Dietary Bioactives and Gut Microbiota: Global Advances in Nutrition, Functionality and Personalized Health

Dear Colleagues,

Recent research highlights that food components do more than just provide nutrients—they also influence the gut microbiota, which plays a vital role in human health. The interaction between dietary bioactive compounds and gut microbes has become a hot topic in nutrition, food science, and medicine. Bioactive compounds such as dietary polysaccharides, polyphenols, and prebiotics can shape the composition and activity of the gut microbiota through multiple mechanisms. Microbial polysaccharides (e.g., exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria or β-glucans from yeast) can directly regulate the immune system or serve as prebiotics to support a healthy gut environment. These interactions affect energy metabolism, immune responses, and even brain signaling. This “food–microbiota–host” relationship offers a new perspective for understanding the health benefits of traditional diets and guiding personalized nutrition.

This Special Issue highlights three key areas of research: (1) the mechanisms by which dietary bioactive compounds influence microbial metabolism and subsequently regulate host energy balance, immune function, and gut–brain signaling; (2) the development of personalized nutrition approaches through identifying gut microbiota markers that predict individual responses to specific dietary components; and (3) the health-promoting effects of traditional regional diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, mediated through their modulation of the gut microbiome.

This issue aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration across food science, microbiome research, clinical nutrition, and omics technologies. The findings will provide valuable insights for preventing metabolic diseases, supporting immune health, and improving neurological outcomes.

Prof. Dr. Wei Li
Guest Editor

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