**5. Diseases with suspected correlation to gut microbiota**

There is a very wide range of diseases that have been suggested correlated to the gut microbiota. Among these are diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, metabolic syndrome and obesity (Wang et al. 2011, Wen et al., 2008, Ley et al., 2006). Common for most of these diseases is the correlation to some form of underlying inflammation. Thus, imbalance in the gut microbiota could be a common underlying factor that triggers inflammation. Still, detailed knowledge is lacking about such potential correlations.

Future knowledge building with respect to microbiota composition could open new diagnostic possibilities for these diseases, which all have major impacts on human health. Gut microbiota diagnostics may also help in understanding the etiology of the disease, which potentially could help in developing therapeutic approaches.

The perhaps most surprising correlation to the gut microbiota are cardiovascular disease (Wang et al. 2011). There were relatively strong correlations between microbial metabolites and atherosclerotic disease. Gut microbiota diagnostic in this field could potentially have major impacts on human health.
