Abstract
We investigated associations of habitual dietary intake with the taxonomic composition and diversity of the human gut microbiota in 222 Koreans aged 18–58 years in a cross-sectional study. Gut microbiota data were obtained by 16S rRNA gene sequencing on DNA extracted from fecal samples. The habitual diet for the previous year was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. After multivariable adjustment, intake of several food groups including vegetables, fermented legumes, legumes, dairy products, processed meat, and non-alcoholic beverages were associated with major phyla of the gut microbiota. A dietary pattern related to higher α-diversity (HiαDP) derived by reduced rank regression was characterized by higher intakes of fermented legumes, vegetables, seaweeds, and nuts/seeds and lower intakes of non-alcoholic beverages. The HiαDP was positively associated with several genera of Firmicutes such as Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Eubacterium (all p < 0.05). Among enterotypes identified by principal coordinate analysis based on the β-diversity, the Ruminococcus enterotype had higher HiαDP scores and was strongly positively associated with intakes of vegetables, seaweeds, and nuts/seeds, compared to the two other enterotypes. We conclude that a plant- and fermented food-based diet was positively associated with some genera of Firmicutes (e.g., Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Eubacterium) reflecting better gut microbial health.
Highlights
The human gut microbiota is a complex community consisting of 1013–1014 microorganisms, dominated by bacteria, which inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract [1]
We examined partial Spearman’s correlation coefficients between the α-diversity dietary pattern (HiαDP score) and the clr transformed relative abundance of major phyla, including F/B ratio and genera within the major phyla of the human gut microbiota, with sex, age, BMI, dietary supplement intake, physical activity, smoking status, and sample batch as covariates and with multiple comparison corrections using false discovery rate (FDR)
In the NAS-IARC cross-sectional study among Korean adults, we found that a traditional Korean dietary pattern characterized by higher intakes of plant-based and fermented foods and lower intakes of noodle products and carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages were favorably associated with gut microbial composition and diversity
Summary
The human gut microbiota is a complex community consisting of 1013–1014 microorganisms, dominated by bacteria, which inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract [1]. Host dietary intake is one of the main factors that can modulate the taxonomic composition (classified groups of closely related microbiota) and diversity (distribution of microbiota within or between communities) of the gut microbiota, which could, in turn, promote either beneficial or detrimental consequences on host health through alterations of the physiological functions of the gut microbiota [8,9,10]. Diets rich in animal-based foods such as “Western-style diet” can increase the levels of bile-tolerant bacteria including. Plant-based diets such as the “Mediterranean diet” can promote fiber-degrading bacteria, mainly including genera of the Firmicutes phylum, together with increased overall diversity of the gut microbiota [13,14,15]
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