Can nutrients from plants alter our gut bacteria and impact our brain function?
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center and elsewhere suggests that dietary fiber, specifically prebiotics, may have a role to play in both shaping the composition of gut bacteria and influencing reward signals in the brain, ultimately affecting our food choices.
Understanding Prebiotics
Prebiotics are dietary fibers found in plant-derived foods like onions, leeks, artichokes, wheat, bananas, and chicory root.
They are indigestible but serve as nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria, promoting gut health.
The researchers aimed to investigate whether specific prebiotics could also impact brain function by enhancing communication between the gut microbiome and the brain.
The Study
The study focused on overweight adults who followed a typical Western diet. These individuals consumed 30 grams of inulin, a prebiotic sourced from chicory root, daily for 14 days.
During the study, functional MRI (fMRI) imaging was used to show participants pictures of food and gauge their desire to eat those meals. Following the fMRI session, participants were given their most desired dish and asked to consume it.
Promising Results
The fMRI scans, conducted at various time points, showed that after consuming the prebiotic fiber, participants exhibited reduced activation of brain regions associated with reward when evaluating high-calorie foods.
This effect coincided with changes in the composition of gut bacteria.
Linking Gut Health to Brain Function
The study findings, drawn from advanced neuroimaging, next-generation sequencing of gut bacteria, and analyses of metabolic pathways, suggest that functional changes in the gut microbiome might be responsible for the altered brain response to high-calorie food cues.
Additionally, blood samples were analyzed for gastrointestinal hormones, glucose, lipids, and inflammatory markers, while stool samples were examined for gut microbiota and their byproducts, including short-chain fatty acids.
Implications for Obesity Research
The research falls under the Collaborative Research Center 1052, Obesity Mechanisms, and raises intriguing possibilities.
Understanding the connections between the microbiome, gut, and brain could lead to new approaches for preventing and treating obesity.
These approaches could involve interventions that modify the microbiome, potentially offering less invasive ways to address obesity-related concerns.
Dr. Veronica Witte, a co-author of the study, emphasizes the importance of further research to explore whether treatments altering the microbiome could lead to innovative strategies for promoting healthier eating habits, especially among individuals at risk of obesity.
A follow-up study is already underway, examining the effects of long-term, high-dose prebiotic administration over six months on eating behavior, brain function, and body weight in individuals living with overweight and obesity.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The research findings can be found in Gut.
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