Low-Gluten Diet Alters the Human Microbiome

A study of Danish adults reveals moderate changes in the abundance of multiple gut bacteria species, but the results might not be due to reduced gluten per se.

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ABOVE: WIKIMEDIA, NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Going on a low-gluten diet moderately alters the composition of bacterial species in the human gut, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial published today (November 13) in Nature Communications. The results suggest that some of the positive effects associated with a low-gluten diet, such as reduced bloating after meals, may be the result of diet-induced changes in the intestinal microbiome.

To study the effect of a low-gluten diet, researchers in Denmark recruited 60 middle-aged, healthy adults. Participants followed a specialized diet for eight weeks—either low gluten (2 g per day) or high gluten (12 g per day). Then, after a six week break, they switched.

An analysis of the participants’ microbiome composition revealed that, of hundreds of bacterial species identified across the cohort, 14 consistently experienced changes in relative abundance in response to a low-gluten diet. For example, four species of Bifidobacterium, ...

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Meet the Author

  • Catherine Offord

    Catherine is a science journalist based in Barcelona.
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