RETRACTED ARTICLE: Role of the gut microbiome in chronic diseases: a narrative review

WHAT IS CURRENTLY KNOWN ON THE TOPIC The gut microbiome, i.e., the community of bacteria and other microorganisms living in the human gut, has been implicated both directly and indirectly (mediating the effects of diet) on human health [1, 2]. The associations between gut microbiome composition and disease status have been widely reported, while recent studies have demonstrated a role for the gut microbiome in influencing remote organs, mucosal, and immune function [3, 4]. Considerable effort is currently focused on understanding the natural history of microbiome development in humans in the context of health outcomes, in parallel with improving our knowledge of microbiome–host molecular interactions. These efforts ultimately aim to develop effective approaches to rehabilitate perturbed human microbial ecosystems as a means to restore health and prevent disease. This review details the role of the gut microbiome in chronic diseases (Fig. 1) and ways it can be modulated for the management or prevention of chronic conditions. Differences in gut microbiome composition and function have been associated with a variety of chronic diseases ranging from gastrointestinal inflammatory and metabolic conditions to neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory illnesses. The aim of this narrative review is to describe the associations between gut microbiome composition and various types of chronic diseases and to discuss the links to habitual diet and dietary components (Table 1).