Bacteroides acidifaciens: Linking dietary fiber to liver health.

While innumerous associative microbiome studies have been published, mechanistic links between the microbiome and host physiology remain much scarcer. In Cell Host & Microbe, Shen et al. report the effect of soluble dietary fibers in alcohol-related liver disease. Through microbiome remodeling, dietary fiber triggers upregulation of liver ornithine aminotransferase and a subsequent reduction in hepatic damage.