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Carbohydrates or carbohydrates are a fundamental macronutrient in our diet. They represent, together with the fats, the main energy contribution to our body. Carbohydrates are also protagonists in some diets destined for weight loss, diets based on the fact that, in the absence of these nutrients, our body will resort to the energy stored in their fatty tissue.
A plan that is not infallible.
DNA damage. A new study has found a mechanism that could link low carbohydrate diets with a Risk increase of suffering from colorectal cancer. The union link would be in the microorganisms that reside in our digestive system, our intestinal microbiome.
In a study conducted with mice, the team responsible for the analysis observed that these types of diets could worsen the deterioration of DNA caused by some of the microbes that usually inhabit our digestive tract. This facilitates the appearance of polyps that in turn increase the risk of appearance of this type of tumors.
“Colorectal cancer has always been seen as the consequence of a number of diverse factors, including diet, intestinal microbioma, environment and genetic,” explained in a press release Alberto Martin, co -author of the study. “Our question was, does the diet affect the ability of specific bacteria to cause cancer?”
Three diets under study. In his study, the team tested three types of diet: a “normal”, a carbohydrates, and a “western” rich in fat and sugar. He did it by combining these diets with different types of usual bacteria between our intestinal microbiota and suspects of keeping some kind of relationship with the risk of colorectal cancer.
They found a combination of diet and microorganism with potential to trigger adverse relationships, that of the low carbohydrate diet and a variety of bacteria of the species Escherichia coli (E. coli). They observed that this diet encouraged production by the bacterium of the colibactin, a compound with the ability to damage the DNA and with it of producing cancer.
The key I could be in the fiberthe team points out. This type of diets facilitates inflammation, altering the microbial community of its interior, which in turn creates an ideal environment for the propagation of the E. coli.
A fallen barrier. The team also observed that the mucous barrier that separates epithelia cells (the outermost cells of the intestine) of bacteria was reduced, which could also facilitate that colibactin reaches intestine cells. This would increase the harmful potential of the compound.
The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Nature Microbiology.
And what about humans? Studies with mice have an obvious limitation, and it is that extrapolating what is observed in these rodents to our own species is not always possible. The team He stood out for it The need to confirm their findings in people, although they were also optimistic about the possibility that their study could be applied in cancer prevention.
The microbioma in the spotlight. This is not the only recent study that has put in the spotlight to the bacteria of the species E. coli already the colibactin in regards to colorectal cancer. A few days ago We had the news of A study Made with patients from 11 countries who found exposure tests at an early age to this toxin could be linked to an increased risk of these types of tumors.
Image | Pixabay
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