There are hundreds of species of bacteria in your intestines. Each species plays a different role in your health and requires different nutrients for growth.

Generally speaking, a diverse microbiota is considered to be a healthy one. This is because the more species of bacteria you have, the greater number of health benefits they may be able to contribute to ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ).

A diet consisting of different food types can lead to a diverse microbiota ( 5 , 6 , 7 ).

Unfortunately, the Western diet is not very diverse and is rich in fat and sugar. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of the world’s food is produced from only 12 plant and 5 animal species ( 5 ).

However, diets in certain rural regions are more diverse and rich in different plant sources.

A few studies have shown that gut microbiota diversity is much greater in people from rural regions of Africa and South America than those from Europe or the US ( 8 , 9 ).