Vegan, vegetarian, omnivore: How different diets affect your gut
India TodayWhat you eat doesn't just impact your waistline — it also influences the trillions of bacteria living in your gut. A new study examining over 21,000 people from the US, UK, and Italy has shed light on how different diets—omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan—affect gut health. Meat-Based Diets and Their Impact Researchers found that people who eat meat had higher levels of specific gut bacteria like Ruminococcus torques and Bilophila wadsworthia. Plant-Based Diets: A Boost for Gut Health On the other hand, vegans—those who completely avoid animal products—showed a different microbial profile. Conversely, diets high in animal protein can lead to harmful fermentation, resulting in inflammation and a “leaky gut” — a condition where the gut barrier becomes less effective.