The Indian gut microbiome is shaped by decades of high-fiber eating
The average Indian diet delivers between 30 and 40 grams of dietary fiber per day, primarily from lentils, whole grains, and vegetables. That fiber is not incidental, it is the primary food source for the bacteria that dominate the Indian gut microbiome. A 2020 study published in Nature Communications analyzing gut microbiota across global populations found that South Asian cohorts showed significantly higher populations of Prevotella, a genus of bacteria that thrives on plant-based carbohydrates and is nearly absent in populations eating low-carb, high-fat diets. Prevotella is associated with efficient carbohydrate fermentation, short-chain fatty acid production, and reduced gut inflammation. Keto does not just reduce carbs. For an Indian gut, it removes the primary substrate that the dominant bacterial population depends on.
