The gut microbiota has emerged as an important regulator of health and disease. Diet is arguably the most important environmental factor shaping the composition and activity of the gut microbiome. The last decade has brought us greater understanding of the impact of diet on intestinal microbiota, and how changes in the microbiota are associated with host health (cancer promotion and prevention). Although much remains to be learned about those interactions, we know much less about the implications of microbial metabolites of dietary components on intestinal health. Our diets contain a myriad of molecules, which are present in the colon where they are available for microbial metabolism. The resulting bioactive metabolites are able to influence both the microbiota and the host. Improvements in analytical techniques and integration of “omics” datasets now permit greater characterization of the microbiome and microbial metabolome, making it possible to further explain the impact of the interplay of diet, microbiota, and metabolism on the promotion, progression, and prevention of cancer.
Because so little is known about the impact of biologically active microbial metabolites on host health it is challenging to propose beneficial dietary modifications to optimize the intestinal milieu and thus contribute to host health. This Research Topic aims to explore the interaction between diet-derived compounds (e.g., phytochemicals, xenobiotics, prebiotics, fibers, lipids, fatty acids, proteins, and peptides) with the intestinal microbiota and the host in relation to cancer outcomes. It will focus on how these dietary compounds and their microbial metabolites impact intestinal homeostasis and inflammation, gut barrier function, and processes implicated in the development and progression of cancer. The putative mechanisms whereby these bioactive compounds influence microbiota, microbial metabolism and cellular processes in the host are to be described.
More Information: Here
