Role of diet, microbiota and short-chain fatty acids in health and disease

This thesis examines how diet connects our commensal gut bacteria to host physiology and the immune system. Gut bacteria, or the gut microbiota, can break down dietary fibre into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA can influence the response of the immune system by binding to receptors such as GPR43 and GPR109A. Activation of these receptors were found to be important in regulating gut epithelial response as well as gut immune cell responses, required for protecting against models of human inflammatory bowel disease and against food allergy.