Food's lasting effect on gut biology

We all know that we are what we eat.

Some of us know that the microbes in our gut are a reflection of what we eat. We may even have a sense that our gut microbes are a function of past diet and new evidence points to this connection being much stronger than previously thought.

Using various fermentable carbohydrates, the authors of “Ecological memory of prior nutrient exposure in the human gut microbiome” published in the ISME (international society of microbial ecology) journal showed that changes in the ability of gut microbes to ferment new carbohydrates was long lasting.

The upside of this is that consuming functional whole foods and probiotics can have effects that last into future. And it’s not the end of the world if we live on “junk” food for a while. All it takes is some good stuff to “reset” the functional good guys in the gut.

The challenge is that everyone, and everyone’s gut biology, is unique and will have to find a diet/probiotic combination that works well for them.

Reference

Letourneau, J., Holmes, Z.C., Dallow, E.P. et al. Ecological memory of prior nutrient exposure in the human gut microbiome. ISME J 16, 2479–2490 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01292-x