Book Review — “I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life” by Ed Yong
You may not have noticed the slow, mostly quiet revolution occurring in a far corner of the health care industry. Away from the hype and fanfare of blockbuster drugs and high tech diagnostic equipment, science is also advancing our understanding of life itself. Much the way the Hubble space telescope expanded our view of the heavens, researchers are discovering — and in some cases reimagining — how life really works here on Earth.
Unlike our search for extraterrestrial life, we have discovered that we are not alone. Far, far from it. The human body is in fact teaming with creatures.
Fortunately they do not burst from our bodies like those from the movie Alien. Instead they share and (mostly) contribute to life’s ride. Billions upon billions of bacteria and other microorganisms not only impact how we feel, but also how we act and perhaps even think. One day soon we may more correctly refer to ourselves not as “you” and “me,” but rather as “we” and “us.” Future biology classes will almost certainly describe our body as a host platform to our own unique ecosystem.
These lifetime “roommates” generally go about their day unrecognized and unrewarded — right until something goes wrong. We then throw them under the bus, blaming “bad” bugs for our sickness. But is this the truth?
Not so fast, say researchers.
This micro-universe interacts with our immune system and other body processes in ways we have yet to uncover, much less understand. Intriguingly, advancing our understanding may unlock some of the secrets to health, wellness and longevity, ushering in the next revolution in medicine. “I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life” by Ed Yong provides an engaging review of what we know and what may lie ahead.
For those new to the bacteria genre on Amazon — um, everyone? — you may wonder how the common cold remains so stubbornly resistant to scientific advancement. Or you may ask yourself what is happening with the seemingly sudden rise in autoimmune conditions. This new “model” of a human, or indeed most living creatures, a “body-as-a-platform” perspective, may advance our understanding of these developments and more, also leading us towards more effective and hopefully inexpensive medical treatments.
Make no mistake - “bacteria are our friends” is little less than a complete reversal of current culture. Indeed, these micro-creatures have been (often) unfairly punished for over a century, and particularly as of late. It doesn’t help that the only time most of us use the word “bacteria” is when we think we may become their victim.
Fortunately science is starting to change the conversation. As Yong writes, “bugs [are an] invaluable part of our bodies: not takers of life but its guardian.”
If these critters are indeed protecting us, then perhaps we should be asking what we can do to protect them?
Yong provides some ideas:
“From your perspective, choosing the right item on a menu is the difference between a good meal and a bad one. But for your gut bacteria the choice is more important. Different microbes fare better on certain diets…when you choose your meals, you are also choosing which bacteria get fed, and which get an advantage over their peers.”
“There is no such thing as a ‘good microbe’ or a ‘bad microbe’…these terms belong in children’s stories.”
The story becomes more perplexing still, as you are not simply charged with tending a garden of “good” bacteria.
As Yong writes, “there is no such thing as a ‘good microbe’ or a ‘bad microbe’…these terms belong in children’s stories.”
Instead, the author wants us to recognize that inside each of us is a “contextual relationship” where “bacteria exist along a continuum of lifestyles, between ‘bad’ parasites and ‘good’ mutualists.” Even those at the far end of “bad” can sometimes be beneficial.
And in case you missed the subtleties, ignoring bacteria, or worse, removing them, doesn’t help. Not only might this degrade your health, but sometimes even fatally so. A view gaining momentum to help explain the rise of allergies, chronic and perhaps even autoimmune conditions, is one called the “Hygiene hypothesis.”
Since children in “developed countries no longer run the gauntlets of infectious diseases…[they] grow up with inexperienced, jumpy immune systems…[which] launch panicked immune responses to harmless triggers, like pollen” later on in life.
A little bit of immune system “boot camp” training — via exposure to the bugs all around us, particularly at the start of life — may be just what Mother Nature intended.
Another real world example:
“Even acetaminophen, one of the most familiar drugs in the world, is more effective in some people than others because of the microbes they carry. Again and again, we see that variations in our micro biome can drastically alter the effectiveness of our medicines…their odds of working or failing will depend on a patient’s existing micro biome, which will itself vary with age, geography, diet, gender, genes, and other factors we still don’t fully understand. “
“Bacteria are metabolic wizards that can digest everything from uranium to crude oil…”
While the science is still early, what researchers do agree on is “bacteria are infinitely more versatile than we are.” This has implications far beyond high school biology.
“Bacteria are metabolic wizards that can digest everything from uranium to crude oil. They are [also] expert pharmacologists that excel at making chemicals that kill each other. If you want to defend yourself from another creature or eat a new source of food, there’s almost certainly a microbe that already has the right tools for the job. And if there isn’t, there soon will be: these things reproduce rapidly and swap genes readily. In the great evolutionary race, they sprint, while we crawl.”
The race, then, is on to unlock the potential of these tiny, unseen heroes of our health. For those interested in digging further and perhaps even improving the life of your bacteria colony, add “I Contain Multitudes” to your reading list.
Thanks for reading. I’ve written on Money, Investing, Healthcare, Nutrition, Behavior, and other (mostly) related topics. More on Medium, LinkedIn, and Quora.
About me:
After the HelloWallet sale to Morningstar we built a digital platform, HSA Coach, that combines this acquired book-knowledge into user-friendly financial guidance. We are particularly focused on helping you manage your health paperwork (expenses, forms, results, etc.) while incorporating Health Savings Accounts into the broader retirement savings plan, with some personalized calculators to allocate between your HSA and 401(k). More coming. Available for free in the App Store and Google Play.
As always, comments and reading suggestions on this and other topics welcome.
