Dietary modulation of the gut resistome: ecological and metabolic pathways driving antimicrobial resistance
2026 (Engelska)Ingår i: Frontiers in Nutrition, E-ISSN 2296-861X, Vol. 13, s. 01-07, artikel-id 1868638Artikel i tidskrift, Editorial material (Refereegranskat) Published
Abstract [en]
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is traditionally viewed as a consequence of antibiotic exposure and genetic adaptation; however, resistance also emerges from the ecological and metabolic context of microbial communities. The human gut microbiome represents a major reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and diet is increasingly recognised as a dominant regulator of its structure and function. Here, I synthesise current evidence and propose a conceptual framework in which diet shapes resistome dynamics through three interrelated pathways: ecological selection, metabolic regulation, and physicochemical modulation of horizontal gene transfer. Dietary components influence microbial composition, metabolic activity, and the spatial organisation of fermentation along the colon. Diverse fibre types differentially regulate short-chain fatty acid production and microbial competition, whereas high-fat, low-diversity diets destabilise communities and favour opportunistic taxa. Beyond macronutrients, food additives and the physical structure of food alter gut barrier function, microbial stress responses, and spatial ecology, thereby influencing resistome stability. Diet-induced metabolic states further determine antibiotic susceptibility, including transitions between tolerance and resistance. Taken together, this integrated ecological perspective positions diet as a modifiable driver of AMR and highlights nutritional strategies as complementary approaches to mitigating resistome expansion.
Ort, förlag, år, upplaga, sidor
Switzerland: Frontiers Media S.A., 2026. Vol. 13, s. 01-07, artikel-id 1868638
Nyckelord [en]
antibiotic tolerance, antimicrobial resistance, dietary modulation, gut microbiome, horizontal gene transfer, host–microbe interactions, microbial ecology, microbiotaaccessible carbohydrates
Nationell ämneskategori
Mikrobiologi inom det medicinska området Näringslära och dietkunskap Molekylärbiologi
Forskningsämne
mikrobiologi; molekylärbiologi; näringslära
Identifikatorer
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-256171DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1868638OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-256171DiVA, id: diva2:2080747
Projekt
Bacterial Stress-response and AMR
Anmärkning
A small idea that turned into a big question… For a long time, I’ve been thinking about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) the way most of us do — as something driven mainly by antibiotics. But the more I read about and worked with the gut microbiome, the more I kept coming back to a simple question:
👉 What if what we eat is quietly shaping resistance too? That question eventually grew into this paper.
In it, I try to step back and look at the gut not just as a collection of microbes, but as an ecosystem influenced every day by diet — from the fibers we consume to the structure of our food, even to additives we don’t think twice about. What emerged is a framework where diet affects the “resistome” through:
Who survives and competes in the gut ?
How microbes behave metabolically ?
and even how resistance genes move between them ?
Writing this really shifted how I think about AMR. It’s not just about fighting bacteria — it’s about understanding the environment we create for them.
And maybe, just maybe, it means that part of the solution isn’t only in new drugs… but also on our plates.
📖 If you’re curious, here’s the full paper:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1868638/full
I’d genuinely love to hear what you think — especially if you work at the intersection of microbiology, nutrition, or systems biology.
2026-06-272026-06-272026-06-29Bibliografiskt granskad