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The gut is home to billions of microorganisms. It is a complex ecosystem that regulates many of the body's functions and helps keep us healthy—when it is in balance. Our diet influences this ecosystem. But does it matter whether a person is vegan or omnivorous?

In a new study published in the journal Microbiome, researchers from the University of Copenhagen examined this question by closely investigating the gut microbiome of 75 vegans and 75 omnivorous Danes.

The researchers initially expected the vegan group to have the healthiest gut microbiome across all parameters. However, they found one notable weakness: gut bacterial diversity was, on average, lower among vegans than among omnivores.

"This came as a major surprise. Because vegans eat only plant-based foods and therefore consume large amounts of dietary fiber and other health-promoting plant compounds that stimulate the gut microbiome, we expected the vegan group to have greater bacterial diversity than the omnivores. But that was not the case," says Oluf Borbye Pedersen, professor at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.

He adds, "The study suggests that the lower average diversity of gut bacteria among vegans may be linked to their lower protein intake. Among vegans, 12% of dietary energy came from protein, compared with 17% among omnivores. However, the vegans who consumed the most protein had biodiversity levels comparable to those of the omnivores.

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