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Review
. 2022 Jun 8;30(6):764-785.
doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.04.016.

Rethinking healthy eating in light of the gut microbiome

Anissa M Armet  1 , Edward C Deehan  1 , Aidan F O'Sullivan  2 , João F Mota  3 , Catherine J Field  1 , Carla M Prado  1 , Alice J Lucey  4 , Jens Walter  5
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Rethinking healthy eating in light of the gut microbiome

Anissa M Armet et al. Cell Host Microbe. .
Free article

Abstract

Given the worldwide epidemic of diet-related chronic diseases, evidence-based dietary recommendations are fundamentally important for health promotion. Despite the importance of the human gut microbiota for the physiological effects of diet and chronic disease etiology, national dietary guidelines around the world are just beginning to capitalize on scientific breakthroughs in the microbiome field. In this review, we discuss contemporary nutritional recommendations from a microbiome science perspective, focusing on mechanistic evidence that established host-microbe interactions as mediators of the physiological effects of diet. We apply this knowledge to inform discussions of nutrition controversies, advance innovative dietary strategies, and propose an experimental framework that integrates the microbiome into nutrition research. The congruence of key paradigms in the nutrition and microbiome disciplines validates current recommendations in dietary guidelines, and the systematic incorporation of microbiome science into nutrition research has the potential to further improve and innovate healthy eating.

Keywords: dietary fiber; dietary guidelines; gut microbiome; healthy eating; microbiome epidemiology; nutrition controversies; nutritional microbiology; phytochemicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests E.C.D. is an employee of AgriFiber Solutions LLC, a manufacturer of upcycled dietary fibers and prebiotics. C.J.F. provides scientific advice to Dairy Farmers of Canada and serves on the scientific advisory board for ByHeart. C.M.P. reports receiving honoraria and/or paid consultancy from Abbott Nutrition, Nutricia, Nestlé Health Science, Fresenius Kabi, Pfizer, and funding from Almased Wellness GmbH. J.W. has received honoraria and/or paid consultancy from Novozymes, Nestlé, and ByHeart and reports research funding from industry sources involved in the manufacture and marketing of prebiotics and dietary fibers. J.W. is further a co-owner of Synbiotic Health, a developer of synbiotic products. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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