Energy balance
Weight loss interventions, regardless of macronutrient composition, consistently alter the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes, often increasing microbial gene richness and improving metabolic parameters.
If you are overweight, losing weight will likely improve your gut microbiome diversity and metabolic health, regardless of whether you choose a high-fat or high-fiber diet to do it. The act of losing weight itself drives beneficial microbial shifts, such as an increase in Bacteroidetes and gene richness.
Regardless of the macronutrient composition of the diet, individuals that lost a significant amount of body weight had a change in their ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes... Calorie restriction in obese and overweight individuals has also been shown to increase microbial gene richness, a parameter that was correlated to improved metabolic parameters.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies (Ley et al., Faith et al., Cotillard et al.) showing consistent trends in B/F ratio and gene richness upon weight loss.
Source
Diet and the development of the human intestinal microbiome
Noah Voreades et al. · Frontiers in Microbiology · 2014
DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00494
More from this paper
- Short-term dietary interventions cause rapid but transient fluctuations in the adult gut microbiome, which typically returns to its baseline stable state once the intervention ends.Strong
- Long-term dietary patterns (specifically high plant fiber vs. high protein/fat) are the primary determinant of stable adult gut microbiome composition and enterotype classification.Good
- In elderly populations, malnutrition and antibiotic use drive a decline in gut microbiome diversity and stability, increasing frailty and susceptibility to infection.Good
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