Diet and the Gut Microbiome

The human large intestine hosts a dense community of bacteria and other microorganisms known as the gut microbiota. These microbes ferment dietary fiber and other carbohydrates that escape digestion, producing short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which serves as a fuel for cells lining the colon.

Research links the composition of the microbiota to digestion, immunity and metabolism, although many associations have not yet been shown to be causal. Prebiotics are food components that selectively feed beneficial microbes, and probiotics are live microorganisms studied for specific health effects, with results that depend strongly on the strain.

Fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi have a long history in many food cultures. Microbiome science is a fast moving field, and many questions about how diet shapes it remain open..