The important amino acid tryptophan is transformed within the giant gut into both useful or dangerous substances. The analysis exhibits that tryptophan contributes to the manufacturing of the wholesome substances Indole lactic acid (ILA) and Indole propionic acid (IPA) once we eat ample quantities of dietary fiber. Nonetheless, if we don’t get sufficient dietary fiber, tryptophan might be transformed into the substance indole, which is related to antagonistic well being results. The determine is created with BioRender (biorender.com) by Martin Frederik Laursen. Credit score: The determine is created with BioRender (biorender.com) by Martin Frederik Laursen.
We get wholesome dietary fiber from consuming fruits, greens, and complete grains. However why is fiber so good for us? A crew of researchers has found that dietary fiber performs a vital position in figuring out the steadiness between the manufacturing of wholesome and dangerous substances by influencing the habits of micro organism within the colon.
Dietary fiber advantages our well being, and scientists from DTU Nationwide Meals Institute and the Division of Vitamin, Train and Sports activities on the College of Copenhagen have now uncovered a vital a part of why that is the case. Various kinds of micro organism inside our colon compete to make the most of a vital amino acid known as tryptophan. This competitors might result in both good or unhealthy outcomes for our well being.
The analysis, printed within the journal Nature Microbiology, reveals that once we eat numerous dietary fiber, intestine micro organism assist flip tryptophan into wholesome substances. But when we do not eat sufficient fiber, tryptophan could be transformed into dangerous compounds by our intestine micro organism.
“These outcomes emphasize that our dietary habits considerably affect the habits of intestine micro organism, creating a fragile steadiness between health-promoting and disease-associated actions. In the long run, the outcomes might help us design dietary packages that forestall a spread of illnesses,” says Tine Rask Licht, a professor at DTU Nationwide Meals Institute.
Dietary fibers decide the battle over tryptophan
Researchers have lengthy identified that dietary fiber is straight transformed into wholesome short-chain fatty acids by intestine micro organism within the colon. Nonetheless, the brand new research surprisingly exhibits that dietary fiber additionally contributes to good well being by stopping the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan into dangerous substances and selling its conversion into useful substances within the colon.
“The intestine bacterium E. coli can flip tryptophan right into a dangerous compound known as indole, which is related to the development of persistent kidney illness. However one other intestine bacterium, C. sporogenes, turns tryptophan into wholesome substances related to safety in opposition to inflammatory bowel illnesses, kind 2 diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, and neurological illnesses,” says Anurag Kumar Sinha, a DTU Nationwide Meals Institute researcher.
By a number of experiments in bacterial cultures and mice, the researchers demonstrated that fiber-degrading intestine micro organism, reminiscent of B. thetaiotaomicron, regulate the indole-forming exercise of E. coli.
“B. thetaiotaomicron assists by breaking down fibers into easy sugars, which E. coli prefers over tryptophan for progress. The sugar elements from the fibers forestall E. coli from turning tryptophan into indole, thereby permitting C. sporogenes to make the most of tryptophan to provide wholesome compounds,” says Anurag Kumar Sinha.
Understanding the habits of intestine micro organism
It’s well-known that dietary fiber can alter the composition and portions of micro organism in our intestine microbiome. Nonetheless, wanting merely on the composition and abundance of intestine microbial species won’t inform us a lot about their affect on our well being.
“The intestine microbiome analysis discipline has had a robust concentrate on assessing results, e.g. of food regimen on the amount of probably good or unhealthy intestine micro organism, however typically neglect that food regimen can regulate the intestine micro organism’s exercise with out essentially making main adjustments within the variety of bacterial species within the colon,” says an affiliate professor at DTU Nationwide Meals Institute, Martin Frederik Laursen.
So, dietary fiber not solely helps modify the sorts of micro organism within the intestine, resulting in a more healthy composition, but additionally influences the habits of intestine micro organism in ways in which promote well being.
“As a analysis neighborhood we have to change focus from viewing intestine micro organism and their abundances strictly as both good or unhealthy—to know as a substitute how we make our intestine micro organism behave good or unhealthy,” says Martin Frederik Laursen.
This understanding might help scientists develop higher dietary suggestions that hold our intestine wholesome and forestall illnesses.
Important amino acids, reminiscent of tryptophan, have to be obtained by means of the food regimen for the reason that physique can not synthesize them. Protein-rich meals function sources of tryptophan. Examples embody hen, turkey, salmon, tuna, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Dietary fiber is current in fruits, greens, and complete grains.
Extra info:
Dietary fibre directs microbial tryptophan metabolism by way of metabolic interactions within the intestine microbiota, Nature Microbiology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01737-3. www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01737-3
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