Healthy Plant Foods Linked to a Healthier Gut Microbiome, Study of 1,098 People Finds

Diets rich in healthy, plant-based foods are linked to "good" gut microbes, which are in turn tied to better blood sugar, blood fat and inflammation markers, a study of 1,098 people finds.

The PREDICT 1 team, led by Professor Tim Spector at King's College London and Professor Nicola Segata at the University of Trento with researchers at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital, sequenced 1,203 gut microbiome samples alongside detailed diet records and blood tests. The results are published in Nature Medicine.

The links between microbes and food were "driven especially by the presence and diversity of healthy and plant-based foods", the paper says, and the microbes tied to healthy diets overlapped with those tied to healthy metabolism. Several authors work for or advise the nutrition company ZOE, which co-ran the study. In the Massachusetts General Hospital press release, Professor Segata said:

We were surprised to see such large, clear groups of 'good' and 'bad' microbes emerging from our analysis.

"When you eat, you're not just nourishing your body, you're feeding the trillions of microbes that live inside your gut," added Professor Spector, as the Harvard Gazette reports. More variety of beans, whole grains, fruit and veg is a tasty way to feed them well.

It builds on the review that found plant-based diets improve weight, metabolism and inflammation and shift the microbiome in a good direction, and November's trial in which a low-fat vegan diet cut 5.9 kg in 16 weeks.

Happy gut, happy you.