An overview of normal human gut microbiota and dysbiosis

Abstract

In modern science, “gut health” is becoming very popular for its success in various therapeutic aspects. Human gut microbiota starts to colonize during birth, grows in parallel with host, and develops at 3-5 years of age like an adult. Ecological and evolutionary pressure determined the composition and diversity of gut microbiota. However, gut microbiota depends on an individual’s ethnicity, diet, lifestyle and health conditions. It may vary from person to person and from population to population. The established gut microbiota plays an important role in the protective, metabolic and structural landscape. Disturbance of ecological balance, known as “dysbiosis” linked with unhealthy diet, antibiotic uses, stress, etc., may profoundly influence various diseases. Research on gut microbiota explores exciting developments in therapeutics, such as prebiotics, probiotics, drugs and fecal transplantation for improved health