"Moeller and others also suggest identifying the missing microbes may be the first step toward bringing them back. “If we determine that these groups were providing important functions to keep humans healthy,” Maccaro says, “perhaps we can restore them with probiotics.”
Oh really? Nice submarine for Actimel, Yakult etc.
Well, it's either a pill, or moving out of the city, or a fecal transplant (assuming that the urban / rural divide is relevant, and not just a proxy for diet).
I don't live in the city, but if I were told that I would be healthier with more of these microbes that my environment doesn't support, I'd opt for the pill.
However there is an obseity epidemic and a depression epidemic, and its plausible they are related. Which doesn't mean they are, but seems like something worth looking into.
The study compares humans (who happen to live in cities) to primates (who definitely don't live in cities). It doesn't compare between human populations.
Oh really? Nice submarine for Actimel, Yakult etc.