PROMPT: List and describe as many changes in human behaviors as you can think of that contribute to decreased exposure to microbes.
It is severely important for us to maintain an abundance of biodiversity regarding microbes in and on the human body. There are indeed, various behaviors that can either promote or suppress the biodiversity of a gut microbiome.
Potential risk factors that may contribute to decreased exposure to microbes:
- Formula feeding rather than breast feeding – decreases exposure to microbes that are available in breast milk.
- Kids not being able to or not wanting to play outside in the dirt and grass where microbes are heavily abundant.
- Antibiotic treatments that are not completed or administered in the appropriate manner.
- The heavy overuse of antimicrobial household cleaning products. (soaps, detergents, hand sanitizers, kitchen sprays, etc.)
- Birth by C-section rather than a vaginal birth, where exposure to vaginal microbes is unavailable.
