Personalized nutrition has gained traction in recent years and has become popular among consumers looking to improve their health through food and beverages. With personalized nutrition’s appeal to consumers so high, Statista estimates the global market to be worth $8.2 billion in 2020, predicting that this figure will double by 2025.
Now researchers at Yale University believe they have made a breakthrough that could revolutionize personalized nutrition, increasing its importance and further strengthening its appeal.
How new research could advance the personalized nutrition industry
A Yale Institute of Microbial Sciences research team has created the first systematic map showing how individual gut bacteria interact with dietary molecules. As a result, there is an understanding of how different gut microbes metabolically process various food compounds and how this process affects health.
The findings could pave the way for better personalized nutrition based on how specific microbial genes found in an individual’s gut respond to different foods and drinks. It can also be a solution to diseases such as diabetes.
This study builds on previous research examining the effects of drugs on gut bacteria. Although much is known about the impact of macronutrients such as fiber on the gut microbiome, little is known about the impact of other small molecule components in foods and beverages.
“We know that diet is a huge component of our health and shapes our microbiome,” said Elizabeth Culp, a former Goodman Laboratory postdoctoral researcher and first author of the study. “Aside from anecdotal examples in the scientific literature, evidence is scarce on what dietary changes people can make to help them manage risk factors for diseases such as diabetes or cancer. This may be because our microbiomes respond differently to the same molecules found in food.”
The hypothesis was correct. The researchers found high levels of variability and demonstrated that a single dietary compound can reshape the gut microbial community of one individual but have no effect on another.
The researchers’ molecular map provides a mechanism that explains variable responses among different people; It shows how a dietary compound affects the growth of gut microbes and how that compound is metabolically altered by the microbial community.
The term gut health has gained increasing attention in recent years as consumers’ understanding of the function and importance of the gut microbiome continues to increase.
“Consumers’ understanding of gut health has increased significantly in recent years, and we attribute this to a number of factors,” Yakult UK marketing manager Reshma Patel told FoodNavigator.
“Although probiotics have been globally accepted for some time, scientific advances have only relatively recently revealed the profound impact gut health can have on overall well-being. It extends well beyond digestion, and with increasing evidence revealing the connection between the body’s major organs and the digestive tract, this goes well beyond digestion.” “The gut is at the center of this complex system. Another driving force has been a cultural shift towards preventative health measures rather than focusing solely on treatment. People are becoming more proactive about protecting their health rather than waiting for diseases or illnesses to appear.”
What is personalized nutrition?
Personalized nutrition, sometimes called precision nutrition, is personalized dietary advice or nutritional guidelines based on an individual’s combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.
Factors determining nutritional advice include dietary habits, health status, phenotype, gut microbiome, and genotype. Personalized nutrition focuses on improving health.
What is the future of personalized nutrition?
The researchers believe these findings offer a basis for understanding how metabolic reactions vary between people and how these differences shape the development of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut.
“If we can understand the specific microbial genes that determine how a microbiome responds to a molecule in our food, and how these genes differ between different people’s microbiomes, correlations with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or gastrointestinal infections could begin to make sense,” Culp concludes. “This is the first step in creating tailored nutritional recommendations as part of personalized nutritional strategies.”
The personalized nutrition industry is gaining importance, and as a result, food and beverage are innovating to meet growing demand.
“Brands should expect further advancements in personalization,” says Rick Miller, Mintel’s associate director of food and beverage specialty nutrition, who believes technologies such as artificial intelligence will take this even further.
Dictionary of gut health terms
What is the gut microbiome?
Trillions of microbes or bacteria live in the intestines of each of us. These are collectively called the gut microbiome. The two most common types of beneficial bacteria found in our gut microbiome are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Maintaining a healthy balance between beneficial (good) bacteria and unhelpful (bad) bacteria is essential in supporting a healthy digestive system; The gut is now understood to be at the center of health and contains over 70% of our immune system.
The gut microbiome is linked not only to gut health, but also to the health of the entire body. The gut-brain axis, or communication between the gut and the brain, is one of the essential functions currently being researched by scientists and also widely accepted among consumers. The gut-skin axis and the gut-liver axis are two other connections that are beginning to be studied and understood. Gut health is also linked to the prevention of colorectal cancer and other chronic diseases.
What are prebiotics in foods?
Prebiotics in foods are compounds that support beneficial microorganisms or good bacteria in the gut (gastrointestinal tract).
Dietary prebiotics are typically non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper digestive tract, supporting the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the colon. Prebiotics were first described and named by academic researcher Marcel Roberfroid in 1995. Prebiotics can be found in numerous foods, including almonds, bananas, whole grain wheat, corn, rye and barley, and flaxseed.
What are probiotics in foods?
Probiotics in foods are live microorganisms that are often described as beneficial or ‘good’ bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are available in foods such as live yoghurt.
The first probiotic, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, was discovered in 1905 by Bulgarian doctor and microbiologist Stamen Grigorov.
What are postbiotics?
Postbiotics, also known as metabiotics, biogenics, or metabolites, are a waste product produced when the body digests prebiotics and probiotics.
Healthy postbiotics contain nutrients such as vitamins B and K and amino acids. Postbiotics also produce antimicrobial peptides, known as host defense peptides, because they help slow the growth of harmful bacteria.
Source: Microbial transformation of dietary xenobiotics shapes gut microbiome composition
Published online: September 24, 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.038
Authors: Elizabeth J Culp, Nora T Nelson, Andrew A Verdegaal