Research

Macro partitioning

Specific fiber-degrading bacteria (Akkermansia, Dialister, Oscillospira, Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiales) decrease in abundance with increasing BMI in Colombian and American populations.

If you are trying to improve your gut health through diet, focus on fiber intake. This study suggests that higher BMI is associated with lower levels of key fiber-degrading bacteria. Restoring these bacteria may require dietary changes that support their growth, rather than just probiotic supplements.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
five fiber-degrading bacteria, including Akkermansia, Dialister, Oscillospira, Ruminococcaceae and Clostridiales, became less abundant in obese subjects.
Juan S. Escobar et al. · BMC Microbiology · 2014

Why this rating

Based on the Colombian dataset (n=30) and USA dataset subsets; correlation does not imply causation, but the trend is consistent.

Source

The gut microbiota of Colombians differs from that of Americans, Europeans and Asians

Juan S. Escobar et al. · BMC Microbiology · 2014

DOI 10.1186/s12866-014-0311-6

cross_sectional · n=126Cited 232×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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