Study: Gut Microbiome Is Regulated through EMFs

You probably also know about the importance of eating foods that contain pre- and pro-biotics. You may have bought probiotic supplements or done regular stints of eating loads of raw natural yogurt, kekir, kombucha or kimchi – all in the effort to try to foster the “good” bacteria.

We know that our “gut health” is related to your “human microbiome”, which is defined as all the bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and eukaryotes that inhabit the human body,

Knowledge about the gut microbiome wasn’t a “scientific thing” until next-generation sequencing technology was developed in 2005 and the birth of metagenomics research. Researchers were then able to use the tool to observe the microbiome in lab conditions (most of the bacteria which reside in the gut are anaerobic!).

The Gut Microbiome

The human gut has 10x the number of microbial cells than in the whole human body. That is roughly 100 trillion microbes representing as many as 5,000 different species and weighing approximately 2 kilograms.

In fact, the gut microbiome is so diverse that it is collectively referred to as the "second human genome", i.e., a separate “organ” with its own distinct metabolic and immune activity.

Study: How Does the Gut Microbiome Communicate?

The researchers embarked on the study to find out how the gut micrbiome actually forms.

We know that individual bacteria coordinate their behaviour through cell-to-cell signaling. However, the researchers wanted to find out if these signals can also influence the behavior of distant cells that are not part of the community.

When bacteria come together, they form communities that are called biofilms — essentially forming thin structures on surfaces—such as the tartar that develops on teeth—that are highly resistant to chemicals and antibiotics.

Because not much is known about how they form, recruit other microorganisms and resist attack, such information about their behavior has practical applications—from preventing tartar formation on teeth to avoiding Staph infections in hospitals.

(That’s why brushing your teeth isn’t necessarily the best to keep your teeth clean!)

Bacteria Recruit Other Species with Long-Range Electrical Signals

The researchers were interested in how bacteria actually work in the body.

The biologists documented the process of how B. subtilis biofilms generate potassium ion electrical signaling to attract distant cells within the chambers to the edge of electrically oscillating biofilms.

They found that bacteria communicate with other bacterial species using long-range electrical signals. This helps them recruit new bacteria to their biofilm community.

Research Conclusion

The researchers discovered that single-cell organisms that we call bacteria aren’t so simple; they beam out electrical signals to recruit other species to join their communities.

They’re sending out “electronic advertisements” to recruit new members to their biofilm, drawing in different bacterial species from outside.

  • Electrical signaling within biofilms attracts distant motile cells

  • Attraction is caused by membrane-potential-dependent modulation of tumbling frequency

  • Electrical signaling is generic, resulting in species-independent attraction

  • Attraction leads to incorporation of diverse species into a pre-existing biofilm

“It may even be possible that bacterial and human gut cells can interact electrically within the human gut. Our work may in the future even lead to new electrical-based biomedical approaches to control bacterial behavior and communities.” — Gürol Süel, a professor of molecular biology

“Our study shows that bacteria living in biofilm communities do something similar to sending electronic messages to friends,” — Jacqueline Humphries, PhD

Electromagnetic fields govern even the simplest life

The new study builds on previous work by the same team that found that bacteria can communicate via electrical signals, just like neurons. Small pores called ion channels allow electrically charged molecules to travel in and out of the cells.

Studies like this reshape how we think about bacterial interactions and biofilm formation. It proves simply how many different bacteria to interact thorough electrical signals.

Our body has other such human microbiome sites as well, such as the skin, oral, and vaginal micrbiones. It’s amazing to think that these are communities that work together through the basic force of life: the electrical impulse.

If you found this study interesting, check out my full guide to EMFs and your microbiome. It’s free, and you’ll find facts and resources on how EMF use can harm or help your microbiome.

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