Dysbiosis
Alteration in gut microbiota composition, function, or diversity associated with a disease state or perturbation, with no single agreed-upon definition.
Dysbiosis is descriptive rather than mechanistic and varies by disease context (IBD, obesity, C. difficile, metabolic syndrome). MNHD treats the term cautiously, noting that high inter-individual variability and an absence of a universal "healthy microbiome" reference make the label difficult to operationalize clinically.
How one textbook covers it
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 37: Biotics and Fermented Foods
Dysbiosis is descriptive rather than mechanistic and varies by disease context (IBD, obesity, C. difficile, metabolic syndrome). MNHD treats the term cautiously, noting that high inter-individual variability and an absence of a universal "healthy microbiome" reference make the label difficult to operationalize clinically.
Related terms
Microbiome, Prebiotic, Probiotic