The Food Forum convened a public workshop on February 22-23, 2012, to explore current and emerging knowledge of the human microbiome, its role in human health, its interaction with the diet, and the translation of new research findings into tools and products that improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health: Workshop Summary summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop. Over the two day workshop, several themes covered included: The microbiome is integral to human physiology, health, and disease. The microbiome is arguably the most intimate connection that humans have with their external environment, mostly through diet. Given the emerging nature of research on the microbiome, some important methodology issues might still have to be resolved with respect to undersampling and a lack of causal and mechanistic studies. Dietary interventions intended to have an impact on host biology via their impact on the microbiome are being developed, and the market for these products is seeing tremendous success. However, the current regulatory framework poses challenges to industry interest and investment.

The book provides an overview on how the microbiome contributes to human health and disease. The microbiome has also become a burgeoning field of research in medicine, agriculture & environment. The readers will obtain profound knowledge on the connection between intestinal microbiota and immune defense systems, medicine, agriculture & environment. The book may address several researchers, clinicians and scholars working in biomedicine, microbiology and immunology. The application of new technologies has no doubt revolutionized the research initiatives providing new insights into the dynamics of these complex microbial communities and their role in medicine, agriculture & environment shall be more emphasized. Drawing on broad range concepts of disciplines and model systems, this book primarily provides a conceptual framework for understanding these human-microbe, animal-microbe & plant-microbe, interactions while shedding critical light on the scientific challenges that lie ahead. Furthermore this book explains why microbiome research demands a creative and interdisciplinary thinking—the capacity to combine microbiology with human, animal and plant physiology, ecological theory with immunology, and evolutionary perspectives with metabolic science.This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet in a typical immune system, and have contributed to animal and plant diversification over long evolutionary timescales. Also this book explains why microbiome research presents a more complete picture of the biology of humans and other animals, and how it can deliver novel therapies for human health and new strategies.

A great number of diverse microorganisms inhabit the human body and are collectively referred to as the human microbiome. Until recently, the role of the human microbiome in maintaining human health was not fully appreciated. Today, however, research is beginning to elucidate associations between perturbations in the human microbiome and human disease and the factors that might be responsible for the perturbations. Studies have indicated that the human microbiome could be affected by environmental chemicals or could modulate exposure to environmental chemicals. Environmental Chemicals, the Human Microbiome, and Health Risk presents a research strategy to improve our understanding of the interactions between environmental chemicals and the human microbiome and the implications of those interactions for human health risk. This report identifies barriers to such research and opportunities for collaboration, highlights key aspects of the human microbiome and its relation to health, describes potential interactions between environmental chemicals and the human microbiome, reviews the risk-assessment framework and reasons for incorporating chemicalâ€"microbiome interactions.

Human Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease: From Pathogenesis to Therapy is a comprehensive discussion of all the aspects associated with gut microbiota early colonization, its development and maintenance, and its symbiotic relationship with the host to promote health. Chapters illustrate the complex mechanisms and metabolic signalling pathways related to how the gut microbiota maintain proper regulation of glucose, lipid and energy homeostasis and immune response, while mediating inflammatory processes involved in the etiology of many chronic disease conditions. Details are provided on the primary etiological factors of chronic disease, the effects of gut dysbiosis and its associated disease conditions, while providing an overview of therapeutic strategies involving dietary fiber and prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation therapy and probiotics. Throughout the chapters, a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed animal and human studies is provided as evidence related to the history of human exposure, safety, tolerance, toxicity, nomenclature, and clinical efficacy of utilizing prebiotic fructans, s, as well as probiotic intervention, and dietary modification in the prevention and intervention of chronic disease conditions. With common use today of pharmaceutical medicine in treating symptoms, and frequent overuse of antibiotics in chronic disease within mainstream medical practice, understanding the etiological mechanisms of dysbiosis-induced chronic disease, and natural approaches that offer prevention and potential cures for these diseases is of vital importance to overall human health. - Details the complex relationship between human microbiota in the gut, oral cavity, urogenital tract and skin as well as their colonization, development and impact of factors that influence the relationship - Illustrates the mechanisms associated with dysbiosis-associated inflammation and its role in the onset and progression in chronic disease - Provides the primary mechanisms and comprehensive scientific evidence for the use of dietary modification, and pro- and pre-biotics in preventing and intervening in chronic disease

The book provides an overview on how the gut microbiome contributes to human health. The readers will get profound knowledge on the connection between intestinal microbiota and immune defense systems. The tools of choice to study the ecology of these highly-specialized microorganism communities such as high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic mining will be presented. In addition the most common diseases associated to the composition of the gut flora are discussed in detail. The book will address researchers, clinicians and advanced students working in biomedicine, microbiology and immunology.

The Human Microbiota offers a comprehensive review of all human-associated microbial niches in a single volume, focusing on what modern tools in molecular microbiology are revealing about human microbiota, and how specific microbial communities can be associated with either beneficial effects or diseases. An excellent resource for microbiologists, physicians, infectious disease specialists, and others in the field, the book describes the latest research findings and evaluates the most innovative research approaches and technologies. Perspectives from pioneers in human microbial ecology are provided throughout.

This work sheds new light on the interplay between the gut, gut microbiota, and host physiological processes in production animals. The gut microbiome shapes health and susceptibility to disease and has become a leading area of research in the animal sciences. Gut health encompasses a number of physiological and functional features. Nutrient digestion and absorption, host metabolism and energy generation, a stable microbiome, mucus layer development, barrier function, and mucosal immune responses; all of which are required to interact to make an animal perform physiologically and according to its greatest genetic potential. This carefully presented book broadens our vision, approach and results on gut health and the ability to regulate animal production. Understanding the chemistry of microbiomes has broad implications, including providing functional annotations for the microbial genomes, insights into the chemical languages that link microbes to each other and to their host, and translational implications for precision veterinary medicine, environmental health, and sustainable animal agriculture and welfare. Experts working in microbiome research, host immunity, and animal production, veterinarians and researchers in livestock science will understand the great importance of this volume.

"This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. Resident microbes in healthy animals--including humans--can dictate many traits of the animal host. This animal microbiome is a second immune system conferring protection against pathogens; it can structure host metabolism in animals as diverse as reef corals and hibernating mammals; and it may influence animal behavior, from social recognition to emotional states. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet, and have contributed to animal diversification over long evolutionary timescales"--Publisher by publisher.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the role of gut microbiome/microflora in nutrition, metabolism, disease prevention and health issues, including farm animal health and food value, and human gastrointestinal health and immunity. Indigenous microbiotas, particularly the gut microflora/microbiome, are an essential component in the modern concept of human and animal health. The diet and lifestyle of the host and environment have direct impact on gut microflora and the patterns of gut microbial colonization associated with health and diseases have been documented. Contributing authors cover the impact of gut microbiome in farm animal health, and explore the possibility of modulating the human gut microbiome with better animal products to prevent human diseases, including endemic and emerging diseases such as obesity, cancer and cardiac diseases. Dieting plan and control methods are examined, with attention paid to balance dieting with natural food and drink components. In addition, the role of gut microbiota in enteric microbial colonization and infections in farm animals is also discussed. The volume also explores the possibility of improving human health by modulating the microbiome with better food, including bio-active foods and appropriate forms of intake. Throughout the chapters, authors examine cutting edge research and technology, as well as future directions for better practices regarding emerging issues, such as the safety and production of organic food.