Not all bacteria need to be “killed”: why balance is important, not sterility

Світлана Бурмей
1 day ago
5 min read

For decades, popular culture and advertising have taught us that bacteria are dangerous enemies. We bought antibacterial soap that “kills 99.9% of germs,” took antibiotics at the first sign of a cold, and strived for absolute sterility. However, the modern biomedical revolution and the 4Ps of medicine (personalized, predictive, preventive, patient-centered) have radically changed this view.

It turned out that a person cannot and should not be sterile. According to the latest calculations of mathematicians and biologists, the human body consists of approximately 30 trillion of its own cells, while the number of bacterial cells that inhabit us reaches 38 trillion. That is, in terms of the number of cells, we are only 50% human. All this gigantic collection of microorganisms and their genes forms our microbiome - a kind of "superorgan", without which our survival is impossible. In this article, we will understand why the microbiome as an ecosystem does not tolerate "cleaning", what is the real threat of antibiotics and why the balance of the microbiome is the only way to longevity and health.

The microbiome as an ecosystem: the rule of the rainforest

To understand how gut bacteria and other mucous membranes work, scientists suggest imagining a rainforest. You can't cut down a forest, plant a few identical trees there, and expect the ecosystem to recover. A forest needs a healthy balance, a variety of flora and fauna, sunlight, and nutritious soil.

Our gastrointestinal tract works in the same way. A healthy and stable microbiome is characterized by high species diversity. Different types of bacteria cooperate with each other: they help digest food, synthesize vital vitamins (K, C, B12) and neurotransmitters (serotonin, GABA) that affect our mood.

Bacteria have been shown to form up to 70% of our immune response. They create what is known as “colonization resistance” — that is, they physically occupy all the space on the mucous membranes, preventing external infections from gaining a foothold and harming us. Therefore, the idea of “sterilizing” your intestines or skin is tantamount to destroying your own immune system.

The illusion of "bad" and "good": Beneficial and conditionally pathogenic bacteria

In classical medicine, it was customary to divide microbes into black and white. But today, leading microbiologists claim that there are practically no absolutely “good” or absolutely “bad” bacteria in our body (unless we are talking about direct pathogens of infectious diseases). Most microorganisms that inhabit our body are commensals — they coexist with us.

A significant part of our flora is made up of opportunistic bacteria (for example, Candida fungi, E. coli , Klebsiella or Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria on the skin). By themselves, they do nothing wrong. Moreover, in the right concentrations, they can perform beneficial functions or train our immunity.

The problem arises only when the balance of the microbiome is disturbed . Depending on the conditions in which the bacteria find themselves (what we eat, how we sleep, whether we are stressed), their composition and interaction change. If the population of beneficial lacto- and bifidobacteria falls, conditionally pathogenic microbes receive free space and resources for rapid reproduction. Only then, getting out of control, they begin to cause inflammatory processes, acne, bloating, diarrhea or thrush. So, the disease is caused not by the presence of bacteria, but by the loss of ecological balance.

The Dangers of Excessive “Cleansing”: From Antibiotics to Strict Diets

The industrialized world has dealt a devastating blow to the human microbiome. The greatest threat to our internal ecosystem is the danger of over-purification , which manifests itself in two main forms:

Medical “burnout” (antibiotics and antiseptics): The use of antibiotics causes a sharp, catastrophic decrease in the diversity of the microbiome. The antibiotic acts as a chemical weapon — it kills not only the infection, but also your own protective bacteria. The resulting vacuum is instantly filled with opportunistic flora and fungi. The widespread and uncontrolled prescription of antibiotics leads to the fact that the intestine loses its resistance, systemic inflammation, leaky gut syndrome develop, and the risk of autoimmune diseases and obesity increases rapidly.
Dietary “cleansing” (lack of fiber and ultra-processed foods): We often “cleanse” our diet of natural foods. Almost 60% of the calories of a modern person are ultra-processed foods devoid of fiber. Fiber (dietary fiber) is the main and only food for beneficial gut bacteria . If you do not feed your bacteria fiber, they begin to starve. To survive, they begin to eat your own protective mucous layer (mucin) on the walls of the intestines. This destroys the mucous membrane, immune cells begin to sound the alarm, and chronic inflammation or irritable bowel syndrome occurs.

How to restore balance? Innovations from Ediens

If your microbiome has already been disrupted by stress or medication, doctors often advise you to go to the pharmacy and buy a random probiotic. However, microbiologists warn: uncontrolled intake of mass-market probiotics is even worse. Random strains of bacteria, getting into your intestines, can aggressively compete with your native flora, exacerbating dysbiosis.

Ukrainian biotechnology company Ediens offers a scientific approach of 4P medicine to restore the ecosystem:

Deep diagnostics (NGS) : Instead of guessing the problem, the company conducts molecular genetic research on the microbiome. This allows you to see the exact species balance of bacteria, biodiversity indices, and metabolic activity (which bacteria produce vitamins and which produce toxins).
Personalized nutrition : Based on the analysis, an IT algorithm selects an individual nutrition plan. You will learn exactly what fiber and fermented foodsyour bacteria need to restore balance.
Targeted correction (Pharmabiotics) : If the balance is shifted towards conditionally pathogenic microbes (acne, bloating, candidiasis), Ediens selects proprietary pharmabiotics with proven clinical efficacy (for example, the “My Second Brain” or “Skin Microbiome” lines). They purposefully and delicately suppress excess pathogens without harming beneficial flora.

Conclusions

Our body is not a sterile operating room, it is a thriving ecosystem. Attempts to “kill all microbes” with antiseptics, strict diets or antibiotics always lead to an ecological catastrophe within us, which manifests itself in diseases, apathy and obesity. Beneficial and conditionally pathogenic bacteria must exist in strict balance. True health lies not in sterility, but in a deep understanding of your microbiome and regular feeding of your invisible helpers with the right prebiotics and functional pharmabiotics.

Short questions and answers (Q&A)

1. Why is the pursuit of complete sterility of the intestines or skin dangerous? Answer: Our body consists of even more bacterial cells than human cells (38 trillion versus 30 trillion). The microbiome acts as an ecosystem. Sterilization (for example, with antibiotics) kills beneficial microorganisms that form our immunity and protect against infections. Pathogens instantly take over the vacated place, causing inflammation and disease.

2. What are opportunistic bacteria and do they need to be destroyed immediately? Answer: Opportunistic bacteria (for example, Candida or Staphylococcus fungi ) are normal inhabitants of our body. They do not cause harm as long as the system is balanced. They cannot be destroyed “blindly”. They become dangerous only when beneficial bacteria die due to malnutrition or stress, which allows opportunistic bacteria to multiply uncontrollably.

3. What happens to gut bacteria if we don’t eat fiber? Answer: Fiber is the main food for good bacteria. If we eat a diet of ultra-processed foods, the bacteria begin to starve. To survive, they begin to consume mucin, the protective mucus layer of our own intestines. This breaks down the barrier, causing inflammation and irritable bowel syndrome.

4. How do Ediens innovations help restore microbiome balance without harming your health? Answer: Instead of random pharmacy probiotics that can exacerbate dysbiosis, Ediens uses a 4P medicine approach. Through deep genetic analysis of the microbiome (NGS), the company determines what exactly is missing in your ecosystem. To correct, a personalized nutrition plan and clinically proven pharmabiotics are used that gently suppress pathogens and nourish your own beneficial bacteria .