Gut microbiota in women: The secret of psychological and physical well-being

Abstract

The gut microbiota works in unison with the host, promoting its health. In particular, it has been shown to exert protective, metabolic and structural functions. Recent evidence has revealed the influence of the gut microbiota on other organs such as the central nervous system, cardiovascular and the endocrine-metabolic systems and the digestive system. The study of the gut microbiota is outlining new and broader frontiers every day and holds enormous innovation potential for the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Prevention and treatment of specific women’s diseases involves the need to deepen the function of the gut as a junction organ where certain positive bacteria can be very beneficial to health. The gut microbiota is unique and dynamic at the same time, subject to external factors that can change it, and is capable of modulating itself at different stages of a woman’s life, playing an important role that arises from the intertwining of biological mechanisms between the microbiota and the female genital system. The gut microbiota could play a key role in personalized medicine.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Women; Metabolites; Health promotion; Immune system; Gut-brain axis

Core Tip: The function of the gut microbiota on health is of primary importance, as it educates and controls the immune system, allows to metabolize and absorb nutrients correctly and protects from pathogens invasion. This paper focuses on the importance of the microbiota for women’s physical and psychological well-being. The gut microbiota has a strategic role in crucial moments at every stage of a woman’s life: From childhood to adolescence, from fertile age to pregnancy-partum, up to menopause. In the future, the study of the gut microbiota could be useful in the treatment of autoimmune and metabolic diseases and even in the fight against tumors, allowing the latest generation of oncological treatments, including immunotherapy, to be more effective.