Dietary fibers, known to regulate intestinal inflammation and gut barrier functions, have been avoided by patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) to avoid flare-ups. However, recent findings suggest that if fiber type, patient immunological condition, and the fermentative ability of the gut microbiota are taken into account, they could be beneficial and prevent relapses.
How dietary fiber leaves its mark within the gut: Just 2 weeks are enough for dietary fiber to influence microbial metabolism
27 Sep 2021by Andreu Prados
Our diet has a huge influence not only on gut microbiota composition but also on its functions. New findings show a fiber-enriched Mediterranean-like diet is well tolerated and influences microbial metabolism in just two weeks, despite no major changes in the core microbiota composition.
Modulating gut microbes with fiber, microbiota-accessible carbohydrates and prebiotics: an update of definitions and health benefits
2 Aug 2021by Andreu Prados
While we have known for a while that a diet consisting of fiber-rich foods reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases and lowers people’s mortality rate, scientists have only recently started elucidating why fiber is beneficial for human health. This article clarifies the definition and health implications of the closely related terms fiber, MACs and prebiotics.
Diet and lifestyle outweigh genetic background in shaping gut microbiome across nonhuman and human primates
19 Aug 2019by GMFH Editing Team
How genetics versus environmental factors drive gut microbiome variation in related primates remains unknown. New findings show that diet may outweigh phylogenetic evolution in shaping gut microbial communities across primate species and human hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists.
Could increasing delivery of propionate to the human colon be a potential way of improving glucose homeostasis in overweight or obese individuals?
6 May 2019by Andreu Prados
Colonic propionate has been suggested as a potential target to improve obesity-related metabolic disorders. Based on new research, colonic propionate delivery could be a novel solution to improve metabolism and inflammation in overweight or obese subjects.
Fiber is not everything: dietary fat type shown to be relevant for gut microbes
14 Mar 2019by Andreu Prados
Other substrates beyond non-digestible carbohydrates can be used as a fuel for the gut microbiota. Scientists have turned to the role played by dietary fats in human gut microbiome composition.
GMFH releases a new “best of” document on gut microbiota, diet & nutrition
11 Mar 2019by GMFH Editing Team
We’re what our microbes do with what we eat. We’re pleased to share a new summary document on the latest evidence regarding the role of diet and probiotics on human health linked to their effects on the gut microbiota.
Fermentable fibers affect the structure and function of gut microbiota, with potato starch leading to the greatest increase in short-chain fatty acids
4 Mar 2019by Andreu Prados
Resistant starch is a highly fermentable fiber, although it’s considered to be an insoluble fiber. What is more interesting is the fact that the food source of resistant starch matters, as scientists show not all foods that are high in resistant starch drive identical changes in gut microbiota’s functional diversity.
Gut microbiota is the human body's most complex, diverse and numerous ecosystem of all, particularly in the caecum, where the density of microorganisms is the highest.
The most significant achievements in gut microbiome science in 2018
27 Dec 2018by GMFH Editing Team
GMFH continue to cover the important progress made in our knowledge of the gut microbiota's impact on wellbeing and disease.
