Review Article Open Access

Theoretical Engineering of the Gut Micro biome for the Purpose of Creating Superior Soldiers

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to highlight research raising the possibility of exploiting the host-microbiome gut axis for military purposes. Through optimizing the gut-microbiome environment it is possible to enhance nutritional access to indigestible material, provide local and systemic analgesia, enhance psychological robustness to battlefield stress, produce endogenous steroids, reduce muscle fatigue, and promote peripheral wound healing. However, this approach is still in its early stages and thus has not been explored to its full potential. The challenges that are currently preventing the practical use of gutbacteria include the following: inconsistency of clinical outcomes, transient effects requiring continuous supplementation, the type of regimen selected, the initiation and cessation of regimen, and the broader clinical studies needed to validate this research. This review is intended to shed light on the numerous and varied positive impacts such an approach could have for the military if further developed.

Garrett R Schmidt-McCormack, Kristina M Feye, Sreemoyee Acharya, Gregory SA Mlynarczyk, Stephen J Anderson, Patricia Izbicki, Emir Malovic, Luna KC, Joe S Smith, Matthew A Jefferson, Aron Nakama, Kasandra Diaz Santana, Naveen C Kondru, Michael D Kleinhenz, James G Tipton, Shivani Choudhary, Robyn D Kokemuller, Sireesha Manne, Marson R Putra, Nyzil Massey, Denusha Shrestha, Diou Luo, Shaunik Sharma, Pongrat Jaisil, Carrie A Berg and Steve A Carlson

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