# 400 types of bacteria that make up our intestinal flora.



## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

http://www.tno.nl/kwaliteit_van_leven/actu...rets_/index.xmlTNO has taken a major step towards developing a research model for human intestinal flora. TNO scientists in Zeist have used DNAâ€™s unique structure to identify the more than 400 types of bacteria that make up our intestinal flora. This in itself is a major breakthrough for the pharmaceutical and food industries but TNO is also well on the way to putting the bacteria on an ingenious chip. Scientists believe that this â€˜intestinal flora chipâ€™ will enable them to study the effects of, for instance, diet on our intestinal flora. Intestinal flora is the collective name given to all the bacteria in our intestines. Traditional research methods were able to study only 5% of all the bacteria; with no method for researching the other 95%, studies of the effects of diet, stress, medicines and the like on the intestinal flora were of limited value.Immune system Bacteria can be both beneficial and harmful to our health. Healthy intestinal flora means that the bacterial balance is right and we are protected from harmful effects. This is crucial to our digestion and to the immune system, which protects us against infection. This protective balance between healthy and harmful bacteria can be disturbed by, for example, antibiotics or food poisoning. Another role of a healthy intestine is, of course, to ensure that the body gets sufficient nutrients every day. Research into the effects of foods and medicines on the various bacteria in terms of intestinal activity provides valuable information. Effect TNO is now talking at various levels to interested parties, including representatives from the pharma and food industry. Research into the intestinal flora provides information about both the desirable and unwanted effects of various drugs and foods that can be used for product development. Effect of antibacterial and other drugs on the intestinal microflora are well known-phenomena with potentially severe clinical consequences. The intestinal flora chip can help to monitor those often very subtle disturbances in the bacterial ecosystem. In addition we are seeing with increasing regularity new products that claim to have a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora. Prebiotics and probiotics are good examples. Prebiotics are agents that are broken down only when they reach the large intestine where they have positive effects. More familiar are products under the generic name of probiotics that contain a large amount of beneficial lactic acid bacteria and can promote healthy intestinal flora. Over the years a great deal of research has been performed into prebiotics and probiotics, but it has often proved difficult to reach any definite conclusions about their effects. Intestinal flora chip TNO expects the â€˜intestinal flora chipâ€™ to contribute to the development of drugs, health-promoting foods and dietary patterns. This will mark an enormous step forward for the team of scientists from various research fields who have worked together on the immune modulation and intestinal health project.


----------



## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)




----------

