Ilya Mechnikov, Nobel Laureate in Medicine: “Inflammation is a healing reaction of the body”
Awarded the prize in 1908, the Ukrainian scientist was one of the discoverers of phagocytosis and became deeply focused on the study of aging.
The 1908 Nobel Prize in Medicine had two winners: German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich and zoologist Ilya Mechnikov, who was of both Russian and Ukrainian heritage. Mechnikov, the person who coined the term “gerontology” and one of the leading researchers on aging, is also considered one of the scientists who contributed most to the field of digestive health.
Born in Kharkov, Mechnikov understood that digestive inflammation “is a healing response of the body,” while disease symptoms appeared as a consequence of the struggle “between phagocytes and microbes.” His contribution made strong sense at the time, although later discoveries would challenge parts of his theory.
He believed that inflammation mobilizes phagocytes to the infected area to destroy invading organisms, and that without it, microbes would spread throughout the body without resistance. The problem arises when inflammation becomes chronic and, instead of healing, begins to damage healthy tissues.
While inflammation, in the right amount, plays an important role, certain factors can weaken this protective response, including alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and stress. In addition, there are fat-derived molecules, epoxylipoxins, that help slow down immune cell activity, preventing chronic inflammation.
His work laid the foundation of probiotics
Mechnikov, who died at the age of 71 from heart-related issues, spent the final years of his career arguing that dying before the age of 100 should be considered “premature.” He pointed to Bulgarian peasants as examples, believing their longevity was linked to their consumption of yogurt, which allowed them to ingest bacteria that helped prevent colon putrefaction. His work laid the foundation for what we now know as probiotics.
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