Microbiota (Gut Microbiota Brain Axis) Gut Brain Axis [Microbiome]

Microbiota (Gut Microbiota Brain Axis) Gut Brain Axis [Microbiome]
The human microbiota consists of a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other single-celled animals that live in the body.The biggest populations of microbes reside in the gut. Other popular habitats include the skin and genitals. The microorganisms living inside the gastrointestinal tract amount to around 4 pounds of biomass. Every individual has a unique mix of species. The microbiota is important for nutrition, immunity, and effects on the brain and behavior. It is implicated in a number of diseases that cause a disturbance in the normal balance of microbes.
The microbiome is the name given to all of the genes inside these microbial cells. The human genome consists of about 23 000 genes, whereas the microbiome encodes over three million genes producing thousands of metabolites, which replace many of the functions of the host.
The gut microbiota provides essential capacities for the fermentation of non-digestible substrates like dietary fibres and endogenous intestinal mucus. This fermentation supports the growth of specialist microbes that produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and gases. The major SCFAs produced are acetate, propionate, and butyrate.
Every human being harbors anywhere between 10 trillion and 100 trillion microbial cells in a symbiotic relationship. This benefits both the microbes and their hosts, as long as the body is in a healthy state. Estimates vary, but there could be over 1,000 different species of microorganism making up the human microbiota.
Given the current gaps in knowledge, we need clinical evidence that can be translated into clinical practice, ideally through randomised controlled studies that use consistent matrices of prebiotics or probiotics or faecal microbiota transplantation to assess changes in gut microbiota composition and in health outcomes.
Take Home Messages
Gut microbiota influences many areas of human health from innate immunity to appetite and energy metabolism
Targeting the gut microbiome, with probiotics or dietary fibre, benefits human health and could potentially reduce obesity
Drugs, food ingredients, antibiotics, and pesticides could all have adverse effects on the gut microbiota
Microbiota should be considered a key aspect in nutrition; the medical community should adapt their education and public health messages
Fiber consumption is associated with beneficial effects in several contexts
External factors can affect your gut microbiota. While some are less controllable (e.g. genetics, delivery methods, geography and aging), you can act on your diet and lifestyle to help your gut microbiota work properly. What you eat doesn’t only nourish you; it also feeds the trillions of microorganisms that live in your gut. Include prebiotic fibers and fermented foods with probiotics, as you make progress on the path towards a healthy gut. Further understanding of the importance of developing and maintaining gut microbiota diversity may lead to targeted interventions for health promotion, disease prevention and management. Diet, functional foods and gut microbiota transplantation are areas that have yielded some therapeutic success in modulating the gut microbiota, and warrant further investigation of their effects on various disease states.