Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Apr 8;15(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s12967-017-1175-y.

Influence of diet on the gut microbiome and implications for human health

Rasnik K Singh  1 , Hsin-Wen Chang  2 , Di Yan  2 , Kristina M Lee  2 , Derya Ucmak  2 , Kirsten Wong  2 , Michael Abrouk  3 , Benjamin Farahnik  4 , Mio Nakamura  2 , Tian Hao Zhu  5 , Tina Bhutani  2 , Wilson Liao  6
Affiliations
Review

Influence of diet on the gut microbiome and implications for human health

Rasnik K Singh et al. J Transl Med. .

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that the intestinal microbiome plays an important role in modulating risk of several chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. At the same time, it is now understood that diet plays a significant role in shaping the microbiome, with experiments showing that dietary alterations can induce large, temporary microbial shifts within 24 h. Given this association, there may be significant therapeutic utility in altering microbial composition through diet. This review systematically evaluates current data regarding the effects of several common dietary components on intestinal microbiota. We show that consumption of particular types of food produces predictable shifts in existing host bacterial genera. Furthermore, the identity of these bacteria affects host immune and metabolic parameters, with broad implications for human health. Familiarity with these associations will be of tremendous use to the practitioner as well as the patient.

Keywords: Diet; Health; Metabolism; Microbiome; Microbiota; Nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Impact of diet on the gut microbiome and human health
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Impact of dietary protein on intestinal microbiota and health outcomes. SCFA’s short chain fatty acids, TMAO trimethylamine N-oxide, Tregs T regulatory cells, CVD cardiovascular disease; IBD inflammatory bowel disease
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Impact of dietary fats on intestinal microbiota and host metabolism. TLR toll-like receptor, WAT white adipose tissue, LDL low-density lipoprotein
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Impact of popular diets on intestinal microbiota and cardiometabolic disease. CVD cardiovascular disease, DM2 type 2 diabetes mellitus
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gill SR, Pop M, DeBoy RT, Eckburg PB, Turnbaugh PJ, Samuel BS, et al. Metagenomic Analysis of the human distal gut microbiome. Science. 2006;312:1355–9. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.1124234. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Flint HJ, Duncan SH, Scott KP, Louis P. Interactions and competition within the microbial community of the human colon: links between diet and health. Environ Microbiol. 2007;9:1101–1111. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01281.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Walker AW, Ince J, Duncan SH, Webster LM, Holtrop G, Ze X, et al. Dominant and diet-responsive groups of bacteria within the human colonic microbiota. ISME J. 2011;5:220–230. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2010.118. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arumugam M, Raes J, Pelletier E, Le Paslier D, Yamada T, Mende DR, et al. Enterotypes of the human gut microbiome. Nature. 2011;473:174–80. http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature09944. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kurokawa K, Itoh T, Kuwahara T, Oshima K, Toh H, Toyoda A, et al. Comparative metagenomics revealed commonly enriched gene sets in human gut microbiomes. DNA Res. 2007;14:169–181. doi: 10.1093/dnares/dsm018. - DOI - PMC - PubMed