Chapter 6 - Gut Microbial Mechanisms in Nutrition and Health

Abstract

Linking aspects of diet with health has long been a focus in nutrition research, and associations between food and health are the basis of dietary guidelines around the world. But in many cases, the exact mechanisms of how diet affects health have remained elusive. Recently, research on the gut microbiota and its metabolites has provided mechanistic insights into the effects of certain dietary patterns or specific nutrients. It is clear that dietary patterns exert long-term selective pressure on the gut microbiota, and that nutrition influences the composition and function of the human gut microbiota: complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats have distinct impacts. Other dietary components such as polyphenols (including flavonoids), emulsifiers, and noncaloric sweeteners change the intestinal environment, with possible health implications. Increased mechanistic understandings of how food affects health are paving the way for more individualized approaches to diet.