Personalized nutritionIn recent years, personalized nutrition has become popular among consumers looking to improve their overall health by eating and drinking better. Statista, which estimates the personalized nutrition market at $8.2 billion, predicts that figure will double to $20 million by 2025.
Researchers at Yale University now believe they have made a significant breakthrough in the field of personalized nutrition, which could increase its popularity and importance.
What new discoveries could boost the personalized food industry?
The Yale Microbial Sciences Institute has developed the first systematic map that shows how gut bacteria interact with food molecules. The results of this research have led to a better understanding of the metabolic processes used by different gut microbes when processing food molecules, as well as the impact of these processes on health.
These findings could pave the way for better personalized nutrition for each individual, by examining how certain microbial genetic responses in their gut react to various foods and drinks. This could help treat diseases such as diabetes.
The study builds on previous studies that have looked at the effect of drugs on gut bacteria. While much is known about the effects of fiber and other macronutrients on the gut microbiome, little is known about small molecules found in foods or beverages.
Elizabeth Culp is the first author and a former postdoctoral researcher at the Goodman Lab. She said: “We know that our diet has a major impact on our health. It also shapes our microbiome.” Few scientific studies provide evidence on how to manage the risk of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This could be because different microbiotas respond differently to food molecules.
The hypothesis turned out to be correct. The researchers found that there was a lot of variation and showed how a single compound in a diet could change the gut microbiome of one person, but not another.
The researchers' molecular maps help explain the differences in responses between people. They show how the gut microbiota reacts differently depending on the compound consumed.
In recent years, the term “gut health” has become more popular as consumers have gained a better understanding of how the gut microbiome works.
Reshma Patel, marketing manager at Yakult UK, told FoodNavigator that consumer understanding of gut health has improved significantly in recent years.
While probiotics are well known around the world, scientific advances have only recently highlighted how gut health can have a profound effect on your overall well-being. There is growing evidence that gut health extends beyond digestion. The interconnectedness of the body’s major organs, and the gut as the hub, is a complex system. A cultural shift has also driven the trend towards disease prevention, rather than focusing solely on treatment. “People are becoming more proactive in maintaining their health rather than simply waiting for diseases or conditions to arise.”
What is personalized nutrition?
Precision nutrition is a term used to describe dietary recommendations or advice based on an individual's lifestyle, genetics, and environmental factors.
Dietary habits, health, gut microbiome, and genotype are all factors that influence nutritional advice. Health promotion is at the heart of personalized nutrition.
How will personalized nutrition evolve in the future?
The researchers believe these findings provide a basis for understanding how metabolism varies between individuals and how this translates into differences in the growth of "good" or "bad" bacteria.
Culp concludes: “If we can identify the specific genes in microbiomes that influence how they respond to food molecules, and understand how different microbiomes differ from person to person, then correlations with diseases like cancer, diabetes, or gastrointestinal infections can start to make more sense.” This is the first step in creating personalized nutrition strategies that include dietary advice tailored to each individual.
Food and beverages are innovating as the personalized nutrition market grows.
Rick Miller, associate director of food and beverage for specialty nutrition at Mintel, believes technology, such as AI, will drive personalization.
Gut Health Glossary
What is your gut microbiome?
In our gut, we have trillions of bacteria or microbes. The gut microbiome is the collective term for these bacteria. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria are the two most common species found in our gut microbiome. In order to maintain a healthy digestive system, it is important to maintain a balance between helpful bacteria (good bacteria) and unhelpful bacteria (bad bacteria). The gut, which contains over 70 percent of the immune system, is considered the most central part of the body.
The gut microbiome has also been shown to be linked to overall body health. Gut-brain communication or gut-brain interaction is a key component of the gut-brain axis. The brain is a good thing.Scientists are currently studying this fundamental function, and it is also becoming increasingly popular among consumers. Two other links are being studied: the gut-skin and gut-liver connections. Gut health is also linked to the prevention of colorectal cancerOther chronic diseases
Prebiotics are present in foods.
Foods that contain prebiotics are those that help support beneficial bacteria or microorganisms (good bacteria) in the digestive tract.
Prebiotic fibers found in foods are nondigestible fibers that can pass through the upper digestive tract undigested, promoting the growth of “good bacteria.” Marcel Roberfroid, a university researcher at the University of Montreal in Canada, was the first to identify and name prebiotics. You can find prebiotics in many foods, including flaxseed, almonds, and bananas.
What is a probiotic?
Live microorganisms are often called “good bacteria” or helpful probiotics because they keep the gut healthy. Foods like yogurt with live cultures contain probiotics.
Stamen Georgov, a Bulgarian microbiologist and physician, discovered the first probiotic in 1905. It was Lactobacillus Bulgaricus.
Postbiotics are a group of bacteria that have been re-engineered.
The body produces postbiotics (also called biogenics or metabiotics) when it digests probiotics and prebiotics.
Postbiotics that are healthy contain nutrients like vitamins B and K, as well as amino acids. Postbiotics produce host defense peptides that are antimicrobial.
Source: Microbiome changes due to chemistry of food xenobiotics
Online since: September 24, 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.038
Authors: Elizabeth J Culp and Nora T Nelson. Andrew A Verdegaal
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