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Abstract
Urban living in built environments, combined with the use of processed water and food, may not provide the microbial stimulation necessary for a balanced development of immune function. Many chronic inflammatory disorders, including allergic, autoimmune, metabolic, and even some behavioural disorders, are linked to alteration in the human commensal microbiota. Sedentary lifestyle is associated with reduced exposure to a broad spectrum of environmental micro-organisms and surplus energy balance, both risk factors of chronic inflammatory disorders. According to the Biodiversity Hypothesis, an environment with diverse macrobiota and microbiota modifies and enriches the human microbiota, which in turn is crucial in the development and maintenance of appropriate immune function. These issues were discussed in the symposium ‘Chronic Inflammation, Lifestyle and Environment’, held in Helsinki, 20–22 August 2014, under the sponsorship of the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation. This paper briefly outlines the recent findings in the context of the environment, lifestyle, and health; discusses the forces that undermine immune tolerance in urban environments; and highlights the possibilities to restore broken immune tolerance among urban dwellers, summarizing the main messages in four statements and calling for actions to combat major public health threats.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation for organizing the symposium and to all participants of it for stimulating discussions
Declaration of interest: Erika von Mutius is listed as inventor on the following patents: Publication number EP1411977: Composition containing bacterial antigens used for the prophylaxis and the treatment of allergic diseases. Publication number EP1637147: Stable dust extract for allergy protection. Publication number EP1964570: Pharmaceutical compound to protect against allergies and inflammatory diseases. Erika von Mutius is listed as inventor and has received royalties on the following patent: Publication number EP2361632: Specific environmental bacteria for the protection from and/or the treatment of allergic, chronic inflammatory and/or autoimmune disorders.