The gut microbiome: a core regulator of metabolism

Abstract

The human body is inhabited by numerous bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and each part has a unique microbial community structure. The gastrointestinal tract harbors approximately 100 trillion strains comprising more than 1,000 bacterial species that maintain symbiotic relationships with the host. The gut microbiota consists mainly of the phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Of these, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes constitute 70–90% of the total abundance. Gut microbiota utilize nutrients ingested by the host, interact with other bacterial species, and help maintain healthy homeostasis in the host. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that a breakdown of the microbial structure and its functions, known as dysbiosis, is associated with the development of allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancers, and arteriosclerosis, among others. Metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, also have a causal relationship with dysbiosis. The present review provides a brief overview of the general roles of the gut microbiota and their relationship with metabolic disorders.

Changes in Gut Microbiota After Statin Administration: A New Candidate Mechanism for Statin-Associated New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes

“…Therefore, disruption of these functions, known as dysbiosis, can cause metabolic disorders including the development of T2D (Figure ). 8 Recently, the prospective association of gut microbiota with T2D or glycemic traits has been investigated in several European and Chinese, large population-based cohorts. These studies identified certain bacterial features of fecal samples that are associated negatively or positively with T2D.…”

Current Understanding of the Roles of Gut–Brain Axis in the Cognitive Deficits Caused by Perinatal Stress Exposure

“…These products promote gut health by improving the integrity of the mucosal barrier and mucus production and reducing inflammation. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and participate in maintaining its integrity, preserving brain homeostasis [43,63,64]. In addition, many studies have demonstrated that stress can modulate microbiota compositions and reduce the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota [65][66][67].…”

The imprecision of micronutrient requirement values: the example of vitamin D

“…The gastrointestinal microbiome is a vital controller of host nervous system and the brain as a command center, therefore directly governing several glands and organs of the human body, responsible for vast number of conditions and diseases (Fujisaka et al., 2023). The gut microbiome accommodates abundant number of genes and contributes in essence with more genetic diversity, versatility, and resilience than the human host genome (Sharon et al., 2022), whereas mammalian microbiome constitution is controlled by ecological influences rather than by host genetics (Rothschild et al., 2022).…”