Reference Number: 233
Year: 2018
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Cancer | Colorectal Cancer | Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health
Inclusions: Barley
Summary
Gastrointestinal microbiome, containing at least 100 trillion bacteria, resides in the mucosal surface of human intestine. Recent studies show that perturbations in the microbiota may influence physiology and link to a number of diseases, including colon tumorigenesis. Colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most common cancer, is the disease resulting from multi-genes and multi-factors, but the mechanistic details between gut microenvironment and CRC remain poorly characterized. Thanks to new technologies such as metagenome sequencing, progress in large-scale analysis of the genetic and metabolic profile of gut microbial has been possible, which has facilitated studies about microbiota composition, taxonomic alterations and host interactions. Different bacterial species and their metabolites play critical roles in the development of CRC. Also, microbiota is important in the inflammatory response and immune processes deregulation during the development and progression of CRC. This review summarizes current studies regarding the association between gastrointestinal microbiota and the development of CRC, which provides insights into the therapeutic strategy of CRC.
What does this mean for bakers?
Although barley is only briefly mentioned in this work, it highlights the fact that diets rich in fibre can decrease colorectal cancer risk and how this is potentially connected to the digestion of fibre by some of the beneficial gut bacteria. This gives us further evidence that incorporating more wholegrains into our baking can be very important in promoting colorectal health.
