GENERAL GUT HEALTH NUTRITION
Current Research
MICROBIOME
- 2024 coffee drinkers had distinct microbiomes, with 115 species groups (SGBs) positively associated with coffee intake, particularly L. asaccharolyticus, which showed a strong correlation to coffee consumption, including decaffeinated coffee, and was linked to specific metabolic pathways involving polyphenols like quinic acid.
- 2024 PFAS worsens kidney function 4 years later by altering the composition of microbiome which is associated with lower anti-inflammatory metabolites.
- 2024 lower levels of slimming bacteria Christensenella minuta are lower in obese individuals.
- 2024 Mediterranean Diet increased diversity in gut microbiome which is associated with reduced chronic conditions.
- 2024 in mice, chronic stress increased Lactobacillus which produced a chemical indo-3 acetate that prevents cells from protecting themselves. This is a great example of the brain-gut connection and how our immune & digestive systems get affected by stress.
- 2023 12-participant (type 2 diabetics) study showed individual no-calorie sweeteners behave differently in the gut. Stevia, tagatose, sorbitol, and maltitol increased bacterial density and short-chain fatty acid production, but not sucralose.
- 2023 review article, showed that a Western diet (high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, salt, added sugar, & food additives) has a negative impact on the gut microbiome.
- high-fat diet significant alterations to gut microbiota composition including reduced short-chain fatty acids, pro-inflammatory genes, and increasing risk for liver cancer due to the accumulation of Gram-positive bacteria in the liver, together with dysregulated bile acid metabolism.
- low intake of whole plant food can reduce the production of beneficial microbial metabolites.
- Emulsifiers in processed foods increase the risk of intestinal carcinogenesis by messing with gut microbiota and inducing low-grade inflammation.
- 2023 randomized control trial, lacto-ovo-vegetarian with or without 3oz a day of processed or unprocessed red meat for 3 weeks showed short-term change in gut bacteria, no change in short-chain fatty acids, decrease in total cholesterol & LDL-C.
- 2023 randomized crossover study involving 59 overweight young adults, high-dose (30g inulin) prebiotic fiber intake for 14 days made their brains less interested in high-calorie food accompanied by shifts in the gut microbiota, including increased occurrence of SCFA-producing Bifidobacteriaceae. This proof-of-concept study suggests that prebiotic interventions may modulate reward-related brain activation during food decision-making and influence the gut microbiota in humans (suggesting that eating prebiotics might help us make healthier food choices).
- 2021 Journal of Nutrition showed eating an avocado a day for 12 weeks “diversity and enriched Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, and Alistipes between 26% and 65% ” and a greater increase in beneficial small chain fatty acids.
- 2021 RCT, Rhamnan sulphate (RS) is a green alge from Monostroma nitidum that can help treat diseases like viral infections, thrombosis, and obesity. When given to mice on a high-fat diet, it increased their fecal volume and reduced plasma lipids, similar to earlier zebrafish research, suggesting it might help with constipation in both mice and humans because of its fiber content. In a human study, RS improved bowel movements without side effects but didn’t affect body weight or blood lipids. Gut microbiota analysis revealed changes in certain pathways that may contribute to RS’s constipation-relief effects.
PROBIOTICS
- 2014 Systemic review to determine probiotic’s effect after a disruption in the microbiome occurs. 3 categories were created to determine the probiotic effect (restoration, improvement or no change).
- “Only two probiotic mixtures ((2 strain mixture: L. acidophilus+B. bifidum) and (4 strain mixture: L. acidophilus, 2 strains, B. bifidum, B. animalis)) were supported by a confirmatory study” for model A group documented either complete or partial recovery of normal microbiota.
- “Evidence that probiotics may alter or improve normal microbiota (model B) was found for three single strain probiotics (E. coli Nissle, S. boulardii and L. casei rhamnosus) and seven mixtures of 2–7 probiotic strains. “
- 2014 Systemic review to determine probiotic’s effect after a disruption in the microbiome occurs. 3 categories were created to determine the probiotic effect (restoration, improvement or no change).
- 2023 RCT researchers tested the effects of specific L. fermentum strains on inflammation and metabolic syndrome in 180 individuals with abdominal overweight. They found that the probiotic group experienced a significant reduction in body fat mass, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and other related parameters, while the synbiotic group also showed improvements in visceral adipose tissue, liver health, and constipation compared to the placebo group. Both interventions had positive impacts on overweight and metabolic syndrome.
NERVES
- 2023 systematic review: negative association with stress and diversity of microbiota
- 2023 study on mice found that there are different kinds of neurons in the colon. Some feel gentle stretches, like when food moves and others feel strong forces like pain. This discovery might help doctors make better treatments for stomach problems by aiming at these neurons.
DISEASE RISK
- 2024 41% higher gastric cancer risk to those who add salt to their food at the table
- 2024 in mice, a high-fat diet increased desulfovibrio bacteria which suppresses the immune system and increases the progression of tumor growth
- 2023 study Braak’s hypothesis suggests that Parkinson’s disease (PD) begins in the gastrointestinal tract, with similar associations observed for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). This study found that gastroparesis, dysphagia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) without diarrhea, and constipation are linked to 17% increased risk of PD when compared to negative controls, AD, and CVD, both in case-control and cohort analyses. Additionally, appendectomy reduced the risk of PD, while inflammatory bowel disease and vagotomy were not associated with PD.
- 2022 RCT involving 120 healthy adults consuming saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia for two weeks in doses below the acceptable daily intake, the study found that each distinctly altered stool and oral microbiome, as well as plasma metabolome. Additionally, saccharin and sucralose were associated with significant impairments in glycemic responses, and when gnotobiotic mice were inoculated with microbiomes from human donors, glycemic responses mirrored those of their respective donors, highlighting person-specific, microbiome-dependent effects of NNS on glycemic regulation.
PREBIOTICS
- 2023 1 cup of beans a day of these prebiotic foods increases the diversity of the gut microbiome which improves immune and anti-inflammatory markers & regulates weight and markers related to colorectal cancer. However, the crossover at 8 weeks, showed a loss of benefits at 4 weeks of weeks without beans.
- 2023 Inulin (non-digestible fiber in bananas, wheat, onion, garlic, chickory root) binds to many bacteria, unlike other prebiotics which only binds to a select few microbes.
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Abbreviations:
RCT = Randomized Control Trail
L. = Lactobacillus
DISCLAIMER:
The Digestive Nutrition Library is for informational purposes only. If you choose to use any of the nutrition information provided, you do so at your own risk. Please consult with your dietitian prior to implementing any of the research in the library.