Project Grant 20243882142214

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF DIET, MICROBIOME, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE OCCURRENCE OF INTESTINAL DISEASES AND THE DEGREE OF INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION.IT IS WELL EVIDENCED THAT DIETARY FIBER CAN DIRECTLY INTERVENE WITH GUT MICROBIOTA POPULATION, THUS AFFECTING HOST HEATH, WHICH INCLUDES PATHOGEN INHIBITION, INFLAMMATION MODULATION, AND CANCER PREVENTION. THE GUT FUNCTION WILL FURTHER INFLUENCE HOST LEARNING, MEMORY, MOOD, AND NEURAL FUNCTION THROUGH THE MICROBIOTA-GUT-BRAIN (MGB) AXIS. CURRENT DIETARY FIBER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE OFTEN LIMITED AND CONFLICTING, FAILING TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC TYPES AND DOSES IN THE TREATMENT OF GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS. THE DAILY DIETARY FIBER INTAKE AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IS FAR BELOW THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT. THERE IS ALSO AN INCONSISTENCY IN DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING DIETARY FIBER CATEGORIES IN LITERATURE.IN RECENT YEARS RESEARCH ON GUT MICROBIOME ARE ATTRACTING INCREASING ATTENTION DUE TO THE HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH GUT MICROBIOME. THE GUT MICROBIOME IS CONSIDERED THE INVISIBLE ORGAN OR SECOND BRAIN SINCE IT IS RELATED NOT ONLY TO THE HEALTH OF OTHER ORGANS BUT ALSO TO THE NEURO SYSTEM. DIETARY FIBER, THE MAJOR FEEDING SUBSTRATE FOR GUT MICROBES, CARRIES A VITAL ROLE TO REGULATE THE MICROFLORA. GUT MICROBIOTA IS DETERMINED BY MANY FACTORS SUCH AS GENETICS, CULTURE, GEOGRAPHY, DIETARY HISTORY, ETC.DIETARY FIBER IS WELL PROVEN AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION TO MODULATE GUT MICROBIOME.THE VAST RANGE OF DIETARY FIBER AND ITS COMPLEX NATURE MAKE IT A CHALLENGING TASK TO INVESTIGATE THE CORRELATION BETWEEN DIETARY FIBER TYPE AND GUT MICROBIOME. THEREFORE, IN THE CURRENT PROJECT, DIETARY FIBER WILL BE CLASSIFIED INTO THREE MAJOR GROUPS ACCORDING TO THEIR DEGREE OF POLYMERIZATION, MONOSACCHARIDE COMPOSITION, AND LINKAGE PATTERN, NAMELY OLIGOSACCHARIDES, HOMOPOLYSACCHARIDES, AND HETEROPOLYSACCHARIDES.CORRELATING THE MICROBIAL RESPONSES TO THE MOLECULAR LINKAGE PATTERN AND MONOSACCHARIDE COMPOSITION CAN HELP IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC FIBER TYPE THUS LINKING THE BENEFICIAL DIETARY FIBER TO ITS COMMON FOOD SOURCE. THIS WILL DRAMATICALLY CHANGE THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE NUTRITION GUIDELINE ON DIETARY FIBER, E.G. 25G DIETARY FIBER/PER DAY, AND DIETARY FIBER SOURCES AND TYPES WILL EVENTUALLY BE ADDED TO THE GUIDELINE.?THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO STUDY THE CORRELATION OF DIETARY FIBER TYPE AND GUT MICROBIOME, AS WELL AS COMPARE THE OBTAINED RESULTS WITH HUMAN DATA USING A COMMUNITY COHORT STUDY AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS.