The connection between the gut microbiome, diet and cardio-metabolic health highlights the importance of gut microbiome restoration to improve your cardio-metabolic health.
When we eat better we feel better. How much of that is to do with the impact of our diet on our gut microbiome? Research in the field of gut and microbiome health is showing us, again and again, that what and how we eat directly influences the health of the microbial community in our gut. Our gut microbes in turn influence many of our biological functions, including our metabolism, our weight, our brain function, hormones and so much more.
Diet –> Changes in Gut Microbiome Composition –> Better Health Outcomes
Our microbial friends interact with our cells via complex signalling mechanisms and disturbances in the composition of our gut microbiome. This is also known as dysbiosis, which can have a serious ripple effect on our health. Many common health challenges and chronic disease conditions have been connected to the gut microbiome. Some examples are anxiety and depression, cardiovascular health, IBS, autoimmune disease, diabetes and obesity.
A study recently published in Nature Medicine (1) confirmed once more the important connection between our health, our diet and the composition of our gut microbiome. In this particular study, the focus was on cardio-metabolic health, which includes common chronic health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions are among the leading causes of global mortality.
The study looked at the gut microbiome composition of 1,098 individuals as well as their long-term diet habits and hundreds of markers that are linked to cardio-metabolic health. Measures included personal data (BMI, blood pressure, age etc.), detailed lipid markers (like total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, VLDL and the lipid content of lipoprotein subfractions) and markers of blood glucose, insulin and inflammation.
Some of the highlights of this study:
- The composition of the gut microbiome, in particular the presence and diversity of certain individual and groups of microbes was predictive of better cardiometabolic health as measured by glycemic, lipid and inflammatory blood markers.
- The health of the microbiome was significantly associated with healthy dietary habits, in particular the quality and diversity of plant-based and animal foods (such as a variety of vegetables, eggs, fish etc.) in the diet.
- The study identified two consistent groups of microbial species that were either connected with beneficial or negative scores for diet and cardiometabolic health. The positive cluster of microbes pointed at a rich functional diversity of species. What’s exciting about these types of findings is that it opens up future possibility of using the gut microbiome as a biomarker for cardiometabolic risk.
- The study also found that some of the strongest correlations between dietary habits and gut microbiome composition were driven by microbial species that have not yet been fully characterized. While science has made a lot of headway in the area of gut microbiome research, there clearly remains a lot to be uncovered.
- Certain species, that have in the past been considered as less favorable (like Blastocystis Hominis and Prevotella Copri) had positive associations with better blood glucose response.
To summarise, this study has once more highlighted the importance of healthy long term diet habits in the management of cardio-metabolic risk partly via the impact of diet on the gut microbiome composition. This connection between the gut microbiome, diet and cardio-metabolic health also confirms the benefits of incorporating nutritional and lifestyle-based microbiome restoration strategies for improving cardio-metabolic risk.
It is for this reason that when I work with clients to help them resolve health challenges, optimising gut health and restoring their microbiome is at the core of what we do. While their gut and microbiome health (or lack of it) may not explain everything that is going on with them, it plays a key role and needs to be at the center of a holistic healing approach. Fortunately, gut and microbiome health are very receptive to dietary and lifestyle modifications and clients report significant improvement once gut and microbiome strategies have been put into place.
If this has peeked your interest and if you like to map out your gut microbiome as part of a holistic health approach, I invite you to schedule a strategy call here so we can discuss ways to upgrade your gut, your microbiome and your health.
Be Well.
References:
- Asnicar et al. (2021). Microbiome connections with host metabolism and habitual diet from 1,098 deeply phenotyped individuals. Nature Medicine
