Nutritionists commonly recommend increasing consumption of dietary fiber, but a recent study from Cornell University indicates that the impact on health may differ among individuals. The study suggests that dietary recommendations should be personalized based on each person’s gut microbiome.
The study, published in Gut Microbes, focused on resistant starch, a type of dietary fiber present in foods like bread, cereals, green bananas, whole-grain pasta, brown rice, and potatoes.
Researchers observed changes in gut microbe species in response to two different types of resistant starch. The results revealed that individuals may respond uniquely to consuming resistant starch, with some benefiting from it while others might not experience significant effects. This variation appears to be linked to the diversity and composition of an individual’s gut microbiome.
Angela Poole, assistant professor of molecular nutrition and senior study author, emphasized the importance of precision nutrition in determining the optimal dietary fiber for each person. She noted that existing dietary fiber recommendations have been uniform for a long time, with a low compliance rate of less than 10% among the population. Poole suggested that a more effective approach would involve gathering individual data to recommend specific dietary fibers tailored to maximize benefits.
During the study, Poole and her team tested three different dietary treatments on 59 participants over a duration of seven weeks. The research received support from the President’s Council of Cornell Women and the National Institutes of Health.
