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Turns out that bacteria are critical to your health. \u00a0In fact some researchers suggest that microbes\u00a0may outnumber human cells in a typical body by as many as 10 to 1 and many of those microbes are bacteria. \u00a0We know that a few species of these bacteria are good for us and a few are bad for us, but for the most part we have no idea what they are doing. \u00a0Recent research has found one bacterium that is particularly good for us,\u00a0Mycobacterium vaccae,<\/em> and we get it if we get outdoors enough.<\/p>\n Mycobacterium vaccae<\/em> is normally found in soil. \u00a0Scientists have been investigating its effect, primarily using mice, \u00a0to see what good it might do. \u00a0The research suggests these benefits:<\/p>\n Researcher Dorothy Mathews at The Sage Universities in Troy, New York,\u00a0 fed the mice in her experiments live bacteria so they got it in about the same way people would in nature. \u00a0She found that mice exposed to the bacteria could complete a maze in half the time as mice that did not eat the bacteria. \u00a0Not only that, \u00a0they retained their skill for three\u00a0weeks after the bacteria was removed from their diet. \u00a0She says:\u00a0“If you think about it, when we look at our evolutionary history, we spent a lot of time as hunter-gatherers, or even more recently in agriculture, where we had lots of contact with the soil. It’s only been the last 100 years or so that we’ve become more urbanized and are eating our foods in a different way.” It’s this change that has lead\u00a0people to lack this particular bacterium in their bodies.<\/p>\n Whether you are eating carrots fresh out of the garden or hiking a dusty trail you are likely ingesting\u00a0Mycobacterium vaccae<\/em> and improving your mood. \u00a0So there’s yet another reason to get out and explore. \u00a0Keep it up!<\/p>\n C.A. Lowry, et al (2007).\u00a0Identification of an Immune-Responsive Mesolimbocortical Serotonergic System: Potential Role in Regulation of Emotional Behavior<\/a>.\u00a0Neuroscience,\u00a0Volume 146, Issue 2, 756\u2013772<\/p>\nMycobacterium vaccae<\/em><\/h1>\n
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Getting it Outdoors<\/h1>\n
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In 2007, Dr. Chris Lowry performed research at Bristol University in Bristol, England, \u00a0that revealed\u00a0the anti-depressant effects of this bacterium. \u00a0At the time, he said,\u00a0“These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining\u00a0mental health. They also leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time playing in the dirt.”<\/p>\nReferences<\/h1>\n