Dietary Fiber Induces Gut Microbes to Maintain Health

The microbes in the gut and intestinal cells work together to promote a virtuous cycle that maintains gut health.

Dietary fiber, as known, has various benefits ranging from weight loss, digestion and maintenance of a healthy bowel. Another research finding shows that by-products of the digestion of dietary fiber by gut microbes act as the right fuel to helpintestinal cells maintain gut health.

The research finding identifies a potential therapeutic target for rebalancing gut microbiota and adds to a growing body of knowledge on the complex interplay between gut microbiota and dietary fiber.

Fiber Up Your Meals
A high fiber diet and good water intake are essential for a stress free body. High-fiber foods prevent overeating and is also the key to maintaining a healthy weight.

‘Signals generated by beneficial microbes drive the intestinal tract to limit resources that could lead to an expansion of potentially harmful microbes.’

An accompanying Insights / Perspectives article in the same issue of the journal describes gut microbes as "partners" in the body's defense against potential infectious agents, such as Salmonella.

"Our research suggests that one of the best approaches to maintaining gut health might be to feed the beneficial microbes in our intestines dietary fiber, their preferred source of sustenance," said Andreas Bäumler, professor of medical microbiology and immunology at UC Davis Health and senior author of the study.

"While it is known that the gut is the site of constant turf wars between microbes, our research suggests that signals generated by beneficial microbes drive the intestinal tract to limit resources that could lead to an expansion of potentially harmful microbes," he said.

Dietary Fiber-rich Cocoa Products Improve Bowel Function
A recent Spanish study attempts to analyze the effect of including dietary fiber-rich cocoa products on bowel habits in healthy subjects.

Resident gut microbes metabolize indigestible dietary fiber to produce short-chain fatty acids, which signal cells lining the large bowel to maximize oxygen consumption, thereby limiting the amount of oxygen diffusing into the gut lumen (the open space within the intestine that comes into direct contact with digested food.).

"Interestingly, the beneficial gut bacteria that are able to breakdown fiber don't survive in an environment rich in oxygen, which means that our microbiota and intestinal cells work together to promote a virtuous cycle that maintains gut health," Mariana X. Byndloss, assistant project scientist and first author on the study.

Dietary Fiber Intake may Prevent Colorectal Cancer
Reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by increasing intake of dietary fiber from legumes, especially lupin kernel fiber.

The new research identified the host receptor peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPARg) as the regulator responsible for maintaining this cycle of protection.

"When this host signaling pathway malfunctions, it leads to increased oxygen levels in the gut lumen," Bäumler said. "These higher oxygen levels make us more susceptible to aerobic enteric pathogens such as Salmonella or Escherichia coli, which use oxygen to edge out competing beneficial microbes."

Eating Whole Grains Increases Metabolism And Calorie Loss
A diet rich in whole grains not only helps in improving digestion but also helps in increasing the resting metabolic rate, an effect that is similar to exercise.

Source-Eurekalert