Mixed
Dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as EPA and DHA from fish oil, increases the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduces obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease, whereas n-6 PUFAs (like linoleic acid) may have the opposite effect.
Increase your intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in fish oil, flaxseed, and canola oil) and balance your n-6 to n-3 ratio. This is linked to a healthier gut microbiome, reduced obesity, and lower risk of insulin resistance and inflammation in both animal and human studies. Limit excessive n-6 PUFA intake (found in corn and soybean oils).
Furthermore, an n–3 PUFA-rich diet is correlated with decreasing or preventing adipose tissue fat accumulation, insulin resistance, inflammation, hypertension, atherosclerosis, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) [110–113]. In contrast, an n–6 PUFA-rich dietary intake is associated with metabolic dysbioses such as obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and CVD [71,114,115].
Why this rating
Supported by both animal models and human studies (Table 6) showing consistent benefits for n-3 PUFAs.
Source
Fatty Acid Diets: Regulation of Gut Microbiota Composition and Obesity and Its Related Metabolic Dysbiosis
David Johane Machate et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2020
DOI 10.3390/ijms21114093
More from this paper
- Dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), particularly from extra virgin olive oil, increases the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduces obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease in animal and human models.Good
- Dietary intake of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) from sources like virgin coconut oil can increase the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and reduce obesity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in animal models, although high-concentration coconut oil diets may have the opposite effect.Moderate
- High intake of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), particularly from saturated sources like palm oil and lard, increases the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, leading to obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory bowel disease in animal models.Moderate
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