Figure 1.

Comparison of diet and gut microbiota variations throughout life. Habitual diet plays a role in shaping the gut microbial environment, and hence, microbial composition. Dietary diversity has been associated with microbial diversity [78]. Throughout the year, the human diet tends to display a cyclical seasonal pattern due to seasonal availability and dietary preferences. Large day to day variations in diet are not reflected in the gut microbiota, suggesting that overall dietary habits have a greater impact on gut microbial composition [35]. This image was generated using BioRender Software (http://www.biorender.com/).