Research
Energy balance
Dietary patterns significantly shape the gut microbiome, with fiber-rich diets increasing diversity and beneficial bacteria, while high-fat diets decrease diversity and promote pro-inflammatory species.
Prioritize fiber-rich foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) to support microbial diversity and beneficial bacteria. Limit high-fat, processed foods which reduce diversity and promote inflammation.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
High-fat diets are associated with decreased microbiome richness and diversity, increased Proteobacteria with pro-inflammatory properties, and decreased ‘protective’ bacteria, with reduced SCFA concentrations. Conversely, fiber-rich diets are associated with increased microbial diversity and a higher abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Prevotella and Xylanibacter.
Why this rating
Consistent findings across multiple studies and populations.
Source
Gut microbiome and obesity care: Bridging dietary, surgical, and pharmacological interventions
Davide Masi et al. · Cell Reports Medicine · 2026
DOI 10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102573
narrative_reviewCited 6×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Reduced gut microbial diversity (alpha-diversity) and specific taxonomic shifts (e.g., depletion of Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) are consistently associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, serving as a marker of a less resilient microbiome.Good
- Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, propionate, and acetate promote satiety and improve metabolic health by stimulating GLP-1 and PYY secretion and modulating gut-brain signaling, despite inconsistent fecal level measurements in obesity.Good
- Elevated circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and imidazole propionate (IMP) are causally linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, serving as predictive biomarkers years before clinical onset.Good
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