The human gut microbiota is a highly complex, dynamic ecosystem that plays a vital role in health and homeostasis. It occupies an expanse between 250 and 400 square meters and is primarily populated with bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic organisms. Disruption of balance amongst these microbial populations, termed dysbiosis, can bring about many disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. The main bacterial phyla present in the gut microbiota are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, with their relative abundance holding implications for metabolic health. A larger chunk of gut microbiota functions is involved in physiological activities, such as absorption of nutrients, immune homeostasis, and fermentation of dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs, which include butyrate, propionate, and acetate, act either as energy substrates or metabolism and inflammatory modulators for colonocytes. More recent studies have supported the importance of microbial diversity, with higher diversity being beneficial to health. Factors such as diet, age, and lifestyle have a profound impact on producing changes in the gut microbiota composition and functionality. Collectively, evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners and processed foods would serve to create dysbiosis that would have adverse effects on health. Advances in metagenomic and sequencing techniques have allowed for a deeper understanding of the gut microbiome, with its dynamic nature, as well as its applications to therapies, especially probiotic use and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Emerging evidence suggests that restoring a normal microbiota might positively influence metabolic health and modulate immune function. The abstract highlights the crucial relationship of gut microbiota with human health, emphasizing the need for further research to uncover targeted interventions for dysbiosis and associated diseases.
Singh et al. (Thu,) studied this question.