Precision nutrition and the gut microbiome: Harnessing AI to revolutionize cancer prevention and therapy

Abstract

The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in human health, particularly in cancer prevention and treatment. Diet can significantly influence microbiome composition, but individual variability complicates intervention outcomes. We review the microbiome’s influence on cancer development and therapy outcomes and evaluate dietary strategies that modulate microbial composition and metabolites. To address these complexities, we propose the digital gut twin: an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, dynamically updated simulation that integrates nutrient databases, multi-omic microbiome profiles, host genomics, and clinical data to predict personalized responses to dietary interventions. While significant data and regulatory challenges exist that currently limit clinical implementation, emerging solutions—including pre-trained microbiome models, mechanistic simulators, automated knowledge graphs, and privacy-preserving training—provide a promising pathway toward establishing personalized diet-microbiome modulation as a core component of precision oncology.