Microbiomes May Be Spreading 'Noncommunicable' Diseases Like Cancer

Microbiomes May Be Spreading 'Noncommunicable' Diseases Like Cancer

A new paper argues that many diseases seen as noncommunicable, like most cancers and heart disease, might be transmissible.

According to Gizmodo, the authors claim such instances may be thanks to the seemingly harmless microbes living in the gut.

They say there’s enough evidence to start testing the theory that many noncommunicable diseases can be transmissible via the microbiome.

Their theory is more complicated than the germ theory that explains why the flu virus spreads from person to person every winter, though.

That's because both environment and genetics shape what microbiomes look like.