About this Research Topic
It has been demonstrated that the gut microbiota community structure can be affected by both short-term and long-term diet patterns. National food-based dietary guidelines provided by countries all over the world include recommendations for consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, oil, and dairy as part of a healthy diet. The observed relationship between heath and these various food types is partly due to the fermentation of macronutrients (e.g., dietary fiber, protein) and micronutrients (e.g., polyphenols, choline, B vitamins) by the gut microbiota.
For example, the fermentative production of lactic acid and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by the microbes in the gut, can improve the colonic epithelial barrier function, enhance regulatory T-cell activity, stimulate production of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), and affect the microbial community structure, increasing the abundance of microbes that utilize lactic acid and acetate as a carbon source. The fermentation of amino acids such as tryptophan to indole, and indolepropionic acid (IPA), can affect tight junction formation, while other indole metabolites such as indolelactic acid (ILA) and indoleacetic acid (IAA) stimulate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) to affect both innate and adaptive immune responses in the gut.
However, much about the dynamic fermentation capacity of the gut microbiota, and the degree to which it can be regulated using diet remains unknown. We welcome studies that shed light on how the dynamic and complex relationship between dietary components and the gut microbiota can influence human health. Subtopics relevant to this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
• Impact of interventions of purified nutrients or whole foods in the context of humans, animal models or in vitro studies, on gut microbial community dynamics including but not limited to: community structure, bacterial gene expression, metabolic or phenotypic changes
• Cohort studies examining the relationship between diet pattern and gut microbiome structure and/or function, including but not limited to marker gene, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic investigations.
• Studies examining the activities of bacterial enzymes in the context of one or more purified nutrients or whole foods.
For example, the fermentative production of lactic acid and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by the microbes in the gut, can improve the colonic epithelial barrier function, enhance regulatory T-cell activity, stimulate production of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), and affect the microbial community structure, increasing the abundance of microbes that utilize lactic acid and acetate as a carbon source. The fermentation of amino acids such as tryptophan to indole, and indolepropionic acid (IPA), can affect tight junction formation, while other indole metabolites such as indolelactic acid (ILA) and indoleacetic acid (IAA) stimulate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) to affect both innate and adaptive immune responses in the gut.
However, much about the dynamic fermentation capacity of the gut microbiota, and the degree to which it can be regulated using diet remains unknown. We welcome studies that shed light on how the dynamic and complex relationship between dietary components and the gut microbiota can influence human health. Subtopics relevant to this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
• Impact of interventions of purified nutrients or whole foods in the context of humans, animal models or in vitro studies, on gut microbial community dynamics including but not limited to: community structure, bacterial gene expression, metabolic or phenotypic changes
• Cohort studies examining the relationship between diet pattern and gut microbiome structure and/or function, including but not limited to marker gene, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic investigations.
• Studies examining the activities of bacterial enzymes in the context of one or more purified nutrients or whole foods.
Keywords: gut microbiome
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