We get healthy dietary fibres from consuming fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But why are the fibres so good for us? A team of researchers has discovered that dietary fibres play a crucial role in determining the balance between the production of healthy and harmful substances by influencing the behavior of bacteria in the colon. Dietary fibres benefit our health, and scientists from DTU National Food Institute and the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen have now uncovered an essential part of why this is the case.
Different types of bacteria inside our colon compete to utilize an essential amino acid called tryptophan. This competition may lead to either good or bad outcomes for our health. The research, published in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology, reveals that when we eat many dietary fibres, gut bacteria help turn tryptophan into healthy substances.
But if we don't eat enough fibres, tryptophan can be converted into harmful compounds by our gut bacteria. These results emphasize that our dietary habits significantly influence the behavior of gut bacteria, creating a delicate balance between health-promoting and disease-associated activities. In the long term, the results can help us design dietary programs that prevent a range of diseases.
" Tine Rask Licht, Professor, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark Researchers have long known that dietary fibres are directly converted into healthy short-chai.
