Gut microbiota-driven diseases and intervention strategies - lessons from China

Yingyu Zhou; Ting Gong; Chunzhi Yi; Wanying Yang; Guanjun Ye; Dan Xiao; Yaying Cao; Yi Xiong; Elena Ibáñez; Alejandro Cifuentes; Lina Ren; Weihong Lu

doi:10.1038/s41538-025-00610-9

Gut microbiota-driven diseases and intervention strategies - lessons from China

NPJ Sci Food. 2025 Nov 21;9(1):249. doi: 10.1038/s41538-025-00610-9.

Authors

Yingyu Zhou^#^{1

2

3}, Ting Gong^#⁴, Chunzhi Yi⁴, Wanying Yang⁴, Guanjun Ye⁴, Dan Xiao^{4

5

6}, Yaying Cao^{4

6}, Yi Xiong⁴, Elena Ibáñez⁷, Alejandro Cifuentes⁷, Lina Ren^{8

9}, Weihong Lu^{10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. zhouyingyu13@hit.edu.cn.
² Zhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, China. zhouyingyu13@hit.edu.cn.
³ National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, Harbin, China. zhouyingyu13@hit.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
⁵ Zhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
⁶ National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, Harbin, China.
⁷ Laboratory of Foodomics, Institute of Food Science Research, CIAL, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Hainan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China. cimigo2004@163.com.
⁹ Hainan Provincial Academy of Preventive Medicine, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China. cimigo2004@163.com.
¹⁰ School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. lwh@hit.edu.cn.
¹¹ Zhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan, China. lwh@hit.edu.cn.
¹² National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, Harbin, China. lwh@hit.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Complicated relationships exist among lifestyles, gut microbiome (GM), and human health. Lifestyles can modulate the composition and function of GM, hence influencing the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Recently, the socio-economic growth in China has led to the emergence of urbanized lifestyles, including unbalanced eating patterns and a sedentary lifestyle, causing an increased incidence of lifestyle-related NCDs among the Chinese population. In this review, we discussed the impact of lifestyle specific to the Chinese population on the GM and highlighted the mechanistic evidence that the commensals and their metabolites prevent or promote the pathogenesis of common lifestyle-related NCDs in China. Additionally, we described several microbiome-targeted therapies derived from traditional Chinese health practices, including traditional Chinese medicine treatments, the intake of fermented foods and tea, and Tai Chi intervention. In conclusion, we emphasized the significance of lifestyle-induced dysbiosis in the etiology of prevalent NCDs in China and provided relevant solutions, which should offer new insight into the treatment of these diseases to improve the overall health status of Chinese citizens.

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Review

Abstract

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