Dietary Influence on the Dynamics of the Human Gut Microbiome: Prospective Implications in Interventional Therapies

Dietary factors have a significantly influential role in regulating body homeostasis by modulating gut microbial composition, supplying different sources of nutrients, and inducing changes in the body. Unhealthy short- or long-term modifications in the dietary pattern can alter the intestinal microbiota, leading to a loss of metabolic control and physiological activities, which is a growing concern as per recent studies. Diets, mainly containing high-fat, high-carbohydrate, and low-fiber content, are predisposing factors that could lead to gut dysbiosis, thereby causing health disorders. In comparison with different dietary patterns, vegan and vegetarian diets containing plentiful fruits and vegetables are known for anti-inflammatory properties and eliminating gut dysbiosis, causing improvement in intestinal well-being. Microbes in the gut can regulate cholesterol metabolism, blood glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and many other metabolic pathways; hence, the dysbiosis of microbiota leads to metabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disorders, type 2 diabetes, obesity, etc. Recent research advancements have expanded the knowledge on the potentiality of the gut microbiome in regulating mood and behavior. The rebiosis strategy includes the treatment of microbiome-associated illness via an increment of microbial resilience within the gut by administering probiotics or prebiotics. Therefore, over the last few decades, health benefits offered by probiotics and prebiotics have been the focus of intensive research. Psychobiotics is also an emerging novel antidepressant therapy that influences the control of mental conditions through the application of probiotics that could interact through the gut–brain axis. This review aims to examine the latest research evaluating the impact of diet on homeostasis and host body well-being with a special reference to the importance of gut microbiota and its modulation against dysbiosis.