Smoking-induced microbial dysbiosis in health and disease.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic methodology
PubMed 36156126 · doi:10.1042/CS20220175
What was done
This narrative review synthesized literature on how cigarette smoking alters microbiome composition, function, and secreted metabolites across oral, nasal, oropharyngeal, lung, and gut sites, and examined how dysbiosis relates to smoking-associated disease pathophysiology and post-cessation weight gain.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or quantitative effect sizes. It qualitatively describes that smoking induces microbial dysbiosis across multiple anatomical niches, which may influence the development of cancer, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases, as well as weight gain after smoking cessation. It also highlights methodological difficulties in determining whether microbial changes are causative or merely correlated with disease severity.
Why it matters
Understanding microbial involvement in smoking-associated pathophysiology may reveal novel therapeutic targets for treating smoking-related disorders and managing post-cessation metabolic changes.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review providing no primary data or pooled quantitative estimates. The underlying literature is constrained by difficulties in establishing true causality between microbiome alterations and clinical disease states.
Cited by
- supports Cigarette-related chemicals reach the systemic circulation, penetrate the gut, and alter the composition and function of the microbiome.