Personalized Nutrition through the Gut Microbiota: Current Insights and Future Perspectives

Abstract

This narrative review discusses how to preserve or increase health through personalized nutritional products and services using microbiome data. In contrast to other reviews, which discuss this subject in the light of metabolic disorders and/or with a nutrition-affects-the-microbiota view, this review takes the perspective that the gut microbiota (GM) affects nutrition. Gut microbes affect host nutritional status through their role in energy harvest and nutrient availability. Consequently, GM modulation could contribute to fulfil nutritional requirements and in this way conquer malnutrition and disease. This review provides an overview of microbiota modulation methods that could be used to improve nutritional status as well as the personalization of these approaches. While some of these methods are immediately applicable, others require more development to assess their feasibility and safety.