Scientists are just beginning to understand the impact of diet on the gut microbiome and how this interaction affects human health, but baselines must first be established to yield answers.
The first large-scale, longitudinal study to evaluate this interaction among Chinese adults indicates that long-term healthy eating yields microbiome diversity and an abundance of fiber-fermenting bacteria.
The study, which was published Jan. 20 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, delved into how individuals’ overall diet quality and intakes of eight food groups — fruits, vegetables, dairy, seafood, nuts/legume, refined grains, red meat and processed meats — were associated with the gut microbiome, mostly bacteria that inhabit the intestinal tract.