Match your diet to your bacteria
What set of microorganisms inhabit our digestive system affects how we digest and assimilate foods. If we thoroughly understand the habits of our little tenants, we can tailor a diet to our liking, says Dr. Ola Kolodziejczyk.
Gourmets in the gut
As he tells us, our little tenants help us digest e.g. fat, proteins, fibers or sugars. She adds that substances secreted by bacteria can alter the effects of e.g. enzyme in digestive or g lts, and it is very important in the absorption of fat or the vitamins they contain.
Gene set in our small tenants in (m.in. bacteria, fungi , the virus (w or parasite (w) is the microbiome. The microbiome can already be studied quite easily – by analyzing pr b stool sample and sequencing the genes contained therein. Each of us has a slightly different microbiome, which ry works a little differently. This m.in. The microbiome – opr ch of our own gen – makes some re people easily gain weight, and others – they can make more frequent concessions in the diet.
Sweet exceptions
Scientists have studied how the blood glucose levels of subjects change after eating specific products. And how that glucose level depends on the microbiome.
Recall that products with a high glycemic index tend to cause a rapid rise in blood glucose – undesirable in os b with diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions. And foods with a lower glycemic index are considered safer.
From a study by Israeli scientists The result was that The differences between each lnymi people can be really big. They are, for example. person who re not supposed to eat peaches, but can cut into bananas with peace of mind. And other people – the opposite. In someone’s blood sugar levels will rise, for example. After eating a tomato – who ry, after all, has a low glycemic index. However, there are also lucky people who rzy – without risking a glycemic peak – can even afford to eat ice cream .
– Glycemic tables contain averaged data. But in fact different people can The microbiome tells us how it reacts to each lne foods. It turns out that it is possible to personalize such indications of. And predict how a person will react to a given food,” says Dr. Kolodziejczyk. He adds that pom c in this may just analysis of a person’s microbiome.
A menu just for me. And my bacteria
Thus, in the future it will be possible to prepare a personalized menu for a particular person. – Because it’s not about requiring people to eat only lettuce, broccoli and steamed chicken alone. Such restrictive requirements are difficult to adhere to. We want people to be able to get menus tailored to their needs and their capabilities. For some rych os b acct eating a piece of chocolate or a fruit with a high glycemic index is not bad. And if it can be examined thoroughly, why impose artificial and ill-adapted requirements on such people? – tells.
Dr. Kolodziejczyk’s team leader is Prof. Eran Elinav of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. His research on the subject was published two years ago in the journal "Cell". Now the scientist is setting up a start-up. Wants – based on studies of the microbiome of their clients – create personalized menus for them.
