Thumbnail Image

Microbiome: The missing link?

Science and innovation for health, climate and sustainable food systems

Year of publication 2019

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 16 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Booklet

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Unhealthy diets now pose a greater risk to morbidity and mortality than unsafe sex, alcohol, and drug and tobacco use combined. They are at the root of the global obesity and diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD) pandemic. The ways of food production that lead to these unhealthy diets also pose a major threat to climate stability and ecosystem resilience, and constitute the most important driver of environmental degradation and natural resources depletion. In the short term, there is little that we can do to curb the global demand for food and other products that depend on biological resources. Demand will continue to rise as the world population grows to ten billion before eventually shrinking again. However, by taking a bio-economy approach, we can alter the nature of this demand and the processes through which the food system and bioeconomy meet that demand. This approach could accommodate the necessary increases in agricultural production, without continuing to degrade our natural resource base. In fact, bioscience is uncovering the pathways and common drivers behind the triple challenge of obesity and NCDs, climate change, and biodiversity loss. In the process, microbiology and the inter-disciplinary study of the microbiome have rediscovered microorganisms as a vast and untapped natural resource with great potential to shift the balance of the ‘nature – food systems – people’ equation back into the healthy zone.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    The impact of pesticide residues on the gut microbiome and human health
    A food safety perspective
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    With a food safety focus, a scientific literature review was conducted to characterize the current understanding about the effects of pesticide residues on the human gut microbiome and potential implications on human health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The main aspects analysed are (1) effects of individual or combined pesticides on the composition, diversity and function of gut microbiome using in vivo or in vitro models; (2) health implications resulting from the pesticide-microbiome interactions and underlying mechanisms; (3) establishment of causality; and (4) influence of the gut microbiome on the metabolism and bioavailability of pesticides. The research was also scoped to identify current gaps, limitations and needs for the eventual consideration of microbiome-related data in chemical risk assessment. With this work, ESF contributes to the FAO global programme on the impact of food systems on NCDs and obesity, by understanding the potential health implications of gut microbiome-pesticide interactions. The outcomes will provide information which can be used to improve nutritional strategies and food safety policies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    The impact of veterinary drug residues on the gut microbiome and human health
    A food safety perspective
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    With a food safety focus, a scientific literature review was conducted to characterize the current understanding about the effects of veterinary drug residues on the human gut microbiome and potential implications on human health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The main aspects analysed are (1) effects of individual or combined drugs on the composition, diversity and function of gut microbiome using in vivo or in vitro models; (2) health implications resulting from the veterinary drug-microbiome interactions and underlying mechanisms; (3) establishment of causality; and (4) influence of the gut microbiome on the metabolism and bioavailability of veterinary drugs. The research was also scoped to identify current gaps, limitations and needs for the eventual consideration of microbiome-related data in chemical risk assessment. With this work, ESF contributes to the FAO global programme on the impact of food systems on NCDs and obesity, by understanding the potential health implications of gut microbiome-veterinary drug interactions. The outcomes will provide information which can be used to improve nutritional strategies and food safety policies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    The impact of microplastics on the gut microbiome and health
    A food safety perspective
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    With a food safety focus, a scientific literature review was conducted to characterize the current understanding about the effects of microplastics on the gut microbiome and potential health implications. The main aspects analysed are (1) the effects of microplastics on the composition, diversity and function of gut microbiome using in vito and in vivo models; (2) health implications resulting from the microplastic–microbiome interactions and underlying mechanisms; (3) the establishment of causality; and (4) influence of the gut microbiome on microplastic biodegradation. The research was also scoped to identify current gaps, limitations and needs for the eventual consideration of microbiome-related data in chemical risk assessment. With this work, ESF contributes to the FAO global programme on the impact of food systems on NCDs and obesity, by understanding the potential health implications of gut microbiome–microplastic interactions. The outcomes will provide information which can be used to improve food safety policies.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.