CLIMATE CHANGE IS DISRUPTING THE HUMAN GUT IN A NEW PATH TO ILLNESS

Climate-induced changes in the yield and nutritional quality of various foods could tip the balance of gut microbiota towards strains associated with malnutrition

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Climate-driven food shortage and undernourishment could affect the composition of the human gut microbiota, exacerbating the effects of climate change on human health, according to a new review article published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The article comes on the heels of a growing number of studies that highlight the key role food and nutrition play in maintaining a healthy microbial population in the human gut, leading to better metabolic and intestinal health.

Diversity disrupted

According to the review, climate-induced changes in the yield and nutritional quality of plants, seafood, meat, and dairy could disrupt this microbial diversity, tipping the balance towards microbial strains associated with malnutrition and particular diseases.

The review also warns that these effects will be more pronounced in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) since these regions face the brunt of climate stressors, including higher temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide, which affect their agricultural output and increase render deficiencies in these areas more common.

Indigenous communities that depend more than other demographic groups on local food sources and which have been shown to have greater gut microbial diversity may also be more susceptible to climate-related changes, the review reads.

Research has already found that high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can diminish the quantity of plant micronutrients like phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron, along with protein concentrations in vital crops such as wheat, maize and rice. These effects add to the complexities that affect the gut microbiota.

While the effects of food and nutrition are direct, the review also examined the role of changes in water, soil, and other environmental microbiota as a result of climate change.

A fine balance