Diet Affects Microbes In Human Gut and Plays Role in Colon Cancer and Other Diseases
New Study Reports…
Diet Affects The Diversity Of Microbes In Human Gut and Subsequently In Risk For Colon Cancer and Other Diseases!
A typical Western diet, rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables. etc. is a recipe for colon cancer as described to the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Harrogate in March.
An expanding body of evidence shows that the composition of the diet directly influences the diversity of the microbes in the gut, providing the link between diet, colonic disease and colon cancer.
People who regularly eat a healthy diet containing high levels of complex carbohydrates had significant populations of micro-organisms in their gut called Firmicutes. These bacteria use the undigested residues of starch and proteins in the colon to manufacture short-chain fatty acids and vitamins such as folate and biotin, helping maintain colonic health. One of these fatty acids, Butyrate, not only provides most of the energy to maintain a healthy gut wall, but it also regulates cell growth and differentiation. Several laboratory and human studies support its role in helping reduce colon cancer risk.
Certain microbes present in the human gut may also produce toxic by-products from food residues. For example, diets high in meat products will produce sulphur compounds, which decrease the activity of beneficial “good” bacteria, yet increasing the production of hydrogen sulphide and other possible carcinogens by sulphur-reducing bacteria.
Colon cancer is recognized as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adults in modern Westernized communities. The study’s results suggest that a diet which helps maintain the health of the colon wall is also valuable for maintaining general body health and also helps reduce heart disease.
The researchers conclude… A diet rich in fiber, especially from fresh fruit and fresh vegetables encourages the growth of good bacteria and increases production of short chain fatty acids which help reduce the risk of cancer; A diet high in meat and fat reduces the numbers of these valuable “good” bacteria.
Further investigations have focused on a small number of bacterial species and have therefore revealed only the “tip of the iceberg” because the human colon harbours over 800 bacterial species and 7,000 different strains.
The characterization of their individual properties and metabolic activities can be expected to provide the key to colonic health and helping prevent other diseases, as further research and studies are conducted in the future.
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