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Innovative Method to Track Diet Using Stool Metagenomic Data
A significant advancement in dietary tracking has emerged, utilizing stool metagenomic data.
Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) have introduced a pioneering technique known as MEDI (Metagenomic Estimation of Dietary Intake), which analyzes food-derived DNA present in stool samples to estimate individuals’ dietary habits. This innovative method exploits stool metagenomics, involving the sequencing of all DNA found in fecal samples, including microbial, human, and food-related DNA. Unlike traditional food diaries and questionnaires, which often face issues related to misreporting and compliance, this non-invasive and data-oriented approach provides a more objective means of assessing dietary intake.
“For many years, nutrition studies have relied on the accuracy of self-reported food diaries and questionnaires that demand considerable effort and reliability from participants. Remembering specific details, like how many strawberries were consumed days prior, can be challenging,” explained Dr. Christian Diener, the lead researcher of this study. “In contrast, MEDI analyzes food-derived DNA within gut metagenomic samples, offering a more convenient solution that aligns well with established dietary and nutritional intake data.”
Key Findings
An Alternative to Questionnaire-Based Diet Tracking: MEDI utilizes an extensive database featuring over 400 food items along with more than 300 billion base pairs of genomic information. This allows for the accurate detection of dietary intake patterns in both infants and adults during two distinct controlled feeding studies.
Connecting Dietary Intake to Nutrition: The MEDI method transforms the profiled abundance of specific food items into nutrient profiles based on a 100-gram serving size, demonstrating a strong correlation with findings from controlled feeding studies.
Identified Diet-Related Health Risks: By bypassing the need for food logs, MEDI identified dietary patterns associated with metabolic syndrome within a sizeable clinical cohort.
“Our research marks a substantial advancement in dietary monitoring and its implications for human health,” remarked Dr. Sean Gibbons, ISB Associate Professor and senior author of the study. “With the ability to analyze food-derived DNA in stool samples, we can thoroughly measure diet alongside microbiome composition from a single sample. This will enhance our understanding of the factors influencing the human gut microbiome, individual dietary responses, and potential disease risks.”
As MEDI continues to evolve, it holds the promise to revolutionize the fields of nutrition science, epidemiological research, and clinical trials, enabling researchers and healthcare professionals, as well as individuals, to monitor diet-related health risks more effectively than ever before.
Source
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