Diet-Microbiota Interactions: A New Approach to Personalized Nutrition

Personalized nutrition is a new approach in medical sciences that is based on genetic profile, individual needs, and environmental conditions considering health status and chronic diseases of every person. Studies have shown that genetic differences cannot solely justify various responses to medications and diets, and other important factors including gut microbiota are also involved. Human body hosts an active and dynamic ecosystem composed of a large number of microorganisms consisting of genes about ten times more than the human genome. Gut microbiota interacts with the human body through releasing metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids and fermentation products such as kynurenine, indoles and indole derivatives, tryptophan, serotonin, histamine, and dopamine. Body weight, metabolic rate, and health and diseases are formed as a result of these interactions.