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The shift in diet resulting from urbanization in South Africa is associated with microbiome and metabolome markers indicative of Westernization and colorectal cancer
Historically, high-density urban environments have housed only a fraction of the global population, with the majority residing in rural areas or small villages. However, in the last two decades, this trend has reversed. Currently, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas
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Urban diet, increased sanitation, and antibiotic exposure contribute to what has been termed “microbiota insufficiency syndrome” (“the loss of microbial taxa and associated [microbial] functions that have been part of our evolutionary past”)
This has also been linked to an increase in immune and metabolic diseases in urban adult populations
It is now clear that urban environments, in general, have a significant impact on human health. However, the mechanisms behind this impact are highly variable and often not well understood. Our understanding of microbial dynamics in urban settings, outside of pandemics, is still in its infancy
Since the introduction of germ theory and John Snow’s pioneering work on cholera, it has become evident that people in cities interact with microbes in ways that differ significantly from those in rural areas
Microbes in the built environment have been identified as potential sources of contagion (), and certain conditions, such as allergies, have been linked to increasing urbanization ()
see also:
Enteric pathogens
Food Allergy (FA) / Food Sensitivity
Gut microbiota & Influencing factors
Gut microbiota & Lifestyle / Lifestyle Changes
Industrialisation