Scientists from the University of Minnesota found some diets could increase harmful gas in the gut.
The research is published in Clinical Nutrition and was conducted by Alexander Khoruts et al.
The role of hydrogen sulfide has long been a subject of great interest in important diseases—such as ulcerative colitis, colon cancer, and obesity.
But past research has not been able to link dietary data, microbiome characterization, and actual hydrogen sulfide production.
In the study, the team looked at the production of colonic hydrogen sulfide—a toxic gas in the body that smells like rotten eggs—in people in response to animal- and plant-based diet interventions.
They found in most participants, a plant-based diet resulted in a lower hydrogen sulfide production compared to an animal-based (i.e., western) diet.
As expected, a plant-based diet contained more fiber, while an animal-based diet contained more protein.
In some people, plant-based diets did not lower hydrogen sulfide production and even led to some increases in it.
The findings support the general hypothesis that hydrogen sulfide produced by the gut microbiota increases with an animal-based diet.
However, the results also suggested the existence of a gut microbiome that respond differentially and even paradoxically to different dietary input.
The team says that regular intake of fiber-containing foods is beneficial to gut health.
More analyses of the gut microbiome may help to individualize nutrition interventions.
If you care about gut health, please read studies that your vitamin D level may affect your gut health, and this diet may strongly boost your gut health.
For more information about gut diseases, please see recent studies about poor sleep linked to high blood pressure and bad gut health, and results showing common high blood pressure drug may harm gut health.
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