Frontiers in Gut Health: The Emerging Role of Berries in Microbiota Modulation and Gastrointestinal Diseases

Berries are rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, dietary fiber, and micronutrients, that have been linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and microbiota-modulating effects. This review examines how berry intake relates to gut health, which is considered here across 4 domains: (1) gut microbiota composition and function, (2) intestinal barrier integrity, (3) immune/inflammatory pathways, and (4) clinical symptoms/biomarkers, with relevance to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Berries have demonstrated microbiota-modulating effects across in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. Populations of specific taxa, such as Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, and Roseburia, increase in the gut after berry intake, alongside enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids. Importantly, the dual role of polyphenols as both microbial substrates and modulators-termed the "duplibiotic effect"-represents a novel conceptual advance. These microbial shifts are associated with improved gut barrier function and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Results of clinical studies with patients with IBD suggest anthocyanin-rich berries may support remission by enhancing microbial diversity and decreasing intestinal inflammation. In IBS, berries low in fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols, like blueberries, have shown symptom relief through anti-inflammatory and microbiota-modulating effects. Berries may also exert chemopreventive actions in GI cancers by influencing Wnt signaling, COX-2 expression, and DNA methylation. Although in vitro, in vivo, and early-phase clinical studies provide encouraging evidence, larger berry-specific human trials are required to confirm these effects and clarify mechanisms for personalized interventions.