New research suggests that people who consume more plant-based foods, regardless of whether they are vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous, tend to have more favorable gut microbiomes compared to those who don't follow a healthy dietary pattern. The study found that red meat consumption was strongly associated with an omnivore microbiome, while vegan microbiomes were linked to beneficial cardiometabolic markers. The researchers emphasized that the diversity of healthy plant-based foods is crucial for gut health, and that excluding broad food categories, such as dairy fermented foods, can have negative consequences.
People who ate more plant-based and less meat-based foods — whether on a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous diet — had more favorable microbiome compositions than those who did not follow a healthy dietary pattern, new research suggested.
“From the viewpoint of the impact of diet on the gut microbiome, what seems to be more important is the diversity of healthy plant-based foods that are consumed,” principal author Nicola Segata, PhD, University of Trento, Trento, Italy, told. “Whether this comes within a vegan or an omnivore diet is less crucial, as long as there is no specific overconsumption of unhealthy food categories, such as red meat.
Dietary factors within each diet pattern, such as the amount of plant-based food, shape the microbiome more than the type of diet and are important for gut health, according to the authors. For example, by eating more plant-based foods, people with an omnivorous diet can bring the proportion of beneficial signature microbes in their microbiomes more in line with the levels in people who are vegan or vegetarian, they suggested.
His team is currently analyzing changes in the gut microbiome induced by diet changes among thousands of participants in various cohorts. “There is not much you can do with the ‘eat a healthy balanced diet’ routine,” he noted. “If I got a microbiome signature, I could potentially tell you what to eat to optimize your blood glucose trends and your lipid panels but not to handle long-term disease risk, yet. So sticking with the guideline-recommended dietary advice seems best, until we can provide more nuanced advice for the patient.”
Gut Microbiome Diet Plant-Based Foods Red Meat Cardiometabolic Health
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