Food desert residence has limited impact on veteran fecal microbiome composition: a U.S. Veteran Microbiome Project study.

Importance: Social and economic inequities can have a profound impact on human health. The inequities could result in alterations to the gut microbiome, an important factor that may have profound abilities to alter health outcomes. Moreover, the strong correlations between social and economic inequities have been long understood. However, to date, limited research regarding the microbiome and mental health within the context of socioeconomic inequities exists. One particular inequity that may influence both mental health and the gut microbiome is living in a food desert. Persons living in food deserts may lack access to sufficient and/or nutritious food and often experience other inequities, such as increased exposure to air pollution and poor access to healthcare. Together, these factors may confer a unique risk for microbial perturbation. Indeed, external factors beyond a food desert might compound over time to have a lasting effect on an individual's gut microbiome. Therefore, adoption of a life-course approach is expected to increase the ecological validity of research related to social inequities, the gut microbiome, and physical and mental health.
Competing Interests: Dr. Brenner reports grants from the VA, DOD, NIH, and the State of Colorado; editorial remuneration from Wolters Kluwer and the Rand Corporation; and royalties from the American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press. Dr. Lowry reports grants from the NIH; serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Immodulon Therapeutics, Ltd.; is cofounder, board member, and chief scientific officer of Mycobacteria Therapeutics Corporation; and is a member of the faculty of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, Boulder, CO.