Reference Number: 528
Year: 2021
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health
Nutrition: Fibre
Summary
Dietary fibre supports gut health and microbial ecology. Thus, characterizing the effects of inadequate fibre and intake of specific fibre formulations on the gut microbiome provides necessary information to move us towards diet–microbiome target treatments to support health.
Refers to von Schwartzenberg, R. J. et al. Caloric restriction disrupts the microbiota and colonization resistance. Nature 595, 272–277 (2021) | Delannoy-Bruno, O. et al. Evaluating microbiome-directed fibre snacks in gnotobiotic mice and humans. Nature 595, 91–95 (2021).
Significance of this study to the baker:
This article provides some interesting latest insights into the effect of dietary fibre on our gut microbiome. Firstly, one study discussed includes women who are placed on a low calorie diet. The result is that their abundance of microbes in their gut diminishes, along with the important levels of short chain fatty acids. They do find that Akkermansia however, increase. On the flip side, they look at another recent study on both mice and humans. The small number of overweight humans consuming poor diets are supplemented with fibre. An enrichment of their gut microbiome if found post this supplementation. This image below from this very article helps visualise this for us. Further studies are still needed, although this highlights the understanding that ‘we are what we eat’.
