ResBiotic was born out of a simple question: Do the lungs harbor a microbiome?

Dr. C Vivek Lal and his lab in the Microbiome Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have shown that the answer is YES. Not only do adult lungs harbor a low biomass microbiome, humans actually have an airway microbiome at birth. Dr. Lal and team have explored how lung health can be impacted directly, by influencing the microbial populations of the lung, as well as indirectly, through the gut-lung axis.

A key finding of Dr. Lal’s and others’ work is that changes in the microbial populations in the lungs can be associated with the worsening of tissue damage, lung function, and disease progression. This imbalance, referred to as dysbiosis, can drive chronic pro-inflammatory responses in the body.

Dysbiosis and Lung Health
Data shows that an abundance of Lactobacillus can be associated with lower risk for developing severe lung disease, while heightened levels of proteobacteria increase lung health risks.

Gut Microbiome and Lung Health
The gut microbiome communicates local metabolic and bacterial changes throughout the rest of the body, including to the lungs. Commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus can produce molecules like short chain fatty acids that send systemic anti-inflammatory cues. Ingesting an oral probiotic delivers bacteria to the gut where they can support a healthy, diverse, and active microbial population. Through the gut-lung axis probiotic bacteria can not only support digestion, they can also support lung and immune health.
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