Researchers discovered that individuals with higher polyphenol intakes had lower concentrations of some hazardous bacteria and higher concentrations of some good microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus.
Gut flora and polyphenols:
A healthy gut microbiota is crucial for proper digestion, immunological response, and overall health, according to studies by Trusted Source that highlight the connection between the gut and these processes.
The gut Is home to both beneficial and harmful bacteria.
Consuming fermented foods or taking probiotics can help people increase their beneficial gut bacteria, which support a healthy gut microbiome.
Additionally, pathogenic bacteria, like Salmonella, can grow in the gut and cause illness.Considering this, the writers looked more closely at polyphenols out of curiosity for other strategies to improve gut health.
Sources of polyphenols in food:
Numerous plant-based foods, including tea, fruit, vegetables, and chocolate, contain polyphenols, which have been linked to a lower risk of developing diabetes and stroke.T
he authors point out that earlier studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of polyphenols in fostering gut health, but they highlight that past studies have not examined whether people may obtain these advantages simply by eating a typical diet.
The researchers chose 96 healthy adults as the participant pool using information from the INCLD Health project.
Participants had to have a rRNA microbiota analysis on file and complete eating behavior questionnaires in order to be eligible for inclusion.
About 78 percent of the participants were white, and 84.4% of them were female.
Moreover, 60% of individuals reported very little alcohol consumption (between 0 and 3 times per month), while 88.5% of participants did not smoke.The subjects regularly ingested only six of the 29 herbs and spices that the researchers measured to have increased polyphenol content.
They concentrated on the following plants and spices:
Onion with black pepper
Garlic
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Ginger
Cinnamon
was the only spice to have a polyphenol count of at least 3,000 mg/kg DW, making it the highest of the group. Black pepper was the most often used spice, with a midlevel category polyphenol content of 1,000–1,999 mg/kg DW.
Although participants reported consuming more onions and garlic, both were classified as having lower levels Of People with inflammatory bowel illness, celiac disease, a history of an autoimmune disease, or current use of antibiotics were among the reasons given by the researchers for their exclusion.
Higher consumption of polyphenols and more beneficial gut flora:
The 16S rRNA microbiota gene sequencing data that was taken from participant feces samples’ microbial DNA was then examined by the researchers.
The researchers state that they “used these identified biomarkers in more focused statistical comparisons after first exploring potential microbial biomarkers of polyphenol exposure.”The researchers looked at the microbial communities of each polyphenol exposure group to determine if any linkages could be made after identifying microbial taxa associated with polyphenols.
Regardless of whether participants were in low- or high-consumption groups, the study revealed that microbial diversity remained constant across all groups. The researchers did see some variations with particular microbial species, though.
They observed a relationship between the groups with higher intakes of polyphenols and the Lactobacillus bacteria.