Traditional diets refer to the culturally established patterns of food consumption that specific populations have relied on over generations, often centered around locally available plant species. Studying these diets matters for plant science because it highlights which wild and cultivated plants have long been valued for their nutritional and medicinal properties, offering clues for identifying bioactive compounds and preserving crop diversity. This knowledge also helps researchers understand traditional agricultural practices and plant domestication patterns that could inform sustainable food systems today.
Tribal communities in India that regularly eat dairy and diverse cereals have richer, more varied gut microbiomes than those who don't, with certain bacteria evolving specifically to digest grain and dairy compounds. Some community members show signs that globalization is already shifting their gut communities toward patterns seen in industrialized populations.
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Four Trans-Himalayan communities with dairy- and cereal-rich diets had elevated gut bacterial diversity driven by abundant Bifidobacterium, largely absent from other populations
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Segatella copri (formerly Prevotella copri) dominated gut microbiomes across all eight communities at 25-47% relative abundance
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Bifidobacterium adolescentis strains in dairy-consuming groups were genetically distinct from industrialized strains worldwide, carrying digestive enzymes consistent with long-term selection by grain and dairy consumption
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