High-fiber diet keeps gut microbes from eating the colon's lining, protects against infection, animal study shows
Date:
November 17, 2016
Source:
University of Michigan Health System
Summary:
When microbes inside the digestive system don't get the natural fiber that they rely on for food, they begin to munch on the natural layer of mucus that lines the gut, eroding it to the point where dangerous invading bacteria can infect the colon wall, new research in mice shows.
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FULL STORY
When mice were raised germ-free, then given a transplant of human gut microbes, the impact of fiber on their colons could be seen. Mice fed a high-fiber diet maintained a thick mucus layer along the lining of their colons, while those that received a fiber-free diet saw the mucus layer grow thinner as bacteria capable of digesting mucus proliferated. The thin layer allowed a pathogen bacteria access to the cells of the colon wall.
Credit: University of Michigan
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161117134626.htm
