Thumbnail Image

The impact of microplastics on the gut microbiome and health

A food safety perspective











FAO. 2023. The impact of microplastics on the gut microbiome and health – A food safety perspective. Food Safety and Quality Series, No. 21. Rome.




Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    The impact of veterinary drug residues on the gut microbiome and human health
    A food safety perspective
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    With a food safety focus, a scientific literature review was conducted to characterize the current understanding about the effects of veterinary drug residues on the human gut microbiome and potential implications on human health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The main aspects analysed are (1) effects of individual or combined drugs on the composition, diversity and function of gut microbiome using in vivo or in vitro models; (2) health implications resulting from the veterinary drug-microbiome interactions and underlying mechanisms; (3) establishment of causality; and (4) influence of the gut microbiome on the metabolism and bioavailability of veterinary drugs. The research was also scoped to identify current gaps, limitations and needs for the eventual consideration of microbiome-related data in chemical risk assessment. With this work, ESF contributes to the FAO global programme on the impact of food systems on NCDs and obesity, by understanding the potential health implications of gut microbiome-veterinary drug interactions. The outcomes will provide information which can be used to improve nutritional strategies and food safety policies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    The impact of pesticide residues on the gut microbiome and human health
    A food safety perspective
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    With a food safety focus, a scientific literature review was conducted to characterize the current understanding about the effects of pesticide residues on the human gut microbiome and potential implications on human health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The main aspects analysed are (1) effects of individual or combined pesticides on the composition, diversity and function of gut microbiome using in vivo or in vitro models; (2) health implications resulting from the pesticide-microbiome interactions and underlying mechanisms; (3) establishment of causality; and (4) influence of the gut microbiome on the metabolism and bioavailability of pesticides. The research was also scoped to identify current gaps, limitations and needs for the eventual consideration of microbiome-related data in chemical risk assessment. With this work, ESF contributes to the FAO global programme on the impact of food systems on NCDs and obesity, by understanding the potential health implications of gut microbiome-pesticide interactions. The outcomes will provide information which can be used to improve nutritional strategies and food safety policies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    The role of microbiome science in addressing malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases 2024
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    Despite significant progress in certain areas, the world is off track for meeting global nutrition targets. It has long been known that exposure to an unhealthy (i.e. inadequate, unsafe and unbalanced) diet is a direct risk factor for all forms of malnutrition and health-related outcomes. Studies also suggest that the “dietary energy imbalance” concept (i.e. an excess of dietary energy consumed, as compared to actual energy expenditure) is far from sufficient to explain, manage and reverse the obesity epidemic and address undernutrition.A growing body of evidence shows that humans have a symbiotic relationship with the community of billions of microorganisms present in their intestines – the gut microbiome – and that this may have important implications for nutrition and health. This narrative review presents the state of knowledge regarding interconnections between the gut microbiome and human health, focusing in particular on obesity, undernutrition and diet-related NCDs. The paper also explores how changes in lifestyle and diet – especially early in life – can disturb or positively enhance the gut microbiome, and have potentially major impacts on human health (see Figure 1).It presents and discusses emerging innovations based on microbiome knowledge, and the potential implications of current evidence for actions to prevent various forms of malnutrition and related health outcomes. Major research gaps and needs, recommendations and policy implications are also addressed.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.