The past few years has seen great leaps in discovery and understanding of the human immune system, especially in regards to the microbiome and microglia, and the foundations of genetics are changing. This new information changes everything about what we thought we knew about environmental exposures including the food we eat, the chemicals we use, the medicines we take, and the vaccines we inject.
Autoimmune, neurological, and developmental disorders, as well as cancer, are all rising at alarming rates. These new discoveries help explain why, and they reveal why urgency is needed to stop the man-made assaults on our health.
Below is a sampling of recent research.
MICROBIOME & MICROGLIA
Press release – Inserm press room Microbiome Influences Brain’s Immune Cells in a Sex and Age-dependent manner Link : http://presse.inserm.fr/en/microbiome-influences-brains-immune-cells-in-a-sex-and-age-dependent-manner/30271/
“A joint study conducted by Inserm researchers from IBENS (Institute of Biology of the Ecole Normale Supérieure – Inserm/CNRS/ENS) in Paris and researchers from SIgN (Singapore Immunology Network, A*STAR) in Singapore reveals a hitherto undiscovered impact of microbiota on immune brain cells, occurring from fetal stages. These cells, called microglia, which are known players in brain development and functioning, differentially respond to microbiome perturbations in male or female mice. These results are published in Cell.”
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Environmental Chemicals, the Human Microbiome, and Health Risk: A Research Strategy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24960.
“A great number of diverse microorganisms inhabit the human body and are collectively referred to as the human microbiome. Until recently, the role of the human microbiome in maintaining human health was not fully appreciated. Today, however, research is beginning to elucidate associations between perturbations in the human microbiome and human disease and the factors that might be responsible for the perturbations. Studies have indicated that the human microbiome could be affected by environmental chemicals or could modulate exposure to environmental chemicals. Given those findings, some fear that we might be missing or mischaracterizing health effects of exposure to environmental chemicals and have therefore argued that chemical–microbiome interactions should be considered in assessing human health risk associated with environmental-chemical exposure. Such considerations would add substantial complexity to an already complex analysis. Given the complexity and resource constraints, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to develop a research strategy to improve our understanding of the interactions between environmental chemicals and the human microbiome and the implications of those interactions for human health risk.”
Infant Gut Microbiome Associated With Cognitive Development. Carlson, Alexander L. et al. Biological Psychiatry , Volume 83 , Issue 2 , 148 – 159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.06.021
“Studies in rodents provide compelling evidence that microorganisms inhabiting the gut influence neurodevelopment. In particular, experimental manipulations that alter intestinal microbiota impact exploratory and communicative behaviors and cognitive performance. In humans, the first years of life are a dynamic time in gut colonization and brain development, but little is known about the relationship between these two processes.”
“They’ll Have to Rewrite the Textbooks.” UVA Today, 19 Dec. 2016, news.virginia.edu/illimitable/discovery/theyll-have-rewrite-textbooks.
“It’s a stunning discovery that overturns decades of textbook teaching: researchers at the School of Medicine have determined that the brain is directly connected to the immune system by vessels previously thought not to exist. “I really did not believe there were structures in the body that we were not aware of. I thought the body was mapped,” said Jonathan Kipnis, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience and director of the University’s Center for Brain Immunology and Glia. How these vessels could have escaped detection when the lymphatic system has been so thoroughly mapped throughout the body is surprising on its own.”
GENETICS
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“A revolutionary new study reveals that the core tenet of classical genetics is patently false, and by implication: what we do in this life — our diet, our mindset, our chemical exposures — can directly impact the DNA and health of future generations.
A paradigm shifting new study titled, “Soma-to-Germline Transmission of RNA in Mice Xenografted with Human Tumour Cells: Possible Transport by Exosomes,” promises to overturn several core tenets of classical genetics, including collapsing the timescale necessary for the transfer of genetic information through the germline of a species (e.g. sperm) from hundreds of thousands of years to what amounts to ‘real time’ changes in biological systems.” Read the full article HERE.
“DNA methylation patterns are susceptible to change in response to environmental stimuli such as diet or toxins, whereby the epigenome seems to be most vulnerable during early life.”
