What Is a Healthy Microbiome?

Abstract

The development of new technologies has resulted in an explosion of studies of the gut microbiome. These studies have revealed a highly complex microbial community, forming an intricate ecosystem with the host and affecting many aspects of host health. In particular dysbiosis, an imbalance within the microbiome, is associated with a wide variety of diseases, and with ageing. Studies in laboratory animals show these links are not just associative, and that the microbiome can directly cause health and disease states in the host. These findings beg the question of what "healthy" microbiomes look like, and how we can use the microbiome to promote human health. Efforts to understand healthy microbiomes have revealed that microbiome composition varies widely between healthy individuals, and that there is no such thing as a single healthy microbiome. Current research shows that qualities of the microbiome ecosystem, such as diversity, robustness, resilience and ability to resist perturbations, are important for host health. Identification of the molecular basis of these qualities, as well as the genetic and biochemical functions of the micro-biome ecosystems, will enable us to understand the core functions that define healthy microbiomes. Cite this chapter as: Karamalegos A., Vazquez-Prada M., Ezcurra M. (2020) What Is a Healthy Microbiome?. In: Sholl J., Rattan S.I. (eds) Explaining Health Across the Sciences. Healthy Ageing and Longevity, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52663-4_14