There is no question that a person’s diet has direct effects on their intestinal microbiota. Dieting can create a shift in the gut microbiota, but according to an article by Leeming, et.al talking about the effect of diet on the gut microbiota, these changes are temporary. They also talk about how it is unknown the effects of prolonged dietary changes on the gut microbiota because of a lack of long-term dietary interventions seen in humans, and because of a lack of long-term follow-ups of short-term dietary interventions. There is a possibility that habitual diets have a greater influence on the gut microbiota than acute dieting strategies. Through habitual dietary practices, we are able to select substrates that provide a competitive environment for gut microbiota. In an article written by Harvard Public Health, they talk about how high-fiber diets in particular affect the type and amount of microbiota in the intestines. Dietary fiber can only be broken down and then fermented by enzymes that live in the microbiota of the colon. Short fatty acid chains are released as result of this fermentation, in turn lowering the pH of the colon and becoming a determining factor of what microbiota are present. Only microbiota that can live in this acidic environment can survive, which limits the growth of harmful bacteria such as C. diff.
One food that I learned has a surprisingly large amount of sugar in it is pasta sauce. Pasta is one of my go to comfort foods because it is easy to make and fills me up. Pasta sauce can have 6-12 grams of sugar per half cup. The serving size for pasta sauce per person is about 2 to 4 ounces (1/4 to ½ a cup). In Rao’s homemade marinara sauce (which is the sauce I usually use), the serving size is ½ cup. There are 6 grams of carbohydrates, which includes 4 grams of total sugars and 1 gram of dietary fiber. Another food that has a surprising amount of sugar in it is barbecue sauce. Just two tablespoons can contain up to 15 grams of sugar. All those trips to the McDonalds on Franklin street at 1am where I get fries and barbecue sauce are catching up to me. On the Sweet Baby Ray’s nutrition label, the first ingredient on the list is high fructose corn syrup, which is a form of sugar.
One lifestyle marker that I would like to strongly advocate for that was mentioned in the Nature article is physical exercise. Not only does physical exercise promote microbiome diversity, but it also is a great stress reliever that leaves you feeling accomplished and good about yourself. In high school, I used to be a very competitive athlete. I would work out and play soccer sometimes twice a day, and I would travel every weekend for games. Once getting into college, I lost that aspect of myself and found myself drowning in school work. Overall, I was just not happy with how things were going. Taking the time to work out, or even just go for a walk has greatly helped me release stress and feel like I have done something productive with my day, as opposed to just sitting at my desk and procrastinating all my work. It helped give me a set schedule for my week and gave me the chance to do something I truly enjoy.
Emmalyn's Take on Microbio 