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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
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
Core Tip

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.