The human microbiome is emerging as an interesting field in research into the prevention of health problems and recovery from illness in humans. The complex ecosystem formed by the microbiota is continuously interacting with its host and the environment. Diet could be assumed to be one of the most prominent factors influencing the microbiota composition. Nevertheless, and in spite of numerous strategies proposed to modulate the human microbiota through dietary means, guidelines to achieve this goal have yet to be established. This review assesses the correlation between social and dietary changes over the course of human evolution and the adaptation of the human microbiota to those changes. In addition, it discusses the main dietary strategies for modulating the microbiota and the difficulties of putting them properly into practice.
Keywords: Western diet; chronic disease; gut microbiota; prebiotic; probiotic.