What We Miss with a Kiss on the Cheek

Humans are not just a thing. We are like every living organism; many things together. In order for carnivores like the African Hunting dog to survive, they have to scavenge from a variety of food sources. In order for them to be able to process that varied food, they need a complex mix of symbiotic bacteria and microbes.?

Baby hunting dogs are not born with this bacteria; they are not a complete thing when they join the pack. They require a bit of “mouth-to-mouth,” after a kill mature dogs vomit up the food they eat and the young pups scarf it down. Do you remember your parents doing that for you??

If the thought makes you puke, maybe you should bottle that up and sell those microbes to someone who doesn’t have them. In some clinics they actually extract fecal matter from young donors, cleanse it and provide it to individuals with conditions that could benefit from some gut stuff.?

Or maybe that’s why humans kiss. The mouth is part of our digestive system, even if it is at the "top of the funnel." Kissing definitely shares germs, maybe some of them are useful microbes? Maybe??

But maybe there is a more scientific way to transfer beneficial gut microbes that doesn’t depend on giant makeout parties (contrary to what your college dorm might think).?

Last week in Calgary; I got to see part of that solution emerging. At the Finale from StartupTNT Calgary’s Nimble Science won funding to further develop some revolutionary technology. They have created a small pill that anyone can swallow which takes samples of the small-gut intestine. It gathers information that would normally require a disruptive sedation procedure.?

I was one of the guinea pigs in their developmental trials. As a baseline I had to take a mix of breath samples and at one point be completely sedated in the hospital (the current method to gain gut health information). Compare that with swallowing a pill, and then simply monitoring your bowel movements for when it passes through. Retrieving it is surprisingly simple (although I do recommend lighting a scented candle at this stage in the process).?You can sign up to be a future study participant here.

To be fair, I’m a data nerd. I’m always hungry for more information about my stomach. What’s really exciting is the possibility of what that information could do at scale. If you think about it; our gut is the primary input/output port for our interactions with the physical world. It is the most complex bioreactor we depend on; and it’s largely a mystery.?

We all know that we should eat healthy, but imagine how precise the information could be. It’s the difference between getting a flyer for something you don’t need, and a targeted ad for the product you’ve been meaning to buy. The difference between getting a fax three days late and an email right on time.?

I participated in the trial as part of a dream that one day; the impact of local food on human gut health could be precisely measured. Now that I’ve spent a year eating the healthy food of YYC Growers, I can feel the difference. They’ve got some delicious Christmas kits if you want to experience quality food first-hand.

Maybe with the quantitative evidence that Nimble Health can provide, it will marshall more resources towards the local food movement. Local food significantly reduces carbon emissions, while enhancing quality of life. It’s a rare win-win for climate change, but suffers from lack of support. Quantitative evidence of improved gut health could change that, and that’s why I’m thrilled Nimble science won last week. We are one step closer to a healthier world (but please don’t let that stop you from making out with strangers).?

**** The content and frivolity expressed in this article is my personal perspective, it does not reflect the position of the incredible organizations I work with.