The GI Microbiome and Personalized Nutrition

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            Expanding knowledge surrounding the human gastrointestinal tract and its microbiome may change how Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN’s) personalize nutrition in the upcoming future.  Currently, more than 1,000 individual species of microorganisms have been discovered in the GI tract.  Many of which, may be influenced by our daily behaviors such as overall diet, exercise, stress, probiotic usage and other factors like medications.  We have all seen or read in the news about “good” and “bad” gut bacteria and its link to optimal and/or poor health status.  The lack of microbiome diversity has been linked to various health related issues.  For example, obese individuals demonstrated a lack of microbiome diversity and had decreased levels of “good” gut bacteria compared to lean individuals.  We have only begun to scratch the surface of the microbiome in context of nutritional interventions.  However, its role may change the way RDN’s personalize nutrition, particularly in clinical settings.  The authors of this article note that the, “Utilization of the microbiome in specific clinical situations has the potential to improve clinical outcomes not only in IBS, but also in diabetes management, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and potentially nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)1.”  The future of personalized nutrition may be right around the corner.

1       Harvie, Ruth et al. (2016). Using the Human Gastrointestinal Microbiome to Personalize Nutrition Advice: Are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Ready for the Opportunities and Challenges? Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 0, Issue 0.

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