Dietary fibres constitute a heterogeneous class of nutrients that are key in the prevention of various chronic diseases. Most dietary fibres are fermented by the gut microbiome and may, thereby, modulate the gut microbial ecology and metabolism, impacting human health. Dietary fibres may influence the occurrence of specific bacterial taxa, with this effect varying between individuals. The effect of dietary fibres on microbial diversity is a matter of debate. Most intervention studies with dietary fibres in the context of obesity and related metabolic disorders reveal the need for an accurate assessment of the microbiome to better understand the variable response to dietary fibres. Epidemiological studies confirm that a high dietary fibre intake is strongly associated with a reduced occurrence of many types of cancer. However, there is a need to determine the impact of intervention with specific dietary fibres on cancer risk, therapy efficacy and toxicity, as well as in cancer cachexia. In this Review, we summarize the mechanisms by which the gut microbiome can mediate the physiological benefits of dietary fibres in the contexts of obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and cancer, their incidence being clearly linked to low dietary fibre intake.

膳食纤维是一类异质的营养素，是预防各种慢性疾病的关键。大多数膳食纤维由肠道微生物组发酵，从而调节肠道微生物的生态和新陈代谢，影响人类健康。膳食纤维可能会影响特定细菌类群的出现，这种影响因人而异。膳食纤维对微生物多样性的影响是一个争论不休的问题。在肥胖和相关代谢紊乱的背景下，大多数膳食纤维干预研究都表明需要对微生物组进行准确评估，以更好地了解对膳食纤维的可变反应。流行病学研究证实，高膳食纤维摄入量与减少多种癌症的发生密切相关。然而，有必要确定使用特定膳食纤维进行干预对癌症风险、治疗效果和毒性以及癌症恶病质的影响。在这篇综述中，我们总结了肠道微生物组在肥胖、心脏代谢疾病和癌症的情况下介导膳食纤维的生理益处的机制，它们的发生率与低膳食纤维摄入量明显相关。