This cross-sectional study in 88 children (ages 2–12) from Northwest China employed multiomics (metagenomics + metabolomics) to examine how plant-based diet indices (PDIs) influence the gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and host blood metabolomes. A healthy PDI (hPDI) was associated with beneficial microbial species like Ruminococcus bicirculans and elevated plasma metabolites linked to tryptophan metabolism. In contrast, an unhealthy PDI (uPDI) correlated with microbes and metabolites typically associated with Western diets (e.g., tyrosine and sphingolipid metabolism). The study offers insights into how specific dietary patterns shape metabolic outcomes in children and supports plant-forward diets for better gut health.
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