We observed that individuals with higher diversity in their gut microbiomes at the start of the study were more likely to experience decreases in inflammation when consuming a high fiber diet.

Dietary changes can lead to rapid shifts in the gut microbiome, but it often returns to a state similar to its original condition, demonstrating resilience.

The high fermented food group in our study showed an increase in microbiota diversity and a decrease in inflammatory markers, indicating a positive impact on the immune system.

The human microbiome plays a crucial role in how individuals respond to nutrition, and it can be altered, unlike genetics, which opens up possibilities for improving health through dietary changes.

In a study on bread consumption, increasing the amount of bread in participants' diets did not lead to significant changes in their microbiomes, indicating that individual microbiome composition plays a crucial role in dietary effects.

The Human Microbiome Project aimed to define healthy versus diseased microbiomes by studying diverse populations, revealing significant individuality in gut microbiomes and the challenges in establishing universal health standards. Additionally, the microbiomes of traditional populations represent the closest approximation to how our ancestors lived, suggesting that our current industrialized microbiome may be deteriorating due to factors like antibiotic use and a Western diet.

The gut microbiome is critical for modulating our immune status, and changes in diet can fundamentally alter how the immune system operates, potentially reducing inflammation and disease risk.

The Human Microbiome Project documented the microbiome of healthy Americans, but it may have actually recorded a perturbed microbiota that predisposes individuals to inflammatory and metabolic diseases.

Our flagship study, funded by philanthropy, aimed to understand how a high fiber diet versus a diet rich in live microbes affects the microbiome and immune system.