Digestive health: gut microbiome research could provide answers

Research on the gut microbiome is one of the most promising areas of science today.

In a special issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has taken the deep-dive into the gut microbiome that both scientists and the public are looking for to help them better understand the effects of the microbiome on health and disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is the clinical practice journal of the AGA.

Research published in the special issue, ‘The Gut Microbiome & Digestive Health – A New Frontier,’ studies, analyses and interprets gut microbiome data for clinicians, examines the possible role of the microbiome in digestive disease, and takes a robust look at microbiome-directed therapies for the past, present and future.

Additionally, this issue provides a clinical context for translational and basic researchers engaged in the microbiome, facilitating further research that makes meaningful progress towards unravelling the mysteries of some of our most complex diseases. The studies in this issue of the journal offer new therapeutic options that would allow us to safely and effectively improve patient outcomes.

Gut microbiome analytics and how the gut microbiome relates to aspects of nutrition, probiotics, the liver and gut-brain axis can be understood from this issue. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology also hosts a specially curated collection on the microbiome.

The AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research & Education holds the latest in research and education and the AGA’s NIH-funded Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) National Registry. AGA’s GI Patient Center also hosts specific patient-education pages written by AGA experts, on the related topics of probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, presented in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand format for all.

Some topics in this issue include the gut microbiome and digestive health, microbiome 101, the influence of early diet on the microbiome and the emerging role of gut microbiota in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The issue can be found here.