Intestinal Microbiota Studied From Gorilla Feces Could Lead To A Healthier Human Diet

Intestinal Microbiota Studied From Gorilla Feces Could Lead To A Healthier Human Diet
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A science team has studied chimpanzees an gorilla fecal samples trying to find out more about humans dietary necessities. Therefore, gorilla feces could lead to a healthier human diet, eventually.

While the thought of examining animal excrements to better understand evolution and human health sounds a little odd, researchers say that ape species may do us some favors, as they all are part of the hominid family, comprising both modern-day humans and our former primitive relatives.

It took 3 years for the scientists to evaluate the differences between apes’ microbiota and that of humans

Scientists from the Center for Infections and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health echoed the same sentiment. Therefore, they have opted to gather feces samples of up to 87 African big apes, both chimpanzees and gorillas, that inhabit the Sangha area of the Republic of Congo and compared them to the samples they gathered from humans, trying to discover information that might lead to a healthier human diet

The point of the three-year project was to examine and evaluate the differences between the apes’ intestinal microbiota and that of humans. The researchers made use of genetic sequencing techniques to get the job done and expressed their total satisfaction with the conclusions.

Gorilla’s intestinal microbiota changes to fit the seasonal dietary habits of these animals

Findings indicated that the microbiomes in gorilla intestines changed with each season being influenced by the dietary changes associated with each season in part. When the succulent fruits were the main meal for gorillas during hot summer days, various germs were dominating, whilst during the rainy periods of the year, different microbiota was noticed, while during cooler and rainy days, gorillas feed on vegetables and foods rich in fibers.

In other words, it is a transformative process in which the bacteria that are necessary to decompose fiber-rich foods are superseded by a whole different group of bacteria that decompose fruits but also nourish themselves from the lining of the gorillas’ intestines.

The scientists concluded that comprehending such seasonal changes in gorillas’ intestinal microbiota could, eventually, help us learn a healthier human diet.


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