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Milk Fats may alter Gut Bacteria causing Bowel Diseases

Glynis Steele

Senior Member
Messages
404
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne UK
Apologies if this has already been covered here, due to family bereavement I haven't been able to check thru' the threads. It's from the BBC Health Page.

The rise of inflammatory bowel diseases could be down to our shifting diets causing a "boom in bad bacteria", according to US researchers. Mouse experiments detailed in the journal Nature linked certain fats, bacteria in the gut and the onset of inflammatory diseases. The researchers said the high-fat diet changed the way food was digested and encouraged harmful bacteria. Microbiologists said modifying gut bacteria might treat the disease.

They used genetically modified mice which were more likely to develop IBDs. One in three developed colitis when fed either low-fat diets or meals high in polyunsaturated fats. This jumped to nearly two in three in those fed a diet high in saturated milk fats, which are in many processed foods.

They also suggest an effective means of dealing with such diseases, by simply reshaping the microbial balance of the gut.

Commenting on the research, Dr Roy Sleator, from the Cork Institute of Technology, said: "Not only do the authors provide, what is in my opinion, the first credible explanation as to how Western diet contributes to the unusually high incidence in inflammatory bowel disease; they also suggest an effective means of dealing with such diseases, by simply reshaping the microbial balance of the gut."

Full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18432652