity. The author Brenden Buhler discusses a recent study by Taichi Suzuki, a grad student from UC Berkley. According to the article, firmicutes and bacteroidetes are the two governing microbes located in our gut microbiome. Gram negative bacterium tend to be more prominent in slimmer people. Suzuki's work consistently showed that the farther North people lived, the more they increase in size. The article does state that these microbes may not be the only factor contributing to human obesity, but could be a correlation. 
I think this article has an interesting proposal, but agree with the fact that it can't be what is causing human obesity alone. It has become pretty obvious that if you eat right and exercise on a regular basis, you won't be obese- regardless of your gut microbes. Obesity, mainly in America, is the result of humans decrease in desire to exercise and increase in consumption of processed foods. It would be an interesting fact to see if over time our gut microbes have contributed to obesity because of our modern day habits. I am curious to know if gut microbes may have been a contribution to obesity two-hundred years ago. 
While I have my opinion about what causes obesity, I do believe that this study has potential. New studies lead to new discoveries all the time. So, who knows, this study could lead to something great for human life!