The Dysbiosis Delusion
Almost everyone is familiar with the term 'dysbiosis', but what actually is it? Is it even a thing?
A commonly accepted definition of dysbiosis is 'a change in the bacterial composition away from normal'. So, what does medicine consider a normal bacterial composition to be?
Well, according to the
Journal of Gastroenterology "the definition of a healthy microbiome remains elusive".
A 2022 article published in
Chemical Reviews stated "the exact definition of a healthy microbiome has yet to be defined".
The
BMJ attempts to define a healthy microbiome by stating that "a high microbial diversity is generally considered a marker of gut health". Yet in the very next breath they admit "high diversity does not necessarily equate to better health".
If a normal microbiome has never been defined, then there is no baseline or reference standard.
That's a huge problem.
Why?
Because without knowing what a normal or healthy microbiome is, it's impossible to know what an abnormal one is.
This reeks of something eerily close to circular reasoning. In fact, this very issue was highlighted in a scathing review of the use of the term 'dysbiosis' in 2019. The
paper aptly pointed out that most researchers use this this term "without even an ad hoc definition or specification", and that "this catch-all phrase is a circular definition with no scientific value".
According to the
BMJ "there is a problematic issue with the term ’dysbiosis’, because it links microbial imbalances to various illnesses without precision or definition".
But wait, there's more.
Most people assume that dysbiosis is the cause of their ill health and that this link has been 'proven scientifically'. However, nothing could further from the truth. In 2018, an
expert panel concluded that "it is unknown whether dysbiosis is a cause, consequence or both of health and disease". This fact has been reiterated in many papers published since then.
If no one knows what dysbiosis is, then how can anyone test for it?
If no one knows whether it's a cause or consequence of disease, how can anyone claim to treat it?
If no one knows what a healthy microbiome is, how can anyone recommend fancy pills or potions to restore it?
Talk about being bamboozled.
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