Traditional vs. Modern Diets: Microbiome Dynamics across the Lifecourse

The field of human gut microbiome research has revealed profound connections between diet and microbial community structures, with implications for metabolic, immune, and overall health. Recent decades have witnessed a global dietary shift from traditional, plant-rich meals—such as the Mediterranean diet abundant in fiber and polyphenols—to processed foods prevalent in urban environments. This transition has raised pressing questions regarding the long-term impact on gut microbial diversity, metabolic pathways, and disease risk, particularly during sensitive life stages such as childhood and old age. Emerging studies demonstrate that traditional diets foster richer and more functional microbial communities, while processed diets can diminish microbial diversity and potentially predispose individuals to a range of chronic conditions. However, the exact mechanisms underlying these changes, and the consequences for populations undergoing rapid nutritional transitions, remain incompletely understood.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how shifts from traditional to modern dietary patterns influence the dynamics of the gut microbiome. Key objectives include elucidating the microbial, metabolic, and health-related effects of these dietary transitions, exploring how cultural habits and food environments shape microbial composition, and addressing knowledge gaps about the resilience or vulnerability of the microbiota at different stages of life. By integrating insights from nutritional science, microbiology, epidemiology, and cultural studies, this topic seeks to illuminate strategies for preserving microbial diversity and promoting health in a rapidly changing world.To gather further insights into the effects of dietary modernization on gut microbial dynamics, we welcome articles that focus mainly on human studies and consider factors such as age, culture, and food processing, but mechanistic insights from animal models may be incorporated. Manuscripts may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:o Comparative analyses of gut microbial diversity between traditional and modern dietso Age-specific responses of the microbiome to dietary changeso Influence of cultural practices and urbanization on eating patterns and microbial healtho Mechanistic studies linking processed foods to metabolic and immunological shifts in the microbiomeo “Long‑term health repercussions of microbiome alterations driven by dietary transitions and lifestyle behaviourso Interventions aiming to restore or maintain microbiota diversity in urban populationsWe welcome original research articles, reviews, methodological papers and all type of articles accepted by the journal that contribute to this multidisciplinary Research Topic. We will explicitly encourage submissions employing multi omics approaches (including metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics…) and emphasize the importance of longitudinal study designs. We will also highlight the value of comparative research across diverse cultural dietary practices. Topic editors: Sonia González, Daniel Commane, Nuria Salazar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75822/traditional-vs-modern-diets-microbiome-dynamics-across-the-lifecourse