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Precision Nutrition and the Microbiome, Part I: Current State of the Science
Mills, Susan Stanton, Catherine Lane, Jonathan Smith, Graeme Ross, R.
Mills, Susan
Stanton, Catherine
Lane, Jonathan
Smith, Graeme
Ross, R.
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2019-04-24
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Mills, S.; Stanton, C.; Lane, J.A.; Smith, G.J.; Ross, R.P. Precision Nutrition and the Microbiome, Part I: Current State of the Science. Nutrients 2019, 11, 923. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040923
Abstract
The gut microbiota is a highly complex community which evolves and adapts to its host
over a lifetime. It has been described as a virtual organ owing to the myriad of functions it performs,
including the production of bioactive metabolites, regulation of immunity, energy homeostasis and
protection against pathogens. These activities are dependent on the quantity and quality of the
microbiota alongside its metabolic potential, which are dictated by a number of factors, including
diet and host genetics. In this regard, the gut microbiome is malleable and varies significantly from
host to host. These two features render the gut microbiome a candidate ‘organ’ for the possibility of
precision microbiomics—the use of the gut microbiome as a biomarker to predict responsiveness to
specific dietary constituents to generate precision diets and interventions for optimal health. With this
in mind, this two-part review investigates the current state of the science in terms of the influence of
diet and specific dietary components on the gut microbiota and subsequent consequences for health
status, along with opportunities to modulate the microbiota for improved health and the potential of
the microbiome as a biomarker to predict responsiveness to dietary components. In particular, in Part
I, we examine the development of the microbiota from birth and its role in health. We investigate the
consequences of poor-quality diet in relation to infection and inflammation and discuss diet-derived
microbial metabolites which negatively impact health. We look at the role of diet in shaping the
microbiome and the influence of specific dietary components, namely protein, fat and carbohydrates,
on gut microbiota composition.