Global climate change, diet, and the complex relationship between human host and microbiome: Towards an integrated picture

Bioessays 43 (6):2100049 (2021)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Dietary changes can alter the human microbiome with potential detrimental consequences for health. Given that environment, health, and evolution are interconnected, we ask: Could diet‐driven microbiome perturbations have consequences that extend beyond their immediate impact on human health? We address this question in the context of the urgent health challenges posed by global climate change. Drawing on recent studies, we propose that not only can diet‐driven microbiome changes lead to dysbiosis, they can also shape life‐history traits and fuel human evolution. We posit that dietary shifts prompt mismatched microbiome‐host genetics configurations that modulate human longevity and reproductive success. These mismatches can also induce a heritable intra‐holobiont stress response, which encourages the holobiont to re‐establish equilibrium within the changed nutritional environment. Thus, while mismatches between climate change‐related genetic and epigenetic configurations within the holobiont increase the risk and severity of diseases, they may also affect life‐history traits and facilitate adaptive responses. These propositions form a framework that can help systematize and address climate‐related dietary challenges for policy and health interventions.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Cosmopolitan Justice, Rights, and Global Climate Change.Simon Caney - 2006 - Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence 19 (2).
Global Justice and Global Climate Change.Duane Windsor - 2009 - Proceedings of the International Association for Business and Society 20:23-34.
Future Global Change and Cognition.Stephan Lewandowsky - 2016 - Topics in Cognitive Science 8 (1):7-18.
Climate Rights : Feasible or Not?Eric Brandstedt & Anna-Karin Bergman - 2013 - Environmental Politics 22 (3):394-409.
Climate Change, Human Rights and Moral Thresholds.Simon Caney - 2010 - In Stephen Humphreys (ed.), Human Rights and Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. pp. 69-90..
Adapting Food Production to Climate Change: An Inclusive Approach.Cristian Timmermann & Georges F. Félix - 2015 - Climate Change and Human Rights: The 2015 Paris Conference and the Task of Protecting People on a Warming Planet.
Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change.Simon Caney - 2005 - Leiden Journal of International Law 18 (4):747-775.
Climate Change, Responsibility, and Justice.Dale Jamieson - 2010 - Science and Engineering Ethics 16 (3):431-445.

Analytics

Added to PP
2021-04-09

Downloads
17 (#738,490)

6 months
7 (#174,778)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?