‘Transient’ intestinal bacteria can influence health and guide dietary choices

Scientists have identified two types of microbes in the gut using data from a year-long study of the same patients. They suggest that labeling both beneficial and harmful gut bacteria could make treatment easier.

The researchers from King’s College London found two broad categories of microbes using gut microbiome data from a year-long study of individuals: persistent colonizing species (PCS) that are representative of a healthy gut, and transient colonizing species (TCS) that destabilize the gut. and are linked to diseases such as type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.

The new study published in npj Biofilms and microbiomes suggests that the two types of microbes in the gut microbiome keep each other in check and that TCS, although naturally low in humans, can be influenced by outside forces such as diet and lifestyle and increase in abundance. This disrupts the balance, with the much more common PCS causing complications in the intestines.

PCS microbes can grow when exposed to high levels of protein and fiber, while the potentially harmful TCS can grow well in response to sugar and xenobiotics (substances foreign to living systems such as pesticides and food additives). Personalizing diet plans that feed PCS microbes and attempt to suppress TCS, and nutritional guidelines can effectively allow the body to maintain good gut health and fight the development of disease.

Dr. Shoaie, group leader in Systems Biology at King’s College London and lead author of the study, said: “The power of the gut microbiome and its dynamic pace in health and disease is well established. Our study shows that while the balance of these microbes can change over time, we can predict how these changes occur.

“Even bacteria normally found in small numbers can suddenly increase in number, while the number of beneficial bacteria can decrease. While these shifts in the gut don’t always cause immediate symptoms, even a short period of imbalance can have a lasting impact.

“This disruption can lead to harmful changes in the intestinal environment that can persist, potentially contributing to the development of various diseases over time.

“Additionally, we have shown that under specific conditions, transient insects can grow rapidly and produce toxins. This finding suggests that understanding the proportions of these two types of species categories can help create a personalized diet plan. These two categories of microbes can serve as potential markers function.” to monitor the success of the nutritional plan, which can be important for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes.”

Dr. Sunjae Lee, the paper’s first author, said: “These new categorizations will change the way researchers understand diseases and devise new ways to develop effective treatments. By including these labels in an over-the-counter Gut Microbiome Atlas that identifies gut bacteria that occur in individuals with 23 separate diseases in 19 countries, we can share this work with the world.”

In addition to the potential to help treat disease, the ability to target and grow the population of PCS in the gut could be used as a preventive measure, keeping the gut healthy and reducing levels of TCS and the likelihood of associated diseases remain low in healthy patients. . Therefore, extracting the active molecules from PCS bacteria makes it an effective way to restore gut health for use as a treatment.