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Benefits of a diverse gut microbiome in systemic anti-cancer therapy patients

13 January 2025
Volume 34 · Issue 1

The importance of gut health and its role in chronic disease management has become more widely acknowledged in recent years, with an increase in the number of studies focusing on the gut microbiome and the role it plays in chronic disease and inflammation (Durack and Lynch, 2019).

With advances in the understanding of the part the gut microbiome plays in cancer, this article aims to explore the nurse's role in patient education in this area.

A microbiota is a collection of micro-organisms found in a particular environment such as on the skin or in the gut, whereas microbiome is a term to describe the collection of micro-organisms, the microbial structural elements, metabolites, and their habitat (Hou et al, 2022).

Within each human gut (comprising the small and large intestine) there are trillions of microscopic micro-organisms, made up of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. The daily function of the body is supported by different species of microbes, most of which can be found within the gut. The gut microbiome is as unique as the individual; with the microbe population set at birth by DNA and later influenced by environmental factors such as diet (The Nutrition Source, 2024).

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