microbiota

If we want to take care of our microbiota, this is what science says about what time it is ideal to have dinner

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We give more and more importance to what we eat, and we begin to take into account the information on food labels, and even demonize ultra-processed foods. However, it is so important that we eat like him when We eat, although the latter is something to which we may give very little importance in our environment, but which in truth has a great effect on our microbiota. What happens. We are not the only ones who go to sleep, since the two billion bacteria that inhabit our digestive tract have their own circadian clock. Change it by having dinner after hours Not only does it worsen our digestion, but, according to the latest studies, it pushes us towards a pro-inflammatory and obesogenic metabolism in a matter of days. In this way, changing the time at which we eat dinner can be essential to improve our general metabolic health. The bacteria. To understand why dinner time is critical, you must first understand that our microbiota is not static, but rather the composition and function of our bacteria oscillate in 24-hour cycles like ourselves. In this way, during the day, when we eat, bacteria such as Firmicuteswhich are active to help us process nutrients. However, when the night fast arrives, the ecosystem changes shift and families such as the Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia. And this is something fundamental, because it is the moment in which our bacteria ferment the fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which will act as a protective shield for the intestinal barrier and regulate our glucose levels. It’s sensitive. Up to this point everything seems wonderful, but the moment we have a late dinner or if we break the fast with alcohol and a fast night meal like the classic kebab after a party, this delicate ecosystem becomes out of sync. At that time, the Bacteroidetes They decrease, the intestine becomes inflamed and we lose that protective shield. The experiment. The theory sounds good, but how long does it take for us to damage this ecosystem by eating late? The answer lies with a joint team from the CSIC, the University of Murcia and Harvard University through a rigorous test where he submitted to a group of young women and healthy to a crossover experiment. In this case, for one week the women ate the main meal at 2:00 p.m., and the following week it was delayed until 5:30 p.m. Everything else, such as calories, type of diet or hours of sleep, remained identical. The results were forcefulsince seven days of eating late were enough to completely invest the daily rhythm of the microbiota. And, as we have seen before, by moving the schedules towards the night, the microbial diversity was altered and bacteria associated with pro-inflammatory processes began to proliferate (such as Fusobacterium either Porphyromonas). Clinically, this delayed pattern pushes the body into a metabolic state that facilitates obesity and increases the risk of intestinal diseases. The ideal time. The scientific consensus points to a very specific window that for Spaniards represents an important cultural challenge, since it is believed that dinner should be eaten before 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m., while lunch should not exceed 2:00 p.m. Although if we go further, microbiota researchers agree that the ideal period is between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., always guaranteeing that at least two to three hours pass before going to sleep. It is quite important, because it has been seen that people who eat dinner early or at least leave two hours of margin before going to bed They have a 20% lower risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. The key seems to be in melatonin, the sleep hormone, which when secreted naturally displays a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, as long as we are not in full digestion. Images | Caroline Attwood CDC In Xataka | We know more and more about the human microbiota. And there is still little we know about the benefits of probiotics

gases are the best sign to assess the microbiota

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Intestinal transit has almost always been a taboo topic, surrounded by myths, home remedies and, above all, uncomfortable silences even before a medical consultation. However, what happens in our intestine is a very important indicator of the overall health of the body, and that is why science imposes different figures on what is considered “going to the bathroom well”, and has also redeemed gas. Which is normal. For years, the range of what was considered a “normal” bowel rhythm was enormously wide, ranging from three times a week to three times a day. However, an exhaustive study published in 2024 limited this window to much more exact figures. To do this, 1,400 healthy adults were analyzed and they saw that the ideal area in which we should move It is to make 1 to 2 bowel movements a day. But he went even further by correlating the number of bowel movements with the presence of constipation or not: 1-2 bowel movements a week is considered constipation. 3-6 bowel movements a week is considered to have a normal-low transit. 1-3 bowel movements a day is considered to have a normal-high transit. With more than 20 bowel movements a week we are talking about diarrhea. What it indicates. What is truly revealing is not just the number, but what happens in our body when we move away from it, since researchers discovered that constipation causes intestinal bacteria, running out of fiber to ferment, to begin fermenting proteins. This process generates microbial toxins in the blood, such as p-cresol sulfate and indoxyl sulfate, metabolites that have been shown to be directly associated with damage to the kidneys and worse functioning of the body in general in the long term. The gases. It is undoubtedly a great stigma and we think that if we do not have gas throughout the day, we must be happy, but the reality is very different, since if we want to go to the bathroom at least once a day, we must consume a good amount of fiber. And this is where the collateral “damage” most feared by many comes in: flatulence. A study published in 2023 specifically pointed out that having gas is, in the vast majority of cases, the unequivocal sign that we have a healthy microbiota working at full capacity. Beneficial bacteria from genera such as Bacteroids, Ruminococcus either Roseburia They feed on fiber that we cannot digest and the byproduct of that microbial feast is gas. But curiously, 99% of these gases do not have any type of odorbeing hydrogen or carbon dioxide, causing the remaining 1% to have a bad smell because it is composed of sulfur gases. A good microbiota. knowing we need fiber To achieve ideal transit and prevent toxins from reaching the blood, the challenge is to introduce it into the diet while minimizing discomfort. Current scientific guidelines establish a clear roadmap, marking how aim the intake of 25 grams of fiber in the case of women and 38 grams in men. But it is a mistake to go from 10 to 40 grams of fiber overnight, since intestinal microbiology experts recommend a gradual introduction of fiber, starting with changing just half a slice of white bread to whole wheat to give bacterial populations time to adapt. It can be a problem. Although gas is normal, chronic pain or paralyzing bloating is not, and for those for whom the increase in fiber translates into symptoms of this nature, it is necessary to go to a doctor’s office to have a study done with the aim of targeting a very specific diet that favors intestinal transit. Images | Sasun Bughdaryan In Xataka | “Eating mixed nuts helps your brain health”: What science knows about how a hazelnut affects your memory

the extreme experiment in Greenland to test the human microbiota

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The idea of ​​eating rotting meat sounds like a one-way ticket to the emergency room for a major stomach flu at best, but in the most extreme latitudes of the planet, it is a survival technique perfected over millennia. Now, explorer and chef Mike Keen a challenge has been proposed that defies Western physiology: feeding exclusively on decomposing seal for a month in Greenland. And all this to see how your microbiota adapts to this new diet and how grouper’social experiment‘. More than rotten meat. When we talk about the diet that Keen will follow on his expedition, the automatic mental image is that of meat left out in the open without any type of control. However, there is a crucial nuance, since the traditional inuit practiceslike the kiviak or the igunaq They are not just random rotting meat, but have gone through a fermentation process. What does it consist of? It is a controlled fermentation culturally, since for months these preparations undergo processes involving bacteria and very particular metabolites that science is just beginning to catalog. This fermentation not only preserves food during the long, dark Arctic winters, but, according to the researchers’ hypothesis, it could be key to the survival of the Inuit and extract vital nutrients in a diet based almost exclusively on animal products, lacking the plant fiber that normally feeds our intestinal bacteria. His secret. The scientific core of this type of diet is in our digestive system, since various studies have focused on the relationship between traditional fermented foods and the intestinal health of Arctic populations. Here, a study published in Microbiome on the Inuit gut microbiome showed that this is highly dynamic over time and is deeply shaped by the intake of traditional foods. In this way, unlike populations like ours, where the Western diet homogenizes the bacteria in the intestine, for the Inuit there are unique signatures. Centuries of history. Greenland’s dependence on seal meat is not a modern eccentricity, but a historical pillar. Historical records and isotopic analyzes have confirmed that even the Viking settlers in Greenland relied heavily on the seal for survival. It is a food that has been sustaining human life on the island for centuries. However, replicating this type of diet without traditional ecological knowledge carries a lethal danger, since poorly preserved decomposing meat is microbiological Russian roulette. Without the exact temperature control, preparation and anaerobic sealing that recipes like igunaqmeat becomes a breeding ground for serious pathogens such as Salmonella either Listeria that cause pathological conditions very serious. The experiment. By taking these foods, we hope to know exactly the metabolic adaptations that occur when these diets are taken and also to see how the microbiota changes when subjected to a 100% animal and fermented diet for a month. In order to reach clear conclusions, analyzes will be done on the feces, or blood, throughout this month of testing and also afterwards, to be able to have something clear about how its interior changes. Images | DejaVu Designs at Magnific In Xataka | To the question of whether “eating breakfast as soon as you wake up is good for your body”, science offers a clear answer

Drinking coffee in the morning has very positive consequences for someone unexpected in your body: the microbiota

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For millions of people, the day doesn’t begin until the first cup of coffee hits their table. Something that makes a lot of sense because of how coffee affects our brain. so we can wake up and improve concentrationbut the reality is that it has many more effects further down the brain. We talk about the intestinewhere it passes and has a great involvement in the microbiota. The microbiota. There is more and more research that is focused on the microbiotathe bacteria we have in our digestive system and that have an increasingly relevant role in our daily lives. In this case, taking care of these bacteria inside us is a priority to be able to have good health, even to avoid major diseases. Now science is beginning to glimpse that Coffee is much more than a vehicle for caffeineand that has an important implication in the modulation of the intestinal microbiota. Beyond caffeine. We tend to think that coffee is nothing more than “caffeinated water”, unless you add a little sugar to remove its bitterness. But the reality is that we have a large ‘soup’ of bioactive compounds. Science is seeing how coffee is key due to its intestinal impact thanks to two of its components: polyphenols and dietary fiber. This is something that is currently being analyzed through studies. in the laboratory and in animal models where they have seen that a large part of these compounds reach the colon intact without digesting. There they act as ‘food’ for the bacteria that are there, such as dihydroferulic acid, which has local anti-inflammatory effects. That is, it acts like something similar to a prebiotic. The ‘planter’ effect. If we treat the intestine like a garden, coffee seems to work as a selective fertilizer. Although the evidence in humans is still heterogeneous, several patterns are repeated in the scientific literature, such as an intervention study in humans that showed that three cups of coffee daily for three weeks increased abundance of Bifidobacteriuma genre classically associated with intestinal health. But it does not stop there, since another large population metagenomic study associated the consumption of beverages rich in polyphenols such as coffee, tea or red wine with greater alpha diversity. This is something that within this world is associated with greater resilience and health in the microbiota. The recent discovery. Published in Nature in 2024science found a very specific association: those who regularly consume coffee have a much greater presence of the bacteria Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticu. A bacteria that is not just any bacteria, but helps digestion and also offers the colon the necessary elements for it to have much more energy and even prevents inflammation. That is why having this bacteria in large numbers in our intestine is actually very beneficial. Have metabolic health. Keeping the bacteria in our intestine ‘happy’ is essential as we have seen. The main hypothesis that supports all of this focuses on the ability of bacteria to ferment fiber and polyphenols of coffee producing short chain fatty acids such as butyrate. These compounds are the favorite fuel of colon cells and have systemic anti-inflammatory properties. This could explain, at least partially, why epidemiological studies often associate moderate coffee consumption with better metabolic and cardiovascular health. The small print. Before you rush for your fifth cup, you need to put on the brakes and look at the limitations of current studies, since not everything is rosy. And science, despite offering these benefits, indicates that robust clinical evidence is lacking. It must be taken into account here that not all coffees are the same, since soluble coffee, an espresso or using a filter in a coffee maker are not the same. And furthermore, not all people respond the same because each microbiota is literally a different world in each organism. Big tests are missing. Although in the laboratory and on paper everything may sound great, we must keep in mind that there are still many studies that demonstrate that coffee causes a direct improvement in diseases through the microbiota. And although coffee feeds your Bifidobacteria It does not eliminate the fact that excess caffeine causes insomnia, anxiety or tachycardia in sensitive people. Furthermore, the benefits observed in the microbiota are associated with black coffee or coffee with little milk. If your “coffee” is a smoothie loaded with sugar, cream and syrups, the negative impact of ultra-processed foods on your intestine will probably cancel out any benefits of polyphenols. Images | Nathan Dumlao CDC In Xataka | Having a cup of coffee as soon as you wake up seems like a great idea. Science has something to say about it

Years ago, microbiota transplants seemed like something out of science fiction. Today they are already curing diseases

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Sometimes extreme situations require extreme measures, at least in the field of medicine and health. Perhaps to many, the idea of microbiota transplants It seems to them that it belongs to this range of extreme measures. Perhaps more so if we refer to this therapy by its first and last name, because we are talking about fecal microbiota transplants. Let’s start at the beginning, explaining what exactly these transplants are. Although its name is quite descriptive. The central idea of ​​this treatment is to take a sample of intestinal microbiota from a healthy person and transfer it to the patient’s intestine. For this, samples of fecal matter are used, feces from the donor that are treated for introduction into the recipient’s gastrointestinal system. The process begins, therefore, by taking a sample (or several) of the donor feces. First of all, it must be verified that these feces do not contain pathogens but that the “good bacteria” of our digestive system predominate in the sample. Once this filter has been passed, the sample is prepared in different ways depending on how it will be administered. One possibility is to dry, freeze and encapsulate part of these samples to administer them. through a pill. However, the most conventional options involve diluting the sample in saline water and then filter it and enter it into our system gastrointestinal, either through a tube introduced through the mouth or nose and that would reach our stomach; either through a colonoscopy, an endoscopy through the colon. Fixing the imbalance And all this, for what? Interestingly, if we are transplanting microbes from one person to another, the reason is to fight against a pathogenic bacteria, called Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). This is a bacteria that normally inhabits our system gastrointestinal without causing major discomfort. But not always. In these cases, C. diff It can take over the inside of our intestine, wreaking havoc on it. C. diff They feed on toxic compounds that they metabolize from some foods we consume and that can end up causing even more damage to our microbiota. This infection It is considered the main cause of diarrhea associated with medical treatments, but this It’s not your only symptom.These include fever, pain or tenderness in the stomach, loss of appetite and nausea, symptoms of gastroenteritis. Some more serious cases They can lead to dehydration, blood or pus in the stool, and kidney failure. One of the problems associated with this bacteria is the appearance of recurrent infections: many patients become ill again between two and eight weeks after the original infection. The potential of this tool is yet to be explored. A recent study, for example, explored the possibility of using this type of intervention to improve sports performance. A luck of “fecal doping” similar in some ways to existing techniques. Sport, and especially elite sport, can affect our microbiome, which in turn can be exploited in favor of the athletes themselves. These transplants have even been proposed in veterinary. Specifically, to help preserve koalas, as we saw in a studio also presented in 2019 in the magazine Animal Microbiome. Over the last few years we have been discovering new links between our gut microbiome and seemingly very distant aspects of our health. Now we even know that there is a connection between our brain and this one. Unfortunately, we still do not understand the causal relationships operating in this connection. In this sense, recently we came across a link between these transplants and autism. a study published in 2019 in the magazine Scientific Reports observed that symptoms linked to autism were reduced among those who had received this type of transplants. In Xataka | 50% of the population is infected with H. pylori. We are finally eradicating it and that has unexpected consequences Image | shameersrk / chriskeller

We knew that coffee was good for health, but now we have discovered that it is a great ally of our microbiota

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For years, coffee has not been too well considered. It depends on the place and the historical momentbut the culprit was not so much coffee itself … as caffeine. Although the evidence has managed to deny them, there is still A lot of myths about caffeine and its effects. But something that is also making clear research is beneficial effect of coffee on the body. It depends on the type of tan, of course. And one of the studies More recent links coffee with the intestinal microbiota. Directly, it favors the Bacteria growth in our body. And it is something that fulfills a vital function. The community Microbial of coffee. As we say, different studies on coffee allow you to have discovered your beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseasesthe diabetes or your Effect on the kidneys. In parallel, a relationship between coffee intake had been observed with the increase of certain intestinal bacteria, but the studies were on a small scale. Now, in Nature Microbiology he has Posted a study in which the genomic sequence of the intestinal microorganisms of more than 22,000 people in the United Kingdom and the United States was investigated. They have discovered that coffee drinkers had a different microbiota, with intestinal bacteria such as Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus Eight times more abundant in the microbiota of coffee drinkers than in those who do not ingest this food. And what does that imply. It is not limited to that bacteria, since increases in irmicutes, actinobacteria, actinobacteria were also observed, PREVETELLA, Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium, All of them linked to beneficial metabolic effects, such as greater production of short chain fatty acids. What this means is that, thanks to its polyphenols and the soluble fiber it contains, coffee produces some Prebiotic effects that have a direct influence on beneficial bacterial growth. Before I said that it is something that fulfills a vital function, and in this case it is not an exaggeration. Intestinal microbiome bacteria They fulfill functions such as facilitating digestion, strengthening the immune system, regulating inflammation or protecting against pathogens and diseases. Very direct effects of this includes the production of vitamins and enzymes that are not obtained from food, facilitating Digestion of compounds as fiber and starch or Immune system regulation to distinguish between harmful and benign organisms. Four cups. Tim Spector is one of the experts who has supervised the article and, as my colleagues from Straight to the palatethe amount of optimal coffee would be between two and four cups a day. It all depends on the organism of each one and tolerance, but something interesting is that we not only obtain those benefits for the microbiota, but also a a large amount of fiber. Specifically, 1.5 grams of fiber for each cup of Filtrated coffee (There are many ways to prepare it, but filtered or infused is one of those that allows to extract more nutrients), and it is an amount similar to what would be obtained when eating a tangerine And the caffeine, what. And this of the tolerance that each one has to coffee is important because there is a “Limit” in the amount of caffeine That we can take up to be in the healthy segment, but it depends a lot on each person. The good thing is that these positive effects on microbiota have been reported both in the ‘normal’ coffee and in the decaffeinated. If milk is addedIn addition, the amount of polyphenols may slightly decrease, but the balance is still positive. What should not be added is sugarsince there we would be doing more bad than good. But if decaffeinated coffee is consumed, you should have an eye on how the process has been performed. Not all decaffeinated coffees are the same because there are several ways to eliminate (which is not completely eliminated, but is considerably reduced) caffeine, and Not all are equally healthy. To the point that some methods They are under the radar of organizations such as the US FDA. Image | Justin Bhalla In Xataka | There are more and more studies that link coffee with living more. And it is very easy to put the leg when preparing that ‘philosopher’ coffee

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