The Microbiome Could be the Answer to Personalized Diabetes Nutrition

Personalized diabetes nutrition has been recognized as a vital step toward effective control of the disease. However. As much as it is well recognized, it is also a concept that is easier said than done. That said, a recent study may have discovered certain factors that will help to fine tune a diet for a more individualized design.

The Body’s Microbiome

The digestive microbiome plays a central role in effective personalized diabetes nutrition, says new research. The human body is made up of more microscopic life forms than the number of cells making up the actual body. There are thousands of different bacterial species in healthy human body at any given moment. The majority of those forms of bacteria are found in the large intestine.

Every one of those bacteria species has thousands of its own genes. This, according to Eran Segal, PhD, a computer science and applied mathematics department professor from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Segal spoke at an American Association of Diabetes Educators meeting presentation.

Understanding Personalized Diabetes Nutrition

Understanding the microbiome as a whole, let alone in terms of personalized diabetes nutrition, is only at its very beginning. After all, the billions of individual bacterium among the thousands of different kinds of bacteria are each having their own impact on the body. They affect everything from asthma to cardiovascular disease and from obesity to glucose excursions following a snack or meal.

Furthermore, Segal and his team of researchers found in their study that foods people eat can lead to changes in their metabolism that directly impact their digestive microbiota. Moreover, microbiota have a diurnal rhythm, just like people do, that can have a further impact on their human hosts, depending on their health and lifestyle.

The 1 Percent

Segal estimates that scientists have been able to study only about 1 percent of the genetic material actually carried around by the human body. The reason is that our main understanding is of a human’s own genes, of which there are about 25,000. With the billions of bacteria in our bodies, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the genetic total.

Therefore, while personalized diabetes nutrition may be directly dependent on the micribiota, researchers have yet to understand just how to put that into practical action. The researchers are now looking into the impact of postpriandial glucose response to food in order to help develop such personalized diabetes nutrition strategies.