Personalised diet breakthrough signals future of industry

Personalised nutrition​ has gained traction in recent years, popular with consumers looking to improve their health through foods and beverages. Such is the appeal of personalised nutrition to consumers, Statista valued the global market at $8.2bn in 2020, predicting the figure to double by 2025.

Now, researchers at Yale University believe they’ve made a breakthrough, which could revolutionise personalised nutrition, increasing its importance and further strengthening its appeal.

How could new research boost personalised nutrition industry?​A Yale Microbial Sciences Institute 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 that process impacts health.

The findings could pave the way for better personalised nutrition, based on how specific microbial genes in an individual’s gut respond to different foods and beverages. It could also address diseases such as diabetes.

This study builds on earlier research examining the effects of medications on gut bacteria. While much is known about the effect of macronutrients like fibre on the gut microbiome, little is known about the effect 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 postdoctoral fellow in the Goodman Lab and first author of the study. “Aside from anecdotal examples in the scientific literature, evidence is scarce regarding which dietary changes people can make to help them manage risk factors for diseases like diabetes or cancer. It is possible this is because our microbiomes respond differently to the same molecules present in food.”

The hypothesis was correct. Researchers found a high level of variability and proved a single dietary compound could reshape an individual’s gut microbial community, but have no impact on another’s.

The researchers’ molecular map provides a mechanism to explain the variable responses between different people, showing how a dietary compound impacts the growth of gut microbes and how that compound is metabolically altered by the microbial community.

The term gut health has gained increasing interest in recent years as consumer understanding of the function and importance of the gut microbiome continues to grow.

“Consumer understanding of gut health has grown significantly in recent years, and we attribute this to various factors,” Reshma Patel, marketing manager at Yakult UK, told FoodNavigator.

“While probiotics have been recognised globally for some time, it’s only relatively recently that scientific advancements have highlighted the profound impact of gut health on overall wellbeing. It extends way beyond digestion, with growing evidence revealing the interconnection of the body’s major organs, with the gut at the centre of this intricate system. Another driving force has been a cultural shift towards preventive health measures rather than just focusing on cure. People are being increasingly proactive in maintaining their health, rather than waiting for diseases or illnesses to strike.”

Consumer understanding of gut health is growing leading to an increase in demand for personalised nutrition. GettyImages/VioletaStoimenovaWhat is personalised nutrition?​Personalised nutrition, sometimes referred to as precision nutrition, is individualised dietary advice or nutrition guidelines based on a combination of an individual’s genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

Factors dictating nutritional advice include dietary habits, health status, phenotype, gut microbiome, and genotype. Personalised nutrition focuses on health promotion.

What is the future for personalised nutrition?​The researchers believe these findings offer a foundation to understand how metabolic reactions vary between people and how these differences shape the growth of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut.

“If we can figure out the specific microbial genes that determine how a microbiome responds to a molecule in our food, and how these genes are different between different people’s microbiomes, correlations to diseases like cancer, diabetes, or gastrointestinal infections can start to make sense,” concludes Culp. “This is the first step towards creating custom dietary recommendations as part of personalised nutrition strategies.”

The personalised nutrition industry is gaining prominence and, as a result, food and beverage is innovating to meet growing demand.

“Brands should expect more development in personalisation,” says Rick Miller, food & drink associate director for specialised nutrition at Mintel, who believes technology like AI will drive it further.

Personalised nutrition is a growing market. GettyImages/miljkoGlossary of gut health terms​What is the gut microbiome?​Each of us has trillions of microbes or bacteria living in our gut. These are collectively referred to as the gut microbiome. The two most common species of helpful bacteria found in our gut microbiome are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Maintaining a healthy balance between the helpful (good) bacteria and the unhelpful (bad) bacteria is fundamental in supporting a healthy digestive system, with the gut now understood to be central to health, containing more than 70% of our immune system.

The gut microbiome has been linked not just to gut health, but with the health of the entire body. The gut-brain axis or the communication between the gut and the brain​​​​ is one fundamental function currently being researched by scientists and also gaining widespread recognition amongst consumers. The gut-skin axis and the gut-liver axis are two other connections which are beginning to be studied and understood. Furthermore, gut health has also been linked to the prevention of colorectal cancer​​​​ and other chronic diseases.

What are prebiotics in food?​Prebiotics in food are compounds which support the beneficial microorganisms or good bacteria in the gut (gastrointestinal tract).

Dietary prebiotics are typically non-digestible fibre compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, supporting the growth of the ‘good’ bacteria in the colon. Prebiotics were first identified and named by academic researcher Marcel Roberfroid in 1995. Prebiotics can be found in a multitude of foods, including almonds, bananas, wholegrain wheat, corn, rye and barley, and flaxseeds

What are probiotics in food?​Probiotics in foods are live microorganisms often described as helpful or ‘good’ bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are available in foods such as live yogurt.

The first probiotic, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, was discovered by Bulgarian physician and microbiologist Stamen Grigorov in 1905. 

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 include nutrients such as vitamins B and K, and amino acids. Postbiotics also produce antimicrobial peptides, known as host defence peptides, as they help to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.

Source: Microbial transformation of dietary xenobiotics shapes gut microbiome composition
Published online: 24 September 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.038
Authors: Elizabeth J Culp, Nora T Nelson, Andrew A Verdegaal