The Ripple Effect of Poop | Jingyuan Fu | TEDxUniversityofGroningen

Gut Microbiota & Health - Each human hosts approximately 40 trillion bacteria and 380 trillion viruses, significantly outnumbering the global human population [1] - Gut microbiota, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, plays a crucial role in human health, aiding digestion, supporting the immune system, and overall well-being [2][3] - Disruptions in gut microbiota have been linked to various diseases, influencing medical approaches to consider the gut-organ axis in diagnosis and treatment [4][5] - Hygiene hypothesis suggests that exposure to diverse microbes in natural environments can strengthen the immune system, potentially reducing the risk of conditions like asthma [9][10] - Microbial composition is unique to each individual and can be indicative of health status, similar to a "microbial face ID" [11][12] Personalized Nutrition & Probiotics - Personalized nutrition, tailoring dietary recommendations to individual biology, is gaining importance for optimizing gut health [15] - Probiotics can restore gut microbiota balance, as demonstrated by the case of an elderly patient recovering from severe diarrhea post-COVID-19 [16][17] - Akkermansia, a bacterium discovered in 2004, shows potential in improving metabolism, assisting weight loss, and easing symptoms of type 2 diabetes [19] Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) & Market - Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective treatment for Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection, with a success rate of approximately 95% [20][21] - The global market focused on the microbiota is valued at approximately $14 billion USD per year, with $1 billion USD in human health, $7 billion USD in agriculture, and $6 billion USD in animal health [24]