Urbanisation and its associated factors affecting human gut microbiota: where are we heading to?

• Main Authors: Abjani, Farhat, Madhavan, Priya, Chong, Pei Pei, Chinna, Karuthan, Rhodes, Charles Anthony, Lim, Yvonne Ai Lian
• Format: Article
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: R Medicine; Diseases, treatment, etc
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/38902/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Context: The continuous rise in urbanisation and its associated factors has been reflected in the structure of the human gut ecosystem.Objective: The main focus of this review is to discuss and summarise the major risk factors associated with urbanisation that affect human gut microbiota thus affecting human health.Methods: Multiple medical literature databases, namely PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were used to find relevant materials for urbanisation and its major factors affecting human gut microbiota/microbiome. Both layman and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were used in the search. Due to the scarcity of the data, no limitation was set on the publication date. Relevant materials in the English language which include case reports, chapters of books, journal articles, online news reports and medical records were included in this review.Results: Based on the data discussed in the review, it is quite clear that urbanisation and its associated factors have long-standing effects on the human gut microbiota that result in alterations of gut microbial diversity and composition. This is a matter of serious concern as chronic inflammatory diseases are on the rise in urbanised societies.Conclusion: A better understanding of the factors associated with urbanisation will help us to identify and implement new biological and social approaches to prevent and treat diseases and improve health globally by deepening our understanding of these relationships and increasing studies across urbanisation gradients.