Plant-Based and Alternative Diets, Microbiota, and Inflammation: A One Health Perspective on Human Health

Dietary patterns are increasingly recognized as key modulators of human health, not only through their nutritional composition but also via their impact on microbial ecosystems and inflammatory pathways. In recent years, alternative and plant-based diets—including the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), vegetarian and flexitarian patterns, and biodiversity-oriented dietary approaches—have gained attention for their potential roles in promoting sustainable food systems and supporting human health within a One Health framework.A growing body of observational and interventional research suggests that such dietary patterns are associated with changes in the composition of the gut and oral microbiota, as well as with markers of low-grade inflammation and metabolic health. However, these associations are characterized by substantial heterogeneity across individuals, microbial niches, and study designs. Importantly, shifts in microbial taxonomic abundance do not necessarily translate into functional, immunological, or clinical effects, and mechanistic pathways linking diet, microbiota modulation, and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain incompletely understood.This Research Topic aims to provide a rigorous and interdisciplinary platform to explore how alternative and plant-based diets interact with human microbiota and inflammatory processes across the lifespan, while explicitly acknowledging current methodological limitations and avoiding causal overinterpretation. Emphasis will be placed on ecological modulation rather than uniform or suppressive effects, inter-individual variability in microbial responses, and the relevance of precision nutrition approaches.The scope of this collection encompasses studies on oral and gut microbiota, dietary diversity and cultivated biodiversity, inflammatory and metabolic markers, and patient-reported or clinical outcomes, within both healthy populations and at-risk groups. Contributions addressing methodological challenges—such as study design, statistical approaches to longitudinal and heterogeneous data, and the interpretation of microbiome-derived signals—are particularly encouraged.We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:-The intricate interactions between alternative/plant-based diets and human oral and gut microbiota across the lifespan.-The impact of diet on inflammatory and metabolic markers, and patient-reported or clinical outcomes.-The role of dietary diversity and cultivated biodiversity in shaping human health and contributing to sustainable food systems, embodying a core One Health principle.-Approaches highlighting the relevance of precision nutrition for tailoring dietary interventions.This collection welcomes original research articles, systematic and scoping reviews, methodological papers, study protocols, and well-argued perspectives. By integrating nutrition science, microbiology, epidemiology, and public health, this Research Topic seeks to advance a nuanced understanding of how sustainable dietary patterns may shape human–microbe interactions and inform future preventive research within a One Health perspective, without overstating mechanistic or clinical claims. Topic editors: Romain Lan, Laurie Fraticelli, Florence Carrouel, Lucas De Paula Ramos Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77034/plant-based-and-alternative-diets-microbiota-and-inflammation-a-one-health-perspective-on-human-health