The microbiome is the collection of all the microorganisms – bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes – that naturally live in a patient or veterinarian’s body.1 Research is still being conducted to learn more about the microbiome, but we know it influences our health and well-being. So what does that mean for patients in veterinary clinics?
In this interview dvm360®, Nicola A. Lakeman, MSc, BSc, (Hons), RVN, CertVNECC, CertSAN, VTS (Nutrition) explains that although we still don’t know exactly what lives in the microbiome, we do know something about what it’s capable of.
Nicola A. Lakeman, MSc, BSc, (Hons), RVN, CertVNECC, CertSAN, VTS (Nutrition)Biomes play a wide variety of roles, and we don’t know all of them yet, because we don’t even know half of the organisms in them. But our biomes play many roles, and the main ones that come to mind at the top are: [of my head] The fermentation of carbohydrates into short chain fatty acids, which provide energy but also change the pH.
reference
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The Microbiome. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Published July 7, 2023. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/microbiome#:~:text=Introduction
