Processed foods, which are low in fiber, are primarily associated with foodborne illnesses such as E. coli may reduce the incidence of infections, but may also increase the incidence of low-grade chronic infections and diseases characterized by inflammation, such as diabetes, according to the researchers. Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
This study used mice to investigate how switching from a grain-based diet to a highly processed, high-fat Western-style diet affects infection with the pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, which is similar to Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection in humans. The results are published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
Gut microbiota, the microorganisms living in the gut, provide many benefits, such as protecting the host from infection by bacterial pathogens. These microorganisms are influenced by various environmental factors, especially diet, and rely heavily on complex carbohydrates such as fiber.
A Western-style diet, which is high in processed foods, red meat, high-fat dairy products, high-sugar foods, and prepackaged foods, lacks fiber, which is needed to support the gut microbiota. Dietary changes, particularly lack of fiber, are believed to contribute to the increased incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
In this study, researchers found that switching mice from standard grain-based rat chow to a high-fat, low-fiber Western-style diet rapidly reduced the number of gut bacteria. Mice fed a Western-style diet were often unable to clear the pathogen Citrobacter rodentium from the colon. They were prone to develop chronic infections when re-challenged by this pathogen.
The researchers concluded that a Western-style diet reduces the number of gut bacteria and promotes colonization of the gut microbiota, potentially influencing immune preparation and the body’s defense against pathogenic bacteria.
“We observed that feeding mice a Western-style diet, rather than the standard rat grain-based diet, altered the dynamics of Citrobacter infection, reducing primary colonization and inflammation, which was surprising. However, mice fed a Western-style diet often had persistent developed. Infections that were associated with low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance,” said Dr. Andrew Gewartz, senior co-author of the study and professor at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences. “These studies are aimed at influencing the course and outcome of infection after exposure to enteric pathogens. demonstrate the potential to alter the microbiota and their metabolites by diet.”
“We hypothesize that reshaping the gut microbiota through nutrition that promotes beneficial bacteria that outcompete pathogens could be a means of improving health at large,” said Dr. Jun Xu, senior co-author of the study and assistant professor at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences. In the state of Georgia.