Marano G, Traversi G, Gaetani E, Gasbarrini A, Mazza M. Gut microbiota in women: The secret of psychological and physical well-being. World J Gastroenterol 2023; 29(45): 5945-5952 [PMID: 38131001 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i45.5945]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. marianna.mazza@policlinicogemelli.it
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2023; 29(45): 5945-5952 Published online Dec 7, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i45.5945
Gut microbiota in women: The secret of psychological and physical well-being
Giuseppe Marano, Gianandrea Traversi, Eleonora Gaetani, Antonio Gasbarrini, Marianna Mazza
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza, Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza, Unit of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
Gianandrea Traversi, Unit of Medical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola, Rome 00186, Italy
Eleonora Gaetani, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Eleonora Gaetani, Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
Antonio Gasbarrini, Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
Author contributions: Marano G and Mazza M designed the research study and wrote the manuscript; Traversi G performed the research; Gaetani E and Gasbarrini A supervised and made substantial contributions to the conception of the work; and all authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. marianna.mazza@policlinicogemelli.it
Received: October 3, 2023 Peer-review started: October 3, 2023 First decision: October 23, 2023 Revised: October 31, 2023 Accepted: November 21, 2023 Article in press: November 21, 2023 Published online: December 7, 2023 Processing time: 58 Days and 8.9 Hours
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.
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.
