Chapters authored
The Interaction between the Gut Microbiota and Chronic Diseases
The world is experiencing an increase in chronic diseases like diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes preceding disease like gestational diabetes. Most of these diseases can be prevented and mitigated if individuals pay attention to the causative factors. One of such factors is the type of microorganisms in an individual’s gut. Even though there are innate beneficial microorganisms in the human gut, pathogenic microorganisms can invade the gut, changing the inborn population of the gut microbiota. The changes in the gut microbiota population have been linked to several diseases. This chapter, therefore, describes gut microbiota and their interaction with specific diseases. Also discussed in this chapter are the changes to gut microbiota composition that pose a risk to the host. There is substantial evidence that diseases are initiated or worsened with a change in the gut microbiota composition. Therefore, the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in individuals’ health and requires human efforts to keep them in the right population. Furthermore, making lifestyle changes, particularly food choices and behaviors such as the misuse of medications and excessive alcohol consumption, should be monitored and controlled to support gut health.
Part of the book: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus