The Role of Carbohydrate Intake on the Gut Microbiome: A Weight of Evidence Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Carbohydrates are the most important source of nutritional energy for the human body. Carbohydrate digestion, metabolism, and their role in the gut microbiota modulation are the focus of multiple studies. The objective of this weight of evidence systematic review is to investigate the potential relationship between ingested carbohydrates and the gut microbiota composition at different taxonomic levels. (2) Methods: Weight of evidence and information value techniques were used to evaluate the relationship between dietary carbohydrates and the relative abundance of different bacterial taxa in the gut microbiota. (3) Results: The obtained results show that the types of carbohydrates that have a high information value are: soluble fiber with increase, insoluble fiber with and increase, and decrease. Oligosaccharides with increase and decrease. Gelatinized starches with increase. Starches and resistant starches with decrease and increase. (4) Conclusions: This work provides, for the first time, an integrative review of the subject by using statistical techniques that have not been previously employed in microbiota reviews.