REMEDY Study

REMEDY: Researching Effects on Microbiome from Ethnic Diets and Natural Product Yields

Can changing what you eat improve your gut and metabolic health in just a few days?

REMEDY is one of Singapore's most comprehensive studies exploring how Asian diets shape the gut microbiome and influence metabolic health. While nutrition plays a critical role in preventing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, much of today's dietary research is based on Western populations. REMEDY was designed to uncover how Asian foods, lifestyles, and microbiomes interact to affect health outcomes in Asian communities.

The study followed 200 clinically healthy Asian adults through an intensive 9-day fully-fed dietary intervention, where participants consumed carefully designed meal plans representing both conventional and healthier Singaporean diets. Researchers collected extensive health data, including continuous glucose monitoring, sleep and activity tracking, and multi-omics samples from the gut, saliva, blood, urine, and skin.

Key Findings

Our findings revealed that the gut microbiome responds remarkably quickly to dietary change:

• Gut microbiome profiles shifted within just 48 hours of dietary intervention.
• Healthier Singaporean diets improved post-meal blood glucose responses in as little as four days.
• Individuals responded differently to the same meals, highlighting the highly personalised nature of metabolic health.
• Visceral fat levels emerged as a potential predictor of poorer blood glucose responses, even among otherwise healthy individuals.

Why It Matters

The REMEDY study demonstrates that small dietary changes can rapidly influence both the gut microbiome and metabolic health. More importantly, it highlights that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition.

By uncovering the biological factors that drive individual responses to food, REMEDY is helping to build the foundation for precision nutrition solutions tailored specifically to Asian populations, empowering individuals to make more informed dietary choices for long-term health.