A handful of peanuts and a few pinches of herbs and spices could possibly give your gut a healthy boost, according to two separate studies from Pennsylvania State University in the US.
exist trillions of individual microorganisms living in the human stomach and intestines, comprising hundreds to thousands of species of bacteria, virusand mushrooms. Collectively, they are known as the gut microbiome and their importance is just as great to our health, according to scientists. to think of him as a support body.
Diet, exercise and medication are just a few of the factors that can influence the composition of a person’s gut, which means that each individual’s gut community is unique.
If your gut microbiome isn’t properly fed and nourished, harmful microbes can proliferate, while symbiotic ones have more trouble with tasks like dealing with our immune systems and breaking down our food.
Scientists are still trying to figure out what characteristics mark the healthiest gut communities, but as the research progresses, they’re starting to get a better idea.
“Research has shown that people who have a lot of different microbes have better health and a better diet than those who don’t have a lot of bacterial diversity.” Explain nutritional scientist Penny M. Kris-Etherton.
While we commonly think of diets in terms of their fundamentals, such as vegetables and meats, a considerable amount of variation in our cultural and personal preferences comes down to how we add some zing to our meals.
Kris-Etherton and her colleagues at Penn State are among the first to study the effect of herbs and spices on the composition of the human intestine.
In their study, 54 adult participants at risk for cardiovascular disease participated in a four-week randomized controlled feeding experiment.
During the trial, everyone followed the same general menu, which was designed to reflect the average American diet. Some participants were asked to add 0.5 grams (about 0.2 ounces) of spices to their meals, while others were asked to add 3.3 grams or 6.6 grams.
The spice blend included cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, rosemary, oregano, basil, and thyme. Meanwhile, a control group was asked not to put any of these spices in their food.
Fecal samples taken before and after the experiment reveal that diets with more spices tend to show greater bacterial diversity.
“It’s such a simple thing that people can do,” He says Kris-Etherton.
“The average American diet is far from ideal, so I think everyone could benefit from adding herbs and spices. It’s also a way to lower the sodium in your diet, but season foods in a way that makes them palatable, and, in fact, delicious.”
The new findings support recent research suggesting that herbs and spices are a natural prebiotic that feeds healthy bacteria in the human gut.
In 2019, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot to study found that a 5-gram capsule of a spice blend, containing cinnamon, oregano, ginger, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, caused changes in the gut microbiome that were seen in a matter of weeks.
However, in the most recent study, the spice blend was slightly different and incorporated directly into participants’ daily meals.
Those who ate foods with medium to high amounts of spices, equivalent to about 3/4 teaspoon per day and about 1 1/2 teaspoons per day, showed a greater abundance of gut bacteria called Ruminococcaceae. This family of microbes is generally found in greater numbers in healthier human adults, although their exact function in the gut is uncertain.
The participants who ate spices in the study also showed fewer pro-inflammatory molecules in the gut, indicating a possible anti-inflammatory effect.
More research is needed to determine exactly which spices are affecting gut microbes and why, but that’s not the only dietary supplement that seems to stimulate certain gut bacteria.
A recent randomized controlled trial, also from Penn State, recently investigated the effect of peanuts on the microbiota for the first time.
The study was carried out for six weeks and included 50 adults who followed the same daily diet. At the end of each day, after dinner but before bed, the participants ate 28 grams of dry roasted unsalted peanuts, or ate a small sample of cheese and crackers.
In the group that ate nuts, as with the spices in the previous study, Ruminococcaceae bacteria were significantly more abundant in the participants’ intestines at the end of the study.
There’s still a lot about the gut microbiome that scientists don’t understand, but for now, adding a pinch of spice to your diet probably won’t hurt. – and might even help. If nothing else, it will add some flavor.
The study of spices was published in the nutrition diaryand the peanut study was published in Clinical Nutrition.
