Advanced Understanding of Dietary Fiber With Omics

Dietary fiber (DF) including cellulose, inulin, pectin, psyllium husk, resistant starches, arabinoxylan, etc. is widely regarded as safe and beneficial; however, its excessive or abrupt introduction can lead to adverse effects.Besides its traditionally function, promoting laxation and supporting healthy digestion, DF is acknowledged as a multifunctional bioactive compound that influences systemic physiology via various gut-organ axis hypotheses.These effects stem from the fermentation of fiber by gut microbiota and the subsequent production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate.However, its excessive or abrupt introduction can induce undesirable effects, e.g., emerging applications of DF include detoxification of xenobiotics, e.g., per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances.Omics technologies including metagenomics for microbiome profiling are valuable for elucidating the integrated mechanisms of the actions of DF and DF-produced SCFAs, and for developing personalized DF-based nutritional strategies.Notably, DF has been shown to alleviate metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, supported by microbiome and metabolomic evidences.Genomic variations in WNT signaling and melatonin receptor 1B have been reported to mediate interactions between DF intake and diabetes risk.In addition, SCFAs conferred atheroprotective functions through epigenetic modifications, such as histone alterations.Therefore, this review provides precision nutrition strategies for DF and elucidates its functional mechanisms, integrating omics-based evidences to maximize benefits, while minimizing adverse effects.