by Personalized nutrition has gained traction in recent years, becoming increasingly popular among consumers looking to improve their health through foods and beverages. Personalized nutrition has become so popular with consumers that Statista valued the global market at $8.2bn in 2020, predicting that figure to double by 2025.
Now, researchers at Yale University believe they have made a breakthrough that could revolutionize personalized nutrition, increasing its importance and further strengthening its appeal.
How could new research boost the personalized nutrition industry?
A research team from the Yale Institute of Microbial Sciences has created the first systematic map, showing how individual gut bacteria interact with dietary molecules. As a result, it is understood how different gut microbes metabolically process different food compounds, and how that process affects health.
The findings could pave the way for better personalized nutrition, based on how specific microbial genes in the human gut respond to different foods and drinks. It could also address diseases like diabetes.
This study builds on earlier research that examined the effects of medication on gut bacteria. While much is known about the effect of macronutrients such as fiber on the gut microbiome, little is known about the effect of other small molecule components in foods and beverages.
“We know that diet is a big part of our health and it shapes our microbiome,” said Elizabeth Culp, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Goodman Lab and first author of the study. “Apart from anecdotal examples in the scientific literature, there is scant evidence for dietary changes people can make to help manage risk factors for diseases such as diabetes or cancer. This may be why our microbiome responds differently to the same molecules in food.”
The hypothesis was correct. Researchers found a high degree of variability and proved that one dietary compound could reshape an individual’s gut microbial community, but have no effect on another.
The researchers’ molecular map provides a mechanism to explain the variable responses between different individuals, showing how a dietary compound affects the growth of gut microbes and how that compound is metabolically altered by the microbial community.
The term gut health has gained increased interest in recent years as consumer understanding of the function and importance of the gut microbiome continues to grow.
“Consumer awareness of gut health has increased significantly in recent years, and we attribute this to a number of factors,” Reshma Patel, marketing manager at Yakult UK, told FoodNavigator.
“Although probiotics have been recognized around the world for some time, scientific progress has not demonstrated the profound impact that gut health has on overall well-being. Another driving force is the cultural shift towards preventative health measures rather than focus on one remedy.
What is personalized nutrition?
Personalized nutrition, sometimes called precision nutrition, is individual nutritional advice or dietary guidelines based on a combination of a person’s genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.
Factors that dictate nutritional advice include dietary habits, health status, phenotype, gut microbiome, and genotype. Personalized nutrition focuses on health promotion.
What is the future of personalized nutrition?
The researchers believe that these findings provide a basis for understanding how metabolic reactions vary between people and how these differences shape the growth of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut.
“If we can figure out which specific microbial genes determine how a microbiome responds to a molecule in our food, and how these genes differ between different people’s microbiomes, we can make sense of correlations with diseases such as cancer, diabetes or gastrointestinal infections. ,” concludes Culp. “This is the first step towards creating customized food recommendations as part of personalized nutrition strategies.”
The personalized nutrition industry is booming and, as a result, food and drink are innovating to meet the growing demand.
“Brands should expect further development in personalisation,” says Rick Miller, associate director of food & beverage for specialist nutrition at Mintel, who believes technology such as AI will further advance it.
Glossary of gut health terms
What is the gut microbiome?
Each of us has trillions of microbes or bacteria in our gut. These are collectively known as the gut microbiome. The two most common species of helpful bacteria found in our gut microbiome are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Maintaining a healthy balance between helpful (good) and unhelpful (bad) bacteria is essential to support a healthy digestive system, and it is now understood that the gut is central to health, containing more than 70% of our immune system.
The gut microbiome is linked not only to gut health, but to the health of the entire body. The gut-brain axis or the communication between the gut and the brain is one fundamental function that is currently being researched by scientists and is also gaining widespread recognition among consumers. Two other connections that are beginning to be studied and understood are the gut-skin axis and the gut-liver axis. In addition, gut health is also linked to the prevention of colorectal cancer and other chronic diseases.
What are prebiotics in food?
Prebiotics are compounds in food that support beneficial microorganisms or good bacteria in the gut (the gastrointestinal tract).
Dietary prebiotics are normally non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper gastrointestinal tract, supporting the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the colon. Academic researcher Marcel Roberfroid first identified and named prebiotics in 1995. Prebiotics can be found in many foods, including almonds, bananas, whole grain wheat, corn, rye and barley, and flaxseeds.
What are probiotics in food?
Probiotics are live microorganisms in foods that are often described as helpful or ‘good’ bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are available in foods such as live yogurt.
The first probiotic, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, was discovered in 1905 by the Bulgarian doctor and microbiologist Stamen Grigorov.
What are postbiotics?
Postbiotics, also known as metabolites, biogenics or metabolites, is a waste product produced when the body breaks down prebiotics and probiotics.
Healthy postbiotics include nutrients like vitamins B and K, and amino acids. Postbiotics also produce antimicrobial peptides, known as host defense peptides, as they help slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
Source: Microbial transformation of dietary xenobiotics shapes gut microbiome composition
Published online: 24 September 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.038
Authors: Elizabeth J Culp, Nora T Nelson, Andrew A Verdegaal
