The human gut is host to a highly complex and metabolically active microbial ecosystem. The gut microbiota heavily influences host physiology through microbiota-derived molecules, like inflammation-induced factors and metabolites, and relay organs. The metabolic activity of the gut microbiota is essential in maintaining host homoeostasis and health. Variations in its composition induce metabolic changes that may result in alterations of host phenotype.
The gut microbiome is highly sensitive and can be altered throughout lifespan mostly by environmental factors, such as diet, drugs, and environmental temperature. Although external factors play an important role in shaping the gut microbiome community, the host can affect the microbial ecosystem through its immune system, genetic background, sex, and age. All these factors may induce gut microbiota imbalances that are often associated with metabolic alterations, since gut microbes have been found to be involved in multiple host processes and can lead to severe metabolic disorders in both humans and animal models such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and dyslipidemia.
Understanding the roles of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders may hold exciting prospects for the treatment of these diseases. The interplay between host metabolism and gut microbiota is still poorly understood. To this end, we welcome review and original research articles to this Research Topic on the following:
• Microbiota composition, functionality and metabolites in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders,
• The effect of microbiota modulation (pre/probiotics, microbiota transplantation, environmental factors, lifestyle changes) on host metabolism.
The human gut is host to a highly complex and metabolically active microbial ecosystem. The gut microbiota heavily influences host physiology through microbiota-derived molecules, like inflammation-induced factors and metabolites, and relay organs. The metabolic activity of the gut microbiota is essential in maintaining host homoeostasis and health. Variations in its composition induce metabolic changes that may result in alterations of host phenotype.
The gut microbiome is highly sensitive and can be altered throughout lifespan mostly by environmental factors, such as diet, drugs, and environmental temperature. Although external factors play an important role in shaping the gut microbiome community, the host can affect the microbial ecosystem through its immune system, genetic background, sex, and age. All these factors may induce gut microbiota imbalances that are often associated with metabolic alterations, since gut microbes have been found to be involved in multiple host processes and can lead to severe metabolic disorders in both humans and animal models such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and dyslipidemia.
Understanding the roles of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders may hold exciting prospects for the treatment of these diseases. The interplay between host metabolism and gut microbiota is still poorly understood. To this end, we welcome review and original research articles to this Research Topic on the following:
• Microbiota composition, functionality and metabolites in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders,
• The effect of microbiota modulation (pre/probiotics, microbiota transplantation, environmental factors, lifestyle changes) on host metabolism.