Gut bacteria in the microbiome are important to a range of health-related processes in the body, and a lack of diversity is tied to more diseases.
There are several so-called blue zones in the world — one in the United States — areas with extremely high rates of people who live past the age of 100 years.
Intermittent fasting and calorie reduction are both effective methods of supporting all-important microbiome diversity. A new study from the University of Colorado’s medical school highlights how changes in the gut microbiome, brought about through dietary interventions, can influence gene regulation and overall health.
Both intermittent fasting and calorie-reduction diets positively affect the microbiome, the community of bacteria living in a person’s digestive system and throughout the body. Participants in the study, all of whom had either overweight or obesity, were either instructed to fast for 3 non-consecutive days each week for a year or, alternately, to reduce their regular caloric intake by around 34% over the same period.
An earlier analysis found that the diversity of gut bacteria in individuals’ microbiomes was significantly improved, even at only 3 months into the year-long study. Improvements were seen for both groups — those who fasted and those who focused on reducing their daily calorie intake.
The analysis suggested that a person can improve the diversity of their microbiome and potentially their overall health using the weight-reduction strategy of their choice. The new study reinforces the idea that changes in gut bacteria occur during weight loss. The researchers observed several associations between the abundance of microbes associated with metabolism and obesity and DNA methylation, a process by which gene regulation is altered, potentially impacting our health. The study appears in Nutrients. Why microbial diversity matters for health Inside the human body are roughly 100 trillionTrusted Source symbiotic microbial cells. Most of these are bacteria, and most live in the upper and lower intestine. Our understanding of these tiny organisms is still somewhat in its infancy. However, it is clear that they are influential actors in our health. Gastroenterologist Dr. Rudolph Bedford, who was not involved in the study, explained: “The gut microbiome mediates so many different things.
