Gut Microbiota and Time-Restricted Feeding/Eating: A Targeted Biomarker and Approach in Precision Nutrition

Abstract

Each individual has a unique gut microbiota; therefore, the genes in our microbiome outnumber the genes in our genome by about 150 to 1. Perturbation in host nutritional status influences gut microbiome composition and vice versa. The gut microbiome can help in producing vitamins, hormones, and other active metabolites that support the immune system; harvest energy from food; aid in digestion; protect against pathogens; improve gut transit and function; send signals to the brain and other organs; oscillate the circadian rhythm; and coordinate with the host metabolism through multiple cellular pathways. Gut microbiota can be influenced by host genetics, medications, diet, and lifestyle factors from preterm to aging. Aligning with precision nutrition, identifying a personalized microbiome mandates the provision of the right nutrients at the right time to the right patient. Thus, before prescribing a personalized treatment, it is crucial to monitor and count the gut flora as a focused biomarker. Many nutritional approaches that have been developed help in maintaining and restoring an optimal microbiome such as specific diet therapy, nutrition interventions, and customized eating patterns. One of these approaches is time-restricted feeding/eating (TRF/E), a type of intermittent fasting (IF) in which a subject abstains from food intake for a specific time window. Such a dietary modification might alter and restore the gut microbiome for proper alignment of cellular and molecular pathways throughout the lifespan. In this review, we have highlighted that the gut microbiota would be a targeted biomarker and TRF/E would be a targeted approach for restoring the gut-microbiome-associated molecular pathways such as hormonal signaling, the circadian system, metabolic regulators, neural responses, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Consequently, modulation of the gut microbiota through TRF/E could contribute to proper utilization and availability of the nutrients and in this way confer protection against diseases for harnessing personalized nutrition approaches to improve human health.

The effects of time-restricted eating for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review

“…In addition, the overall reduction in free fatty acid in the liver as a result of TRE can reduce inflammation. (4) The effects of TRE on gut microbiota ( 74 ). TRE can restore the microbiota-related molecular pathways, including hormonal signaling, neural responses, metabolic regulators, the circadian system, and immune-inflammatory pathways.…”

Timing Matters: The Interplay between Early Mealtime, Circadian Rhythms, Gene Expression, Circadian Hormones, and Metabolism—A Narrative Review

“…These members are believed to confer resistance to the metabolic effects of obesity [ 191 , 202 ]. A higher abundance of Firmicutes species in the gut microbiome has been associated with increased adiposity, suggesting their potential involvement in obesity development [ 204 ]. However, research evaluating the microbiome in both normal mice and mice under TRE conditions indicates that the abundance of Firmicutes species is more closely linked to the food and feeding pattern rather than obesity or dysmetabolism per se [ 204 ].…”

“…A higher abundance of Firmicutes species in the gut microbiome has been associated with increased adiposity, suggesting their potential involvement in obesity development [ 204 ]. However, research evaluating the microbiome in both normal mice and mice under TRE conditions indicates that the abundance of Firmicutes species is more closely linked to the food and feeding pattern rather than obesity or dysmetabolism per se [ 204 ]. One prevalent explanation for the documented advantages of TRE is that it emulates innate eating patterns aligned with circadian rhythms, resembling the dietary habits of humans prior to the advent of artificial lighting and the availability of high-energy foods around the clock [ 4 , 205 , 206 ].…”

The Role of Diet and Gut Microbiota Interactions in Metabolic Homeostasis

“…Based on evidence from several studies, both TRF and ADF can increase bacterial 𝛼 diversity and enrich the abundance of Lactobacillus, alleviating diabetesinduced complications. [93,95,100] Since TRF can drive rhythmic transcription and closely related to circadian rhythm, [101] TRF is capable of partially restoring the cyclical fluctuations of ileal and cecal microbiome in rodents, in addition to modulating the gut microbiota composition. [102,103] Additionally, gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites can mediate the health ef-fects of IF(Figure 3).…”