Scientific Study

Scope: Peanuts are widely consumed as a meal ingredient and a snack, and are commonly considered as a healthy food based on their nutrient profile. Peanut consumption has been associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in epidemiological studies. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether consuming peanuts affects the gut microbiota in adults with risk of metabolic syndrome and whether the intervention effect of peanuts is associated with gut microbiota composition. Methods and results: We analyzed the gut microbiota of subjects from a 12-week randomized clinical trial comparing consumption of either peanuts or isocaloric carbohydrate bars. We observed that there was high inter-individual variability on multiple clinical and anthropometrical parameters in response to peanut consumption. Meanwhile, the gut microbiota composition was also highly person-specific and had minor changes when compared laterally or longitudinally. We employed a machine-learning algorithm and established prediction models using the microbiome data and the responsiveness data of different parameters in subjects with peanut intervention. As a result, we found that the improvement of MetS risk and numerous parameters including diastolic blood pressure, body weight, waist circumference, and fasting blood glucose level could be predicted for responsiveness with high accuracy that had a value of area under curve over 0.70 by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Conclusion: Together, our findings suggest that individual gut microbiota configuration may modulate host metabolism and alter an individual's response to peanut intervention, thus highlighting the importance of personalized nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202001051