The Human Microbiome
Discover what the microbiome is, how it changes throughout your life, and the role it plays in good human health.


Objectives
Learn how a healthy microbiome can combat disease.
The microbiome – the microbes that live within the human body – can have a huge impact on human health. As such, it’s vital to understand the complexity of the microbiome, and how it can impact on disease and wellbeing.
On this course, you’ll go on a fascinating journey into the human body – down to the gut – where the ecology and roles of the human microbiome will be narrated. You’ll explore how your microbiome changes throughout your life, reflect on the role of food in its modulation, and explain the functions the microbiome has in the gastrointestinal tract in daily life.
This course is for anyone interested in subjects related to the human microbiome, how food can influence it, and how this resultantly impacts on human health.
Advantages
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:
- Describe how the human microbiome changes throughout the human life
- Reflect on the role of food in the modulation of human microbiome
- Explain the functions that human microbiome has in the gastrointestinal tract
- Reflect on the links between human microbiome and diseases
- Discuss the topics of the course and their relationship with daily life
- Assess the complexity of the human microbiome communities
Duration & Dates
Flexible
Audience & Eligibility
Anyone interested in subjects related to the human microbiome
Level
BeginnerPrice
Free
Language
English, spanishRegistration Open & Seats
OpenLocation
OnlineKeep me informed
Structure & Modules
Week 1: The Journey of Life
- The composition of human microbiota
- The functions of the gut microbiota
- Physiological changes during the life-span
- How to determine our gut microbiota
Week 2: The Journey of Food
- The link between food and microbiome
- Foods as vectors of microorganisms (fermented foods)
- Food meets your gut microbiota
- Influence of different bioactive food components on gut microbiome
- Probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics
Week 3: The Journey of Healthy to Unhealthy
- The link between health and microbiome
- Microbiota and human host partnership: when things go wrong (dysbiosis, leaky gut, etc.)
- Gut microbiota and immune health (infections, allergy, inflammatory bowel disease)
- Gut microbiota and metabolic health: gut-liver-adipose tissue axes
- Gut microbiota and mental health: gut-brain axis
Quotes
Vijay Koul
Programme lead

Luca Cocolin
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