University of Minnesota researchers are developing a personalized approach to track how individual food choices impact the gut microbiome.
Researchers from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and The Hormel Institute are creating an algorithm that uses mobile health technologies and artificial intelligence to collect and analyze large amounts of dietary information to better understand the bacteria living in a person's gut.
The immense variety of foods in our diets make it difficult to pinpoint which items have the greatest effect on the microbiome. To solve this, the team drew on nutrition sociology in an effort to advance diet-related microbiota research.
The study, recently published in Gut Microbes Reports, details how scientists can analyze a person's diet through core foods and secondary foods to reveal how food choices contribute to gut health.
"We think of a diet like a house. The core foods are the current foundation and the secondary foods are the furniture that we move to change the space, but they all work together to create the living environment," said Annie Lin, an assistant professor at The Hormel Institute. "By recognizing the gut microbiome as a highly responsive ecosystem, we can focus on tailored interventions for improved gut health."
They propose:
- Core foods are the steady, everyday staples that keep the microbiome stable over time. Secondary foods, on the other hand, represent the variable, changing parts of the diet.
- Use of a framework that collects large amounts of individual data to move away from the "one-size-fits-all" approach in nutrition.
- By tracking both core foods and secondary foods, researchers can see how routine habits and everyday shifts affect gut health, leading to more personalized diet advice.
"While these sociological concepts were originally used to study the eating habits of entire cultures, this research marks a major shift in how they are applied," said first author Julia Oliveira, a member of Lin's research group at The Hormel Institute.
The research team is actively testing different definitions of core and secondary foods to determine the optimal algorithms for gut microbiome research.
"We hope this work helps people understand there is no single miracle food for gut health. Instead, behavioral patterns and daily food choices have critical influence on the gut microbiome," said Levi Teigen, an assistant professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, who co-led the manuscript with Lin.
This work was supported by the Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network.
About the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
The University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences strives to inspire minds, nourish people, and sustainably enhance the natural environment. CFANS has a legacy of innovation, bringing discoveries to life through science and educating the next generation of leaders. Every day, students, faculty, and researchers use science to address the grand challenges of the world today and in the future. CFANS offers an unparalleled expanse of experiential learning opportunities for students and the community, with 12 academic departments, 10 research and outreach centers across the state, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Bell Museum, and dozens of interdisciplinary centers. Learn more at cfans.umn.edu.
About The Hormel Institute
Founded in 1942 by Jay C. Hormel and The Hormel Foundation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, advances science through research, education, and community to enhance wellbeing and extend human life. For more than 80 years, we have pursued our mission to conduct research and provide education in the biological sciences with applications in medicine and agriculture. A part of the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office, The Hormel Institute partners with the region's leading biomedical research facilities, including Mayo Clinic.
