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Climate change is disrupting the human gut in a new path to illness
Context:
A recent review published in The Lancet Planetary Health explores a critical but underexplored consequence of climate change: its effect on the human gut microbiota through climate-driven food shortages and undernourishment.
Key Findings and Insights from the Review
- Climate change threatens the diversity of the human gut microbiota, which plays a vital role in immunity, metabolism, and overall health.
- Climate-induced alterations in agriculture and food systems (plants, seafood, dairy, and meat) lead to nutritional deficiencies, affecting gut microbial balance.
- Malnutrition-associated microbial strains may become more dominant, tipping gut balance unfavourably and increasing the risk of disease.
Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Regions
- Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are at higher risk:
- More exposed to extreme climate stressors (e.g., rising temperatures, high CO₂ levels).
- Greater susceptibility due to agricultural dependence and limited resources.
- Indigenous communities with traditionally diverse gut microbiota are also particularly vulnerable due to reliance on local, climate-sensitive food systems.
Nutrient Depletion from Elevated CO₂
- Studies have shown that elevated atmospheric CO₂ reduces essential plant nutrients like:
- Phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron
- Protein content in key crops (e.g., wheat, maize, rice)
- These reductions compound gut microbiota disruption by decreasing dietary quality.
Beyond Food: Environmental Changes Also Matter
- Climate change also affects the soil, water, and environmental microbiomes, further influencing human gut health.
- Rising heat is linked to an increase in foodborne and waterborne diseases, adding to the gut health burden.
Gut Dysbiosis: A Worsening Public Health Concern
- Gut dysbiosis (imbalance in microbial populations) is associated with:
- Atopic eczema, diabetes (Type I & II), inflammatory bowel disease
- Potential links to neurological disorders via changes in the central nervous system.
- Dysbiosis indicates a breakdown in microbial interdependence, leading to loss of metabolic functions crucial for host health.
Interconnected Stressors — Not Linear Effects
- Experts caution against viewing the issue linearly. Instead, multiple stressors — including heat, pollution, poor diet, and unsafe water — interact simultaneously to disrupt gut microbial health.
- Example: Urban low-income populations face a convergence of climate, environmental, and nutritional stressors.
Emerging Focus Areas and Scientific Efforts
- Advances in computational biology and metagenomics are helping scientists study the gut microbiome more deeply.
- GutBugBD, an open-access database developed by Prof. Vineet Kumar Sharma (IISER Bhopal), explores how gut microbes interact with nutraceuticals and drugs.
- These tools could lead to personalised therapies for gut health restoration.
The Road Ahead — Challenges and Research Gaps
- Researchers call for multidisciplinary, international collaboration to address the complex relationship between climate change and gut health.
- Barriers include:
- Lack of cross-disciplinary awareness
- Limited funding for climate-microbiome research
- Understanding individual gut microbiota uniqueness is crucial to tailoring future interventions (e.g., probiotics).
