Dietary Dilemma

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High Fat

Hey y’all! Today we’re going to be taking a look at diet, and how it can affect our microbiomes. Surprisingly, our diet can cause some pretty big changes, so we’re going to take a look at exactly what is going on. For starters, we’ll be diving into high fat diets. One major risk from these high fat diets is a bloom of Bilophila wadsworthia which can be harmful to the gut. The study linked previously found that a high fat diet and the resulting bloom caused dysbiosis within the microbiome. This is largely because the high fat diet alters the bile composition.

When organisms like B. wadsworthia and other LPS-rich bacteria bloom, they act on toll-like receptors (TLRs). The inflammation produced by these bacteria is typically mediated by TLR-4. According to the study, this inflammation can lead to increased rates of obesity. Furthermore, high fat diets have been shown to increase the recruitment of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). This impacts the body by creating higher hepatic triglyceride infiltration.

High Sugar

Now, we’re going to take a look at what a high sugar diet does to the body and microbiome. When looking at a high sugar diet, researchers found that it increases Proteobacteria in the gut. This phylum has many LPS-rich bacteria in it that increase inflammation. Furthermore, high sugar diets can increase gut permeability. This causes leaky gut which allows LPS bacteria to enter the bloodstream and increase the inflammatory response.

The next thing that can be affected by a high sugar diet is butyrate production. Studies show that butyrate production is reduced in rodents with high sugar diet which is also typically associated with those who have inflammatory bowel disease. The LPS bacteria increase TLR signaling which increases inflammation in the microbiome. The TLR stimulation also increases inflammasome production in the body. Essentially, a high sugar diet increases the inflammation response in the gut, causing some serious issues!

Dietary Fiber

Okay, we’ve checked some things that can cause problems for our microbiome, now it’s time to look at what can be helpful: dietary fiber. Fiber has been shown to increase short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in the gut. This increase in SCFAs results in an increase in IL-10 production in the body. The SCFAs also increase both the number and function of mucosal Tregs. Essentially, dietary fiber = great things for your gut.

Next, increase in dietary fiber intake is also associated with IL-6 and TNF-a levels. Specifically, since dietary fiber increases SCFAs, the SCFAs reduce IL-6 levels. This decrease helps reduce inflammation within the microbiome. So now, after getting a full review of diets and their impacts, you can see just how important of a role our diet plays in our gut health. Whether its a negative or positive impact, making healthy choices is important in our diets to ensure we keep our microbiome happy!