Human gut microbiota and diet

Abstract

Diet is a factor driving the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiota, and macronutrients have a great impact on microbiota. Dietary non-digestible carbohydrate can produce marked changes in the gut microbiota, dietary fibers are major drivers of gut microbiota composition and function, stimulating the dominance of bacteria able to utilize these substrates as energy source, but these effects depend on both the type of fiber and the initial composition of an individual’s gut microbiota. Protein metabolism by gut microbiota results in additional products, some of which are potentially harmful to host health. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria are the three major phyla that inhabit the human large intestine. The genera Bacteroides is associated with meat-based diets, the families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae are associated with diets rich in complex plant polysaccharides, and the genera Prevotella is associated with diets high in sugar but low in fat and protein. Diet can be used to modulate the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiota. One dietary strategy for modulating the microbiota is consumption of dietary fiber and prebiotics. This review aims at describing knowledge about gut microbiota, oriented towards a use of diet to provide benefits to human health.