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From Birth and Throughout Life: Fungal Microbiota in Nutrition and Metabolic Health

William D Fiers1, Irina Leonardi1, Iliyan D Iliev1,2

  • 1Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine; The Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA;

Annual Review of Nutrition
|July 19, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The human gut harbors fungi (mycobiota) that influence immunity and metabolic diseases. Nutrition significantly impacts gut fungal composition, affecting host health and disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • The human gastrointestinal tract hosts a diverse microbial ecosystem, including fungi (mycobiota).
  • Gut fungi are increasingly recognized for their role in modulating host immunity.
  • Mycobiota composition is influenced by maternal transmission, environmental factors, and diet.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the development and dietary modulation of gastrointestinal fungal communities.
  • To investigate the impact of gut fungi on metabolic diseases in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Review of human and animal studies on gut mycobiota.
  • Analysis of nutritional effects on fungal community composition.
  • Exploration of mechanisms of fungal-host and fungal-microbial interactions.

Main Results:

  • Nutrition is a key factor shaping gut mycobiota composition.
  • Alterations in fungal communities are linked to the aggravation of metabolic diseases.
  • Mechanisms of fungal influence on host health and pathology are being elucidated.

Conclusions:

  • Gut fungi play a significant role in host health and disease.
  • Dietary interventions can modulate the gut mycobiota.
  • Further research into microbiota-host interactions, including fungi, is crucial for understanding and treating metabolic diseases.
Keywords:
early lifefungimetabolismmycobiotanutritiontranskingdom

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