Write a 750 – 1000 word essay (3-4 pages, not including the title and reference pages) on what you have learned about the gut microbiome’s influence on the disease/condition you have selected.Be s

• Write a 750 – 1000 word essay (3-4 pages, not including the title and reference pages) on what you have learned about the gut microbiome’s influence on the disease/condition you have selected.

• Be sure to include the following points in your analysis:

1. How do scientists think the gut microbiome influences this disease/condition?

2. What kinds of research have been reported so far (e.g., just hypotheses or actual lab experiments using mice/other animals or human subjects)? Describe the research and ideas discussed in the video and your readings.

3. How would you describe the current level of understanding about the gut microbiome and the disease/condition you selected?

4. Are therapies or treatments now being used for patients with this disease/condition? Do you think this a good thing or a bad thing, and why?

5. Did you find any sensationalizing or grandiose claims being made for therapies that use the gut microbiome to treat this disease/condition? Do the claims differ from what you found in the research? Explain any differences you have found.

6. Would you recommend that someone suffering from this disease/condition try the therapies you examined? Why or why not?

Useful References:

• Ainsworth, C. (2011). I am legion. New Scientist, 210(2812), 42-45. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com.vlib.excelsior.edu/

  The article looks at research into the relationship between humans and the microbes which live inside our digestive systems. Topics discussed include the health risks associated with having a lack of bacterial diversity, the influence of digestive microbes on obesity, and how the metabolizing of medicine, toxins, and food additives is dependent on the levels of these bacteria present in the body.

• Hamzelou, J. (2012). Medicine that makes you fat. New Scientist, 213(2858), 8-9. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com.vlib.excelsior.edu/

  The article reports on research published in "Nature Reviews Microbiology" by microbiologist Matt Blaser and team on the links between the over-prescription of antibiotics to the incidence of obesity. They studied the effect of penicillin on the gut microbiome of mice, noting that antibiotic-fed mice were larger, fatter, and had reduced levels of helper T-cells. Scientist Cecil Lewis and team demonstrated that intestinal bacteria in prehistoric humans was different from that in modern humans.

• Lambert, C. (2015). Gut thinking. New Scientist, 228(3048), 30-33. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com.vlib.excelsior.edu/

  The article discusses the relationship between the human gut microbes and eating habits, including the role that the physiological aspects of the reward system in the brain plays in altering appetite and hunger. An overview of the impact that physiological reward has on the eating of food with a high amount of calories is provided.

• Saey, T.H. (2016). Microbial signals influence obesity. Science News, 190(1), 7. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenews.org/

  The article focuses on research published in the June 9, 2016 issue of "Nature" concerning the role of signals from intestinal microbes in obesity. It states intestinal bacteria produce the short-chain fatty acid acetate from fats in food and encourages the brain to signal production of insulin through the vagus nerve which tells fat cells to store more energy and allows fat to build up. It reports that the hunger hormone ghrelin is increased due to acetate and mentions vagus nerve stimulators.