Protein-Rich Diets Affect Gut Health and Body Composition, Study Reveals
New research has shed light on the effects of protein-rich diets on the gut microbiome and overall health. Despite the increasing protein intake, especially among athletes and individuals with obesity, the fate of undigested protein and its impact on human health remains largely unknown.
A new study, presented at ASM Microbe, explored how excess undigested protein in the colon can be fermented to produce beneficial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), or lead to the production of harmful metabolites like ammonia and sulfides, which are linked to gastrointestinal disorders and other health issues.
The research team conducted experiments on mice, finding that switching to a protein-rich diet led to significant weight loss, reduced body fat, and immediate changes in the gut microbiome.
The study compared different protein diets, revealing that mice consuming aromatic amino acid-rich proteins experienced the greatest weight and fat mass loss. In a 4-week experiment with 16 mice, the team fed them a standard diet for 2 weeks, followed by protein-rich diets enriched with either branched-chain or aromatic amino acids for 2 weeks.
Daily faecal samples and weekly body composition measurements were collected, and DNA sequencing of the faeces was performed to analyse microbial changes.
The results showed that protein enrichment in diets led to significantly different microbial taxa abundance and composition across four protein groups.
Different gut bacteria genera responded distinctly to dietary shifts from carbohydrates to proteins, with the most substantial changes in the group fed branched-chain amino acids. While it is premature to definitively attribute all body composition and gut bacteria changes to protein diets, the consistent patterns suggest a strong connection between the two.
"These findings provide a crucial foundation for understanding how protein diets influence the gut microbiome and open doors for further investigations into the role of diet in promoting a healthy gut and overall health," said Samson Adejumo, Doctoral Candidate in Biology, University of Illinois Chicago.
Reference: Protein-rich diets may influence gut microbiome and body composition; AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY; https://asm.org/Press-Releases/2024/June/High-Protein-Diet-Impact-Gut-Microbes-Body-Comp
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