TY - JOUR

T1 - A mini-review on the microbial continuum

T2 - consideration of a link between judicious consumption of a varied diet of macroalgae and human health and nutrition

AU - Cornish, M. Lynn

AU - Mouritsen, Ole G.

AU - Critchley, Alan T.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - As the primordial, prokaryotic inhabitants on Earth, microbial entities were responsible for significant influences on the pathways taken in the development of life as we know it. The manifestation of numerous pathologies in humans is considered to be intrinsically associated with microbial dysbiosis in the gut (i.e. a poorly balanced microbiota). Such adverse health conditions include obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, cardiovascular issues, neurological disorders, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and rheumatoid arthritis. Endosymbiotic events at the single cell level took place billions of years ago, eventually leading to eukaryotes, photosynthesis, and multicellularity. Macroalgae (seaweeds) were amongst the first organisms to develop these characteristics. Microbes and macroalgae interacted in a pattern of co-evolution, a process that applies to most, if not all living organisms. It is recognized that the normal human microbiome consists of over a trillion microorganisms, including about 2 000 commensal bacterial species typically stationed in the gut. Many of these live in the colon, where they function in the digestion of foods, releasing bio-available nutrients, bioactive molecules, and various metabolites. They mediate communication signals between the gut and the brain, and promote the normal development of immune function, metabolic activities, behaviour, and neurological stability. As very early humans foraged for food, some would have benefitted from coastal diets, rich in seaweeds and associated microbes. Such diets would have consistently provided all the nutrients essential for survival and growth, and as such, could have conveyed competitive advantages and contributed to enhanced cognitive sophistication. This mini-review article highlights studies regarding the health benefits of dietary fibres and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Insights are offered regarding the positive effects the inclusion of macroalgae into the standard, Western diet can deliver in terms of providing appropriate fodder for those microbial populations deemed beneficial to human health and wellness.

AB - As the primordial, prokaryotic inhabitants on Earth, microbial entities were responsible for significant influences on the pathways taken in the development of life as we know it. The manifestation of numerous pathologies in humans is considered to be intrinsically associated with microbial dysbiosis in the gut (i.e. a poorly balanced microbiota). Such adverse health conditions include obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, cardiovascular issues, neurological disorders, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and rheumatoid arthritis. Endosymbiotic events at the single cell level took place billions of years ago, eventually leading to eukaryotes, photosynthesis, and multicellularity. Macroalgae (seaweeds) were amongst the first organisms to develop these characteristics. Microbes and macroalgae interacted in a pattern of co-evolution, a process that applies to most, if not all living organisms. It is recognized that the normal human microbiome consists of over a trillion microorganisms, including about 2 000 commensal bacterial species typically stationed in the gut. Many of these live in the colon, where they function in the digestion of foods, releasing bio-available nutrients, bioactive molecules, and various metabolites. They mediate communication signals between the gut and the brain, and promote the normal development of immune function, metabolic activities, behaviour, and neurological stability. As very early humans foraged for food, some would have benefitted from coastal diets, rich in seaweeds and associated microbes. Such diets would have consistently provided all the nutrients essential for survival and growth, and as such, could have conveyed competitive advantages and contributed to enhanced cognitive sophistication. This mini-review article highlights studies regarding the health benefits of dietary fibres and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Insights are offered regarding the positive effects the inclusion of macroalgae into the standard, Western diet can deliver in terms of providing appropriate fodder for those microbial populations deemed beneficial to human health and wellness.

KW - fibre

KW - macroalgae

KW - microbiota

KW - nutrition

KW - short chain fatty acids (SCFA)

U2 - 10.1007/s00343-019-8104-2

DO - 10.1007/s00343-019-8104-2

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85059573139

VL - 37

SP - 790

EP - 805

JO - Journal of Oceanology and Limnology

JF - Journal of Oceanology and Limnology

SN - 2096-5508

IS - 3

ER -