Dietas vegetarianas e microbiota intestinal:

Abstract

RESUMO: Dietas vegetarianas tem sido associadas a efeitos beneficos na saude e na composicao da microbiota intestinal, cujo perfil influencia funcoes digestivas, imunologicas emetabolicas. Dietas abundantes em fibras, prebioticos e antioxidantes, como as encontradas frequentemente em padroes alimentares vegetarianos, promovem o aumento do numero de bacterias beneficas, enquanto dietas abundante em gorduras e proteinas animais contribuem para o desenvolvimento de populacoes bacterianas potencialmente prejudiciais. Objetivo Geral: Revisar a literatura existente sobre os efeitos das dietas vegetarianas na composicao microbiana intestinal e seus impactos na saude humana. Metodologia: Realizou-se uma revisao integrativa com buscas nos repositorios cientificos virtuais, PubMed e BVS, selecionando nove estudos publicados entre 2016 a maio de 2025. Resultados e Discussão: Houve uma maior riqueza de bacterias beneficas em vegetarianos, como: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii e Roseburia spp., associadas a producao de acidos graxos de cadeia curta (AGCC) e a melhores marcadores metabolicos e inflamatorios. Contudo, as variacoes na diversidade microbiana observadas em algumas das pesquisas analisadas foram pequenas, afetadas substancialmente por aspectos como estilo de vida e a ingestao nutricional individual. Conclusão: Conclui-se que dietas vegetarianas favorecem a saude intestinal e possuem capacidade de contribuir na prevencao de doencas cronicas nao transmissiveis. Entretanto, são necessarias pesquisas mais amplas, longitudinais e com metodologias padronizadas a fim de validar esses achados e compreender melhor os mecanismos envolvidos, de modo a aprimorar o conhecimento cientifico e fundamentar a adesao de padroes dieteticos mais saudaveis e ecologicos. Palavras-Chave: Dieta vegana. Dieta vegetariana. Microbiota intestinal. Microbioma intestinal. Flora intestinal. ABSTRACT: Vegetarian diets have been associated with beneficial effects on health and the composition of the intestinal microbiota, the profile of which influences digestive, immunological, and metabolic functions. Diets abundant in fiber, prebiotics, and antioxidants, such as those frequently found in vegetarian dietary patterns, promote an increase in the number of beneficial bacteria, while diets abundant in animal fats and proteins contribute to the development of potentially harmful bacterial populations. General Objective: To review the existing literature on the effects of vegetarian diets on intestinal microbial composition and their impacts on human health. Methodology: An integrative review was carried out with searches in the virtual scientific repositories, PubMed and VHL, selecting nine studies published between 2016 and May 2025. Results and Discussion: There was a greater abundance of beneficial bacteria in vegetarians, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia spp., associated with the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and better metabolic and inflammatory markers. However, the variations in microbial diversity observed in some of the analyzed research were small, substantially affected by aspects such as lifestyle and individual nutritional intake. Conclusion: It is concluded that vegetarian diets favor intestinal health and have the capacity to contribute to the prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases. However, more extensive, longitudinal research with standardized methodologies is needed in order to validate these findings and better understand the mechanisms involved, in order to improve scientific knowledge and support the adoption of healthier and more ecological dietary patterns. Key-words: Vegan diet. Vegetarian diet. Gut microbiota. Gut microbiome. Gut flora.