Differences in the socio-economic background and the living environment can lead to a different disease course and unequal health opportunities. That is what an international group of scientists writes this week in the journal PNAS. The team calls for a more in-depth study of this connection, especially by looking at the composition of microorganisms in the gut. Scientists from Radboudumc and Utrecht University are part of the research team.
In their publication, the researchers explain how minority groups are structurally exposed to unhealthy factors in the environment. Examples of this are unhealthy eating habits, more pollution in the environment, differences in sanitation and lack of access to green outdoor space. All these aspects can influence the composition of micro-organisms in the gut.
The influence on the microbiome can ultimately have major consequences for health throughout the body. The microbiome plays an important role in protection against pathogens, in nutrition and metabolism, in the immune system, as well as in brain development and behavior.
There appears to be an adverse relationship between the living environment of minority groups and the microbial diversity of the microbiome. Minority groups living in neighborhoods with little access to green outdoor space are more likely to experience more limited microbial diversity and associated health risks.
The research team calls for more interdisciplinary research. This should show which environmental factors need to be addressed first in order to restore and improve the microbiome as quickly as possible – and thus offer people more equal health opportunities.
More information can be found in the publication ‘The human gut microbiome and health inequities‘ in PNAS.
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