TY - JOUR
T1 - Conducting research on diet–microbiome interactions
T2 - A review of current challenges, essential methodological principles, and recommendations for best practice in study design
AU - Shanahan, Erin R.
AU - McMaster, Jessica J.
AU - Staudacher, Heidi M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Diet is one of the strongest modulators of the gut microbiome. However, the complexity of the interactions between diet and the microbial community emphasises the need for a robust study design and continued methodological development. This review aims to summarise considerations for conducting high-quality diet–microbiome research, outline key challenges unique to the field, and provide advice for addressing these in a practical manner useful to dietitians, microbiologists, gastroenterologists and other diet–microbiome researchers. Searches of databases and references from relevant articles were conducted using the primary search terms ‘diet’, ‘diet intervention’, ‘dietary analysis’, ‘microbiome’ and ‘microbiota’, alone or in combination. Publications were considered relevant if they addressed methods for diet and/or microbiome research, or were a human study relevant to diet–microbiome interactions. Best-practice design in diet–microbiome research requires appropriate consideration of the study population and careful choice of trial design and data collection methodology. Ongoing challenges include the collection of dietary data that accurately reflects intake at a timescale relevant to microbial community structure and metabolism, measurement of nutrients in foods pertinent to microbes, improving ability to measure and understand microbial metabolic and functional properties, adequately powering studies, and the considered analysis of multivariate compositional datasets. Collaboration across the disciplines of nutrition science and microbiology is crucial for high-quality diet–microbiome research. Improvements in our understanding of the interaction between nutrient intake and microbial metabolism, as well as continued methodological innovation, will facilitate development of effective evidence-based personalised dietary treatments.
AB - Diet is one of the strongest modulators of the gut microbiome. However, the complexity of the interactions between diet and the microbial community emphasises the need for a robust study design and continued methodological development. This review aims to summarise considerations for conducting high-quality diet–microbiome research, outline key challenges unique to the field, and provide advice for addressing these in a practical manner useful to dietitians, microbiologists, gastroenterologists and other diet–microbiome researchers. Searches of databases and references from relevant articles were conducted using the primary search terms ‘diet’, ‘diet intervention’, ‘dietary analysis’, ‘microbiome’ and ‘microbiota’, alone or in combination. Publications were considered relevant if they addressed methods for diet and/or microbiome research, or were a human study relevant to diet–microbiome interactions. Best-practice design in diet–microbiome research requires appropriate consideration of the study population and careful choice of trial design and data collection methodology. Ongoing challenges include the collection of dietary data that accurately reflects intake at a timescale relevant to microbial community structure and metabolism, measurement of nutrients in foods pertinent to microbes, improving ability to measure and understand microbial metabolic and functional properties, adequately powering studies, and the considered analysis of multivariate compositional datasets. Collaboration across the disciplines of nutrition science and microbiology is crucial for high-quality diet–microbiome research. Improvements in our understanding of the interaction between nutrient intake and microbial metabolism, as well as continued methodological innovation, will facilitate development of effective evidence-based personalised dietary treatments.
KW - gastrointestinal tract
KW - microbiota
KW - nutrition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101858614&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jhn.12868
DO - 10.1111/jhn.12868
M3 - Review Article
C2 - 33639033
AN - SCOPUS:85101858614
SN - 0952-3871
VL - 34
SP - 631
EP - 644
JO - Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
JF - Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
IS - 4
ER -