Research
Mixed
Low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets decrease the concentration of microbially produced short-chain fatty acids and reduce the proportion of butyrate-producing bacteria.
If you are on a low-carb diet for weight loss, be aware that it may reduce beneficial gut bacteria and short-chain fatty acids. Try to include as much nondigestible carbohydrate (fiber) as possible within your dietary constraints to mitigate this.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
The provision of such diets to obese volunteers has been shown to result in decreased concentrations of microbially produced short-chain fatty acids in fecal samples, together with a significant decrease in the proportion and total numbers of bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae related to Roseburia.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple cited studies (Duncan et al., Brinkworth et al., Ley et al.).
Source
The impact of nutrition on the human microbiome
Harry J. Flint · Nutrition Reviews · 2012
DOI 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00499.x
narrative_reviewCited 282×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Dietary intake of nondigestible carbohydrates (resistant starch, prebiotics) directly influences the species composition and total numbers of the human colonic microbiota.Good
- Increased dietary fiber intake lowers colonic pH, which selectively suppresses Bacteroides spp. and promotes butyrate-producing gram-positive bacteria.Good
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