During a webinar, arranged and recorded by Mercodia, Professor Bäckhed discussed the influence of the gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes.

The microbial ecosystem, microbiota, of the human gut consists of trillions of bacteria and recent data have demonstrated that an altered gut microbiota can be associated with several diseases, ranging from obesity and inflammatory diseases to behavioral abnormalities. Here, a study where the microbiota of individuals with prediabetes and screen-detected type 2 diabetes was assessed is presented. There is extensive microbiota-host cross talk that generates signals to extraintestinal organs, and it is becoming more evident that a miss-configured microbiota may produce signals that contribute to metabolic diseases. Exploring how microbially produced metabolites contribute to disease may provide foundations for novel treatment strategies based on the microbiota.

Link to the webinar