Tomatoes can Instill a Good Gut Feeling in You

Tomatoes are back in news for changing gut microorganism in piglets as they were kept on a diet high in tomatoes for two weeks, states a recent study. This research was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. After closely monitoring these results with an intervention for a short period of time, the research is to be conducted in humans.

“It is possible that tomatoes impart benefits through their modulation of the gut microbiome,” said senior author Jessica Cooperstone, assistant professor of horticulture and crop science and food science and technology at The Ohio State University, US.

“Overall dietary patterns have been associated with differences in microbiome composition, but food-specific effects haven't been studied very much,” Cooperstone said. “Ultimately we’d like to identify in humans what the role is of these particular microorganisms and how they might be contributing to potential health outcomes.” The tomatoes that were used in the study were produced by Ohio State plant breeder, tomato geneticist, and co-author David Francis, and they are typically found in canned tomato products. These tomatoes were then introduced in the diet of ten recently weaned pigs in the form of freeze-dried powder made from tomatoes in the quantity of 10 percent of overall diet. The control group of the study comprised of 10 recently weaned pigs that had a standard diet which was identical in Fiber, sugar, protein, fat, and calories. The study group and the control pig groups lived separately, and researchers, who were involved in the study minimized their time spent with the pigs in order to prevent any form of contamination. A series of precautions were designed to ensure that there is no microbiome change seen with the study diet that could attribute to changes in the chemical compounds of the tomatoes.

After this, the microbial communities in the gut of the pigs were examined through their fecal samples. These samples were taken before the study began and then seven and 14 days after the diet was introduced.

The technique that was used in this study is the shotgun metagenomics technique which is used to sequence all microbial DNA present in the samples.

Results of the study indicated that microbiomes of pigs that were fed with the tomato-heavy diet, had an increase in the diversity of microbe species in their gut, and the concentrations of two types of bacteria that were common in the mammal microbiome shifted to a more favorable profile.

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With a higher ratio of the phyla Bacteroidota compared to Bacillota in the microbiome it has shown a positive impact on health.

Can Tomatoes have a Positive Impact on Human Gut?

India is known to be the second largest consumer of tomatoes in the world. There are a number of studies that have linked tomatoes with reduced risk for the development of various conditions, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers. As per Cooperstone, “This was our first investigation as to how tomato consumption might affect the microbiome, and we’ve characterized which microbes are present, and how their relative abundance has changed with this tomato intervention,” she said. “To really understand the mechanisms, we need to do more of this kind of work in the long term in humans. We also want to understand the complex interplay - how does consuming these foods change the composition of what microbes are present, and functionally, what does that do to our body?” she added.

Tomatoes and their relation to the gut microbiome is still a mystery in the box that needs further research. If they show similar results in human trials as they have shown in animal trials, it could be easily incorporated into our daily diet to gain maximum benefits from it.

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Source-Medindia