How Climate Change Affects Human Gut Health

Explore how climate change impacts human gut health by altering food quality, increasing exposure to pathogens, and disrupting the gut microbiome, potentially leading to digestive and immune system disorders.

Table of Contents

Context: A Lancet Planetary Health review suggests that climate-induced food scarcity and malnutrition might alter gut bacteria, potentially worsening climate change’s impact on human health.

How Climate Change Affects Human Gut Health

Nutritional Disruption

Reduced crop quality: Climate change leads to higher CO₂ levels and extreme weather events, which reduce essential nutrients (iron, zinc, protein) in staple crops like wheat and rice.
Food insecurity: Reduced food availability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) leads to undernourishment and poor diet diversity, key drivers of reduced microbial diversity in the gut.

Environmental Stressors

Higher temperatures increase food and waterborne diseases (e.g., cholera, E. coli), which can damage gut health.
Soil and water microbiota changes alter the microbes humans are exposed to, affecting gut colonisation, especially in infants and children.

Increased Incidence of Infections

Warmer environments facilitate the growth of pathogens, increasing exposure to harmful microbes that disrupt the normal gut microbiota.

Vulnerable Populations

Indigenous groups and LMICs are disproportionately affected because of their greater reliance on local food sources and exposure to harsher climate conditions.