Adult intestinal bacteria do not diversify even if diet is changed

by Isaiah Rustad

When adults and children living surrounded by processed foods such as cola and snacks go to the village where processed foods are zero, hunting / gathering / agriculture diet is going, the intestinal flora (microbiome) is Does it change? The researcher investigated in the field on that.

Changes in the Gut Microbiota of Urban Subjects during an Immersion in the Traditional Diet and Lifestyle of a Rainforest Village | mSphere
https://msphere.asm.org/content/3/4/e00193-18

Switching to hunter-gatherer lifestyle may increase diversity in children's gut microbes - ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180829133429.htm

In general, it is said that the diversity of intestinal bacteria is a sign of health. In previous studies, it has been shown that those who are traditional dietary foods with few processed foods are more diverse in intestinal bacteria than those who take urban eating habits. However, I did not understand that "people living in cities can diversify intestinal bacteria by sending traditional lifestyles and dietary habits".

So, research teams of Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, a microbial ecologist at Rutgers University and Monica Contreras, a microbiologist at Venezuela Scientific Research Institute, said that five adults in the city and two children were in Venezuelan State of Bolivia When I stayed in Jecquana village in Ichijana in 16 days, I conducted a survey using a trip.

In Yequana village people live in hunting, collecting and agriculture, eating cassava and maize, wild fruits including berries and plantain pineapple, fish, a small amount of giba meat, eggs taken from wild birds etc It is done. The seven visitors to the village said they had a meal twice a day, "a little soup and fish and meat", and pinched cassava and fruit throughout the day. During my stay, seven people took a bath without soap in the river and lived in accordance with the natural circadian rhythm.

by David.Monniaux

According to Dominguez-Bello, "Local diet is less animal protein, very few dietary fiber, less fat" in comparison with the general Western diet.

Traditional meals using unprocessed ingredients are chemically more complex than processed foods and are considered "fuels" to produce a variety of intestinal bacteria. Also, it is said that traditional diets do not contain antibiotics, but also increase intestinal diversity.

After staying on the 16th, researchers gathered samples from skin, mouth, nose and feces of residents, at the same time they gathered samples from villagers of the same age as the residents and compared the test results.

As a result, it turned out that the intestinal microbial flora of adults who visited the village had not remarkably changed as one person. On the other hand, the total of types of intestinal bacteria in the two children was increasing. Although the number of samples of two people is statistically very small, the researchers say "Interesting" because the children were ages 4 and 7 years old.

Because, in previous studies, the intestinal microbial flora of children was indicated as "stable like adults" by 3 years old. "This result shows that" intestinal microbial flora does not mature by the age of three years, it may take longer, "Dominguez-Bello says. In future, Mr. Dominguez-Bello will take twelve children to the village and will do further research.

The results of this study showing that the intestinal microbial flora of children are more adaptable than previously thought is that children who live in urban areas also have intestines It shows the possibility of increasing the diversity of inner bacteria. On the other hand, adults may not be able to increase the types of intestinal bacteria, even when changing diet.

by Avi Naim

According to Dominguez-Bello, "If you bring an adult of a village to New York and give an antibacterial agent or have meals at McDonald's every day, diversification will be lost, but already the diversity of intestinal microbes Even if an adult living in an urban city lost loses meals in the village, diversification may not be possible, and things that do not exist can not be increased. "