- Both intermittent fasting and calorie reduction benefit microbiome diversity.
- Gut bacteria within the microbiome are important for a variety of health-related processes in the body, and lack of diversity leads to more diseases.
- There are several so-called blue zones in the world, one of which is in the United States, where the percentage of people living over 100 is very high.
Both intermittent fasting and calorie reduction are effective ways to support all-important microbiome diversity. A new study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine highlights how alterations in the gut microbiome brought about by dietary interventions can affect gene regulation and overall health.
Both intermittent fasting and calorie-restricted diets have a positive impact on your microbiome, the group of bacteria that live in your digestive system and throughout your body.
All participants in the study were overweight or obese and were instructed to fast for three non-consecutive days each week for one year or to reduce their usual caloric intake by about 34% over the same period.
A previous analysis found that even just three months into the year-long study, there was a significant improvement in gut bacterial diversity in the individual’s microbiome. Improvements were seen in both the fasting group and the group that focused on reducing daily calorie intake.
This analysis suggested that a person could use their chosen weight loss strategy to improve their microbiome diversity and potentially their overall health.
This new study supports the idea that gut microbiota changes occur during weight loss. Researchers have found several links between abundant microbes associated with metabolism and obesity, and DNA methylation, which alters gene regulation and can affect our health. Observed.
This research nutrients.
In the human body, roughly speaking,
Dr. Rudolph Bedford, a gastroenterologist who was not involved in the study, explained: It mediates all kinds of inflammatory processes occurring in the body. ”
Inflammation in the body is associated with many medical problems, including:
In addition, microbes within the microbiome influence other processes such as appetite and obesity.
Dr Bedford said:
“The more diversity you have, the more diverse functions you get in different aspects of your body, so you need a very diverse microbiome. We need a very diverse microbiome.”
Research supports the value of a diverse microbiome. “Microbial diversity is associated with a better microbiome,” added Christine Kirkpatrick, a nutritionist who was also not involved in the study.
“Studies show that healthy people tend to have more diverse gut microbiota. Data also show that more beneficial microbes lead to greater changes in beneficial health outcomes.” ” said Kirkpatrick.
The researchers, in their opinion,
Dr. Bedford suggested a simpler reason. “The microbiome works full time,” he said. So when you fast or eat less,[y]Just like sleep, let it rest and regenerate.That’s certainly one of the theories as to why you’re improving [diversity] Intermittent fasting or something like that. ”
Nonetheless, Kirkpatrick cautioned:[t]There is no one-size-fits-all approach to diet, so individual diets should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. ”
She also advised:[p]pregnant women, [those who are] People who are breastfeeding or suffering from chronic illnesses should consult a doctor or nutritionist before changing their eating patterns. ”
The nutritionist also expressed concern that fasting diets and calorie reduction could cause more harm to people with a history of eating disorders.
“People who have a history of an eating disorder or who currently have one should not consider fasting or low-calorie approaches,” says Kirkpatrick.
Fasting can be performed in various ways. Study participants fasted three days a week, but can also fast for several hours or multiple consecutive days.
Dr Bedford said:[t]The problem with fasting is that, unfortunately, as humans, we fast for say 12 to 16 hours and then go home and overeat. ”
He warned that fasting is not a good idea for diabetics because prolonged lack of food causes fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels.
Previous studies have shown that too extreme calorie reduction can cause an increase in pathogens in the gut, and if not
Dr. Bedford did not question the results of this study. But drastic calorie cuts are unlikely, he suggested.
“I think this is more theoretical. You’re telling ordinary people to starve. It takes an enormous amount of discipline to do that. So unless you have the ability to go on a hunger strike.” I haven’t seen one in 30 years,” he said.
“In an industrialized society,” says Bedford, “we will probably only have five or six species of animals in our food supply. I have.”
“We throw in all the antibiotics we use to treat our animals and all the pesticides we use in our plants, which tend to limit the diversity of our microbiome. Because you are what you eat and so are the bacteria,” he continued..
“As gastroenterologists, we are all seeing more and more young people contracting colon cancer, a phenomenon that is actually happening on an epidemic scale in developed countries.” said Dr Bedford.
He pointed out that there are so-called blue zones around the world where people live abnormally long. “Believe it or not, we have one in Robalinda, California,” he said.
There’s a reason people live longer in these areas, he said. And it changes the microbiome for the better, so there are fewer diseases, problems and problems. ”
