The Impact of Dietary Fibre on Gut Microbiota

Researchers have found that a 2-week growth in fiber consumption can considerably modify a person’s gut microbiota, including increasing species of bacteria that break down fiber. However, the amount of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) did not increase. SCFAs are the end result of bacteria breaking down fiber, and they have diverse roles within the body. For instance, SCFAs are used as a source of energy for the cells of the colon and are concerned with cell signaling. Some SCFAs additionally have anti-inflammatory properties and may affect insulin sensitivity and frame weight. The research, which seems in the journal mSystems, lays the groundwork for destiny research to discover in greater element the connection between fiber intake, gut bacteria, and SCFAs.

Fiber performs an essential position in human health. For example, the latest assessment of diverse meta-analyses located that individuals who consume the most fiber considerably reduce their chances of demise because of a cardiovascular event. However, only 1 in 20 people in the United States devour the endorsed quantity of fiber. According to Dr. Katrine Whiteson, partner professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, co-director of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Microbiome Initiative, and co-author of the present study: “The lack of fiber intake in the industrialized world is starving our gut microbiota, with important health consequences that may be associated with increases in colorectal cancer, autoimmune diseases, and even decreased vaccine efficacy and response to cancer immunotherapy.”

The small gut cannot digest fiber. Instead, in keeping with the authors of the prevailing study, it passes into the colon, in which microbes are able to interrupt the fiber down. This method outcomes in the production of SCFAs. Experts consider they’re essential for a selection of things affecting a person’s health. The researchers found that the composition of the participants’ gut microbiomes changed through round 8% following the nutritional intervention. This changed into in large part because of will increase in bacteria known for breaking down fiber, together with Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Prevotella.

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