Diet Someday May Be Used To Configure Gut Microbiota Toward Improving Human Health

Irish researchers report that the study of the human microbiota – trillions of beneficial bacteria in the gut belonging to a  thousand species – could transform scientific thinking about basic human nutrition, gut health and disease prevention: This has come about because of developments in DNA sequencing technology that have made possible closer analyses of complex microbial communities in the human digestive tract. Data from recent studies have shown that diet can program the gut microbiota and affect health status. Someday the  food industry might be able to design food ingredients and supplements that shape gut microbiota, improving consumer health.