Vitamin B12 as a modulator of gut microbial ecology.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and mechanistic reasoning without original human empirical data
PubMed 25440056 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2014.10.002
What was done
The authors reviewed and discussed the mechanistic role of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in host-microbe symbioses and its potential to shape human gut microbial community structure and function.
What was found
No quantitative findings or numbers were reported in the abstract. The authors report that cobalamin is synthesized by some human gut microbes, functions as a scarce resource within the gut lumen, is likely not supplied to the host in substantial amounts, and may modulate microbial community structure.
Why it matters
Points to dietary and microbial micronutrients like vitamin B12 as potential ecological targets for reshaping and stabilizing dysbiotic gut microbial communities.
Limits
Narrative review design with no empirical patient or clinical trial data reported in the abstract; quantitative effects and clinical efficacy in humans are not established.
Cited by
- supports Vitamin B12 is produced by microorganisms, including bacteria within the human gut.