Role of gut bacteria in human toxicology and pharmacology

The digestive tract is the site in the human body most richly colonised by bacteria. Microorganisms mediate between host and environment by interacting with food components, drugs, food additives and environmental contaminants. Their toxicological importance is still only slowly being recognised.; This book examines the composition and metabolic activity of the microorganisms most commonly found in the human gut. Comparisons are made between microbial and mammalian metabolism, with comments on the person-to-person variations in enzyme activity. Individual chapters describe the effects gut flora have on ingested compounds, vitamin production and gastrointestinal disorders.; The book opens with a background section on gut bacterial composition and metabolic activity in general. It then moves on to discuss the major groups of macronutrients (eg fats, nitrogen compounds, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (eg vitamins, metal compunds) and concludes with a review of the importance of probiotics. These are discussed in terms of the role of gut bacteria in the preservation of health as well as in the causation of disease.