Diet can influence the diversity of the gut microbiota

Diet can influence the diversity of the gut microbiota, which is important for health

Yogurt may beneficially alter the composition and function of the gut microbiota, and this may prove to lead to health benefits.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in digestion. It may also be essential for the normal development of the immune system and nerve function.

• Maintaining the healthy diversity of the gut microbiota is important in preventing disease.
• Recently, it has been proposed that there is a gut microbiota ‘signature’ that could promote intestinal inflammation and subsequent systemic low-grade inflammation, a condition that predisposes to T2D and obesity.

The composition of the gut microbiota can be influenced by our diet. Moreover, in fermented foods such as yogurt, the products of fermentation and particularly the bacteria involved in the fermentation process, can provide additional properties to the food beyond basic nutrition.
Hence, fermented foods such as yogurt are arousing research interest as potentially having benefits beyond an extended shelf life and improved texture and flavour.

References:

• Barengolts E. Gut microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in management of obesity and prediabetes: review of randomized controlled trials. Endocr Pract 2016;22:1224–34.

• Marco ML, Heeney D, Binda S, et al. Health benefits of fermented foods: microbiota and beyond. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2017;44:94–102.

• Hill D, Sugrue I, Arendt E, et al. Recent advances in microbial fermentation for dairy and health. F1000Res 2017;6:751.

• Wen L, Duffy A. Factors influencing the gut microbiota, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes. J Nutr 2017;147:1468S–75S.