Maintaining the Balance of Intestinal Flora through the Diet: Effective Prevention of Illness

Abstract

The human body is home to a complex community of dynamic equilibrium microbiota, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. It is known that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses, intestinal peristalsis, intestinal barrier homeostasis, nutrient uptake, and fat distribution. The complex relationship between the host and microbiome suggests that when this relationship is out of balance, the microbiome may contribute to disease development. The brain–gut–microbial axis is composed of many signal molecules, gastrointestinal mucosal cells, the vagus nerve, and blood–brain barrier, which plays an essential role in developing many diseases. The microbiome can influence the central nervous system function through the brain–gut axis; the central nervous system can also affect the composition and partial functions of the gut microbiome in the same way. Different dietary patterns, specific dietary components, and functional dietary factors can significantly affect intestinal flora’s structure, composition, and function, thereby affecting human health. Based on the above, this paper reviewed the relationship between diet, intestinal flora, and human health, and the strategies to prevent mental illness through the dietary modification of intestinal microorganisms.

Lactobacillus co-fermentation of Cerasus humilis juice alters chemical properties, enhances antioxidant activity, and improves gut microbiota

“…It plays a crucial role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses, intestinal peristalsis, intestinal barrier homeostasis, nutrient uptake, and fat distribution. 7 Moreover, the gut microbiota has been implicated in the development of various pathologies. 8 Regulating the gut microbiota through food can alleviate various diseases such as colitis.…”

Green Banana Flour Contributes to Gut Microbiota Recovery and Improves Colonic Barrier Integrity in Mice Following Antibiotic Perturbation

“…The main strategies to repair Abx-induced perturbation of gut microbiota include dietary regulation, probiotics supplementation, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) (10)(11)(12). Given the uncertainty of deciding optimum dosages and strains of probiotics and potential safety concerns of FMT, dietary therapy intervention is pinpointed as a promising solution (13)(14)(15). Dietary therapy is the most common and key measure to modulate gut microbiota.…”

Gut microbiome characteristics of comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and functional gastrointestinal disease: Correlation with alexithymia and personality traits

“…With the concept of the microbial-gut-brain axis, the role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal and psychiatric diseases has received increasing attention from scholars. The gut microbiome regulates the brain function and behavior of the host through the microbial-gut-brain axis, and the changes in the gut microbiome also affect the development and function of the central nervous system (CNS) through the microbial-gut-brain axis ( 14 ). In animal experiments, feces from chronically unpredictable mildly stressed mice were transplanted to control mice, and the recipient mice showed anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors similar to those of the donor mice ( 15 ).…”