Research
Mixed
The Mediterranean Diet improves gut microbiota diversity and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and short-chain fatty acid producers, while reducing pro-inflammatory species.
Eating a diverse range of plant-based foods, especially high-fiber vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, feeds beneficial gut bacteria. This supports metabolic health and reduces inflammation.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The MD is also associated with characteristic modifications to gut microbiota... These include enhanced growth of species that produce short-chain fatty acids (butyrate), such as Clostridium leptum and Eubacterium rectale, enhanced growth of Bifidobacteria, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species, and reduced growth of Firmicutes and Blautia species.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies showing consistent trends in microbiota shifts, though some short-term studies show no effect.
Source
The Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on Health and Gut Microbiota
Thomas M. Barber et al. · Nutrients · 2023
DOI 10.3390/nu15092150
narrative_reviewCited 179×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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