Nutrition and the Microbiome: Probiotics and their effects on Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Nutritional sciences and the study of the microbiome are closely related to one another through the study of probiotics. Probiotics are dietary living organisms that have the potential to directly alter the microbiota of the gut. This topic is important in order to conduct further research on how treat chronic diseases through the use of probiotics. Recently, a study was conducted that took samples of fecal metagenomes from participants from other countries to observe their enterotypes. Currently, after the development of the Human Microbiome Project, more studies have been published that researched the microbiota in individuals that are health and that are diseased.  The use of probiotics for medicinal purposes is still a controversial subject both to the general public and within the nutritional sciences field. There are still some questions to be addressed as to the safety and effectiveness of probiotics as influencers of the microbiome.