Authors of a review article examined the probable use of the gut microbial composition as a putative biomarker of the intake of food, as well as screen the sensitivity value of fecal microbiota in the assessment of dietary interventions as another option to subjective questionnaires. It was noted that there is currently a lack of accurate and effective biomarkers that estimate food intake or dietary patterns that are non-biased. Diet is known as an important driver in determining the human gut microbiota (GM). The collection of fecal samples is a simple method, but there is a knowledge gap in the utility of fecal microbiota in producing nutritional biomarkers. The authors further discussed scientific evidence regarding links between gut bacteria with dietary intake in addition to examining possible GM composition as it pertains to a sensitive marker of food and nutrient intake as well as adherence to diet.
Reference: Melo NCO, Cuevas-Sierra A, Fernández-Cruz E, de la O V, Martínez JA. Fecal Microbiota Composition as a Metagenomic Biomarker of Dietary Intake. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(5):4918. doi:10.3390/ijms24054918
