Mammalian gut microorganisms selectively absorb bihydroquinol from food.

The function of gut microorganisms has an increasing impact on host metabolic health, and diet is one of the most important factors affecting the composition of the microbiome. The close relationship between diet and gut microbes indicates the critical role of a variety of constant nutrients, including lipids, but it is not clear how various dietary lipids interact with the microbiome. Lipids are the biologically active ingredient in most foods and are also produced by important gut microorganisms. This makes lipids a candidate for the interaction of diet with the microbiome. For the study, Elizabeth L Johnson of The Department of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University in the United States used a click-chemistry-based approach to track the entry of omega-ginyl dihydroquinol (sphinganine alkyne, SAA) into the mouse gut microbiome (bio-orthotabolic markers) in a biological orthophedic diet.