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The Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health

  • 01-03-2017
  • Genetics (GVZ Dedoussis, Section Editor)
Published in:

Abstract

Purpose of review

In the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that the community of microbes inhabiting the human gut plays a crucial role in our biology. This review focuses on how the gut microbiota affects metabolism, and summarizes some of the disorders that can ensue from disturbances of the gut ecosystem.

Recent findings

Recent research has highlighted that the gut microbiota is a major factor in the regulation of the body inflammatory tone, the homeostasis of glucose and lipids, the control of appetite, the integrity and function of the gut, and the communication between the gut and other organs and tissues.

Summary

The microbes in our gut shape our metabolism through a network of interconnected paths, and specific changes in the microbiota can have a wide range of effects. Experimentation in mice is providing hopeful results for the development in the near future of microbiome-centered interventions that can improve overall immune and metabolic homeostasis and simultaneously ameliorate health on several fronts.
Title
The Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health
Author
M. Pilar Francino
Publication date
01-03-2017
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Nutrition Reports / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2161-3311
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-017-0190-1
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