Page 52 - FoodFocusThailand No.143_February 2018

STRATEGIC R&D

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ช่วงวันหยุดด้วย อย่างไรก็ตาม ภายในปี 2018 นี้เราจะได้เห็นงานวิจัยใหม่ๆ เกี่ยวกับ เอกสารอ้างอิง/Reference
จุลินทรีย์ที่มีประโยชน์ต่อสุขภาพออกมาอย่างต่อเนื่อง และที่ส�าคัญที่สุดก็คือเราจะ www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320471.php

Your Gut Health in 2018

This year has seen a steep increase in our appreciation bacteria in the Clostridium family, which are often found
of the trillions of microbes that share our bodies. in the guts of those with IBD. When human study
subjects drank high-cocoa chocolate milk over a period
So, here are our tips for keeping your microbial of 4 weeks, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species
passengers happy over the holidays. shot up in numbers in their guts.
However, it is also worth remembering that not all
chocolate is created equal. Unsweetened cocoa
powder and dark chocolate with a high cocoa content
Gone are days when we saw the plethora of microorganisms that colonize our bodies as are the closest you can get to the cocoa formulations
mere hitchhikers. Today, we appreciate that our gut microbiota plays a crucial role in our health. used in scientific research.
We need to keep our tiny partners-in-crime happy; if we don’t, things can go sour rather quickly. 3. Work your holiday pounds Medical
News Today reported on two studies that demonstrate
How to Keep Your Gut Healthy Over the Holidays the power of exercise: it can directly affect the diversity
Dr. Sven Pettersson — a professor of metabolic disorders at the Lee Kong Chian School of of your gut microbiome. One of the studies looked at
Medicine in the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore — and colleagues explain in a the effects of exercise in mice. One group was active,
review article in the journal Cell, that our gut microbiome naturally changes throughout our while the other was sedentary. The researchers
lifetime. What starts out as a simple collection of a handful of bacteria matures into a complex transplanted fecal material from both groups into the
microbial ecosystem, heavily influenced by factors including our diet, lifestyle, hormones, and colons of mice bred under germ-free conditions.
immune system. Imbalances in our gut flora are linked to a steady rise in conditions such as The results showed that the mice that had received
food allergy, eczema, asthma, autism spectrum disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable fecal transplants from exercise mice had more bacteria
bowel syndrome, and cancer. So, let’s look at what can we do to look after our gut microbes, in their colons that can metabolize fiber into molecules
especially at a time marked by calorific excesses. called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are
1. Don’t forget your fiber While we cannot digest fiber ourselves, microorganisms beneficial to health. These mice also had lower levels
readily use it as a food source. If there isn’t enough fiber in our diet, microbes start to gobble of inflammation.
up the mucus barrier in the gut as an alternative food source. This allows microorganisms to In humans, similar findings hold true. The second
cross the now “leaky” gut barrier, causing havoc. A leaky gut can put us at risk of colitis, study revealed that just 6 weeks of exercise led to an
inflammation, and metabolic syndrome, among other conditions. increase in SCFA levels and SCFA-producing microbes
• What happens when the body is lacking in fiber? Writing in the journal Cell Host & in both lean and obese individuals. However, while both
Microbe, two research groups report what happens when we switch to a Western-style diet — experienced this increase, it was more pronounced in
which is low in fiber — even just for a short period of time. Within just 3–7 days, mice fed a lean individuals. Don’t let that put you off, though,
low-fiber diet showed signs of a leaky gut, drastic weight gain, high blood sugar, and insulin whatever your weight. Whether you are off for a brisk
resistance. This was accompanied by widespread bacterial death in the gut, which tipped the walk after a big family meal or dancing around the living
balance in favor of some of the more unsavory bacterial species, such as Bacteroides and room to silly Christmas songs, get moving to give your
Actinobacteria. gut a head start.
“Diets that lack fiber,” explains study co-author Gunnar C. Hansson, a professor in the 4. Don’t let the holiday stress get to
Department of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, “alter the you Now, this last point may be easier said than done
bacterial composition and bacterial metabolism, which in turn causes defects to the inner mucus but bear with me. A couple of months ago, we brought
layer and allows bacteria to [encroach], something that triggers inflammation and ultimately you a study that showed how detrimental stress can
metabolic disease.” be to our gut microbiome. Writing in the journal Scientific
• Add fiber to reverse symptoms Prof. Hansson and colleagues found that bacteria that Reports, a research team from the Department of
degrade fiber, such as Bifidobacterium, were greatly reduced on the Western-style diet. But, Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young
they also showed that adding Bifidobacterium or inulin — a type of prebiotic plant fiber — to the University in Provo, UT, found that when female mice
mice’s diet could improve gut health. were exposed to chronic unpredictable stress, their gut
The second research group, which was led by Andrew Gewirtz — a professor at the Center microbiome changed drastically.
for Inflammation, Immunity & Infection at Georgia State University in Atlanta — found that inulin The bacterial diversity shifted in favor of members
supplementation can restore gut health and reduce the signs of metabolic syndrome to some of the Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and
extent. Peptococcaceae families. In fact, this profile resembled
However, before you rush off to stock up on inulin to counteract the excesses of your holiday the microbiome of mice fed a high-fat diet. So, even
diet, Prof. Gewirtz issues a warning. with the best diet in the world, stress may still tip the
“Simply enriching processed food with purified fibers might offer some health benefits, but balance in your gut microbiome. While the researchers
we’re not ready to recommend it until we understand more of the very complex interplay between observed these particular changes only in female mice,
food, bacteria, and host. Instead, you could opt for holiday foods that naturally pack a fiber punch holiday stress is a ubiquitous phenomenon that both
instead.” - Prof. Andrew Gewirtz. sexes are known to experience.
2. Treat your gut to some chocolate Cocoa — which is the dry, non-fatty With this collection of tips, your gut microbes will
component of chocolate — contains a host of molecules that are increasingly making health — hopefully — thank you for getting them safely through
news headlines. Rich in antioxidants and fiber, cocoa has been linked to a string of health the holidays and off to a good start in the new year. No
benefits, from lowering cholesterol to benefiting fetal development during pregnancy. When it doubt 2018 will continue to see new research into how
comes to our gut health, cocoa consumption has been shown to reduce inflammation, potentially our microbiome shapes our health, and, importantly,
alleviating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative what we can do to keep our guts in tip-top shape.
colitis.
Earlier last year, we reported on research that showed that cocoa components can reduce
52 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND FEB 2018