Healthy food doesn’t work the same for everyone

The main conclusion of the work is that the enzyme set of the microbiome is unique for each person. Exactly how intestinal bacteria process plant substances depends on lifestyle, diet, region of residence, and individual characteristics of the flora. Therefore, the same healthy product can have different effects in different people.

The team also studied what happens in chronic diseases. Using artificial intelligence models, the researchers compared the microbiomes of healthy volunteers and patients with inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It turned out that the ability of microbes to process useful plant components was significantly impaired in patients. In some cases, certain key enzymes were missing, which shows why general dietary recommendations do not always give the expected result.

To confirm the computer predictions, the scientists tested the work of individual bacterial strains in the laboratory. Experiments have made it possible to trace which microbes actually perform the transformation of certain compounds and to what extent this function is disrupted in diseases.

The authors of the study believe that such data will form the basis for future personalized nutrition. The doctor will be able to evaluate the enzyme potential of the microbiome and make recommendations based not only on the composition of bacteria, but also on their ability to process specific substances. This may include the selection of products, special nutrients, or probiotics that can fill in the missing functions.

The work emphasizes that not only a diverse microflora is important, but also what it can do. The functions of the microbiome, especially its ability to chemically transform food, are becoming a key focus of modern health science.