[Reading Science] Family Interactions Determine Your Health

Gut Microbiota Affecting Cancer, Diabetes, etc.
Decisive Impact from Contact with Family and Close People

An ancestral ritual table during a holiday when families gather. Not directly related to the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Lunar New Year is a time when the whole family gathers to celebrate the new year. Contact and social interaction with family, neighbors, and relatives play a crucial role in the formation of gut microbiota (microbiome), which is important for health. It is emphasized that for the sake of family health, one should reduce alcohol and smoking and strive to cultivate more beneficial bacteria inside the body.

A research team from the University of Trento in Italy published a paper on this topic in the international journal Nature on the 18th. The team analyzed DNA from over 10,000 stool and saliva samples collected from rural villages in South America’s Argentina, cities in China, Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. The purpose was to verify whether the gut and oral microbiota of people who frequently have social contact, such as cohabitants, family members, and partners, overlap.

The results showed that in childhood, there is a strong association of gut microbiota between mothers and their children. For newborns aged one year, half of their gut microbiota originated from their mothers. Although this decreases with age, it does not disappear completely. The research team confirmed that even elderly people aged between 50 and 85 still retain gut microbiota derived from their mothers.

Other family members also have a significant influence. For children over four years old, the proportion of gut microbiota derived from both the father and mother becomes similar. In the case of twins, the longer they live apart, the fewer gut microbiota they share. This means that living together results in sharing more gut microbiota. In rural areas, even if households are different, similarity in gut microbiota was found if they lived in the same village.

The research team also confirmed that regardless of the type of relationship, people living together tend to share the same oral microbiota, and this tendency is stronger the longer they live together. This tendency was especially stronger among couples than between parents and children. Across cultures, even in Western cultures where medical, health, and hygiene concepts are well developed, the degree of sharing oral and gut microbiota among family members was found to be almost the same as in other cultures. Regarding this, Professor Ilana Brito of Cornell University in New York expressed surprise, saying, "In Western countries, it was generally thought that the spread of gut microbiota would be more difficult due to the development of public health infrastructure."

Scientists explain that the significance of this study lies in the fact that it is a broad and comprehensive research confirming that gut microbiota, which greatly affects major diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity, is transmitted through social contact with family, relatives, and neighbors. In particular, understanding the epidemiological relationship and transmission process between gut microbiota and major diseases could help in public health management.

Researcher Hillary Brown of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in New York said, "This provides a basis for studying how the spread of microbes, which were not considered pathogens, contributes to diseases," adding, "It is necessary to identify through long-term studies which specific gut microbiota are associated with certain diseases."