How Does Diet Affect The Human Microbiome?

There are 10 microbial cells in the gut for every 1 human cells. When the human genome was sequences 25, 000 genes were identified. Compared to that there are 3.8 unique microbial gens in the human body. Humans are 99.9 % similar in our geneome but are only 60%

The effect of different diets on the gut microbiome has been studied greatly in mice and to a lesser extent in humans to assess the effect that dietary composition has on the gut micro-biome. It has been suggested that increased efficiency of energy harvest due to changes in the gut microbiota with an increase in Firmicutes and decrease Bacteroidetes bacteria, occurs in obesity in mice and humans.4 A study performed by Murphy et al looked at the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet and genetic obesity (ob/ob) for changes in gut microbiota and the amount of energy harvested from food over time.4 Ob/ob mice were fed a low-fat diet and wild-type mice were fed either a low-fat or HF-diet for 8 weeks. Results indicated an increase in Firmicutes bacteria in both mice fed a HF diet as well as ob/ob mice, but Firmicutes bacteria did not change over time in the lean control mice. A reduction in Bacteroidetes bacteria was also found in ob/ob mice.4

An offspring’s microbial composition is initially determined through maternal transmission in utero and during birth, however, after delivery, the microbiota is not fixed and may be changed by a multitude of environmental factors. The mode of delivery (vaginal or caesarean section), diet, and many other factors continue to play dynamic roles throughout an individual’s lifetime (Marques et al., 2010). Recent studies have indicated that maternal and neonatal nutrition significantly alter the epigenome of offspring, with the food consumed during pregnancy modulating the gut microbiota as well as the metabolites produced (Turnbaugh et al., 2009). Dietary intervention studies indicate that the diet sensitive nature of the gut persists throughout life, and that the gut microbiota often responds rapidly to changes in diet (Hullar & Fu, 2014). More specifically, dietary alterations modulate the exposure of the host to microbial metabolites (such as butyrate) which could have a multiplicity of epigenetic effects in the offspring (Duncan et al., 2007).

Scientists are beginning to recognize the link between gut microbiota and inflammation and the role it plays in the pathogenesis of obesity-related disorders like diabetes (type two). Using animals, scientists have been able to link obesity models of a microbiota composition that is different than what is expected when observed for obesity development and insulin resistance. This means that this altered microbiota composition is linked to the development of obesity and insulin resistance. This can be seen through multiple mechanisms, including “increased energy harvest from the diet, altered fatty acid metabolism and composition in adipose tissue and liver, modulation of the gut peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 secretion, activation of the lipopolysaccharide toll-like receptor-4 axis, and modulation of the intestinal barrier integrity by GLP-2”. It is imperative to understand the mechanisms that regulate gut microbiota compositions that produce these various compositions. During infancy, several factors that can affect the gut microbiota include delivery mode, type of feeding, hospitalization, and possible prematurity. The use of antibiotics and the infant’s diet are also becoming increasingly recognized as factors that can affect one’s susceptibility to developing type two diabetes. The typical Western diet has played a significant role in

The typical human has 100 trillion microorganisms living in his or her gut. Recent studies have shown that these microbes, primarily bacteria, play a vital role in promoting and protecting overall health. They can help your body stave off infections, expedite natural toxin removal processes and facilitate the breakdown of complex carbohydrates.

Microbiota can be defined as a collection or a community of microbes. There are times where the term ‘ microbiome’ is used to address all microbes in a community or to refer to the full collection of genes of all the microbes in a community. Now a days, the communities of microbes are supported in particular parts of human

The human body harbours huge and complex microbial communities, called the microbiota. The microbiota is gaining importance in human health due to increasing evidence that its bacterial component plays a role in the occurrence of chronic diseases [1]. In this regard, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (or gut) bacteria are very important [2], being the niche for many bacteria which have been extensively studied [3]. Rather than the action of single or group of gut bacteria, perturbation of the overall gut bacteria (dysbiosis) is crucial for the integrity of the GIT and extra-GIT disorders [4]. The gut bacterial composition is influenced by both intrinsic and extraneous factors [5]. These extraneous factors include diet [6] and physical activity [7].

Although the gut microbiota are involved in a range of functions within the human body, this essay will focus on their role in the development of Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). The human gut microbiota play a significant role in the metabolic health of individuals with irritable bowel diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD). IBD, UC and CD are chronic gastrointestinal illnesses, all of which have an uncertain etiology. Symptoms of these illnesses can include diarrhoea, weight loss, ulceration, proliferation and even total obstruction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. (1). However the causes of these diseases are not strictly known(2). There are a vast number of bacterial species that reside within the GI tract, some of which can play a role in producing inflammation. It is believed that microbial patterns may play a role in causing IBD. The innate immune system may play a role in altering the gut microbiota profile. Certain pathogens have also been found to play a role in the development of IBD. Finally, diet and nutrition play a role in IBD, however certain nutrients are believed to have both positive and negative effects. This essay will aim to critically explore what is responsible for IBD: both internal and external factors that influence the human gut microbiota, and hence trigger IBD, or more specifically; an abnormal immune response in a vulnerable individual, or a deviation in immune function that leads to an altered immune response

The study of the human microbiome has advanced at great strides thanks to the development of massive genomic sequencing techniques that allow for the analysis of complex microbiomes in a relatively short time. The fetal and neonatal microbiome is thought to be implicated in the development of chronic medical conditions in adulthood like obesity or inflammatory bowel disease. The premature gut is subjected to insults since birth and the microbiota that colonizes it is quite abnormal compared to the term neonatal gut. (2, 3, 4)

There has been growing interest in the human microbiome which has led to some fascinating insights into just how important these tiny creatures are for our health. The British & American Gut Projects have carried out extensive research looking at the correlation between our gut microbes and obesity/chronic disease. This research is not only exciting in terms of general health

Exercise has been shown to affect the gut microbiome. From what past studies have shown, the microbes in lean athletes were of different variation in their intestines than other normal people. Scientist began new studies

The NIH human microbiome project began in 2005. The purpose of the project was to what microbes were present in the human body and what their roles were in biological function.

I would be very pleased to contribute to research within the intended Junior Research Group on Nutrition and Microbiota. Ever since my completion of my bachelors in veterinary medicine and work as a pathobiologist, I have had a growing interest in studying how the microbiota contributes to chronic diseases. Lifestyle factors, including diet play an extremely important role in the development of these diseases.

The human microbiome is the genetic material of the microbes that live inside and on the human body. Microbes are microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. One’s diet and environmental factors can affect the composition of the microbiome. There is a high concentration of microbes in the gut, particularly inside the large intestine. The microbiome does many different things. It helps to digest our food, regulate our immune system, produce vitamins, protect against bad bacteria, and is essential for human development. Recent studies suggest that the microbiome also has an impact on the brain and emotional behavior. Interactions between the host and its microbiome are complex and bidirectional.

This can bring about leaky bowel syndrome which might explain the intestinal bacteria presence in the systemic immune system. Changed gut bacterial repertoire can influence the whole immune system in the intestine with consequent modification in the systemic immune system. The gastrointestinal tract contains about 1013 microbes., most of them anaerobic microorganisms which are difficult to culture. In the primary finding to demonstrate the relationship between them, the fatty acids of gastrointestinal bacteria were analyzed to show that arthritic patients with erosive illness differed from other individuals. In the following study, fecal arthritis patients which contain the microbiome were examined by 16 S ribosomal RNA sequencing of bacteria via utilizing the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt PCR). This result showed that patients who suffer rheumatoid arthritis have a low abundance of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium bacteria in comparison with healthy controls, proposing dysbiosis as these are the popular genera in individuals. On the other hand, the data was few because a decreased number of