A study has uncovered the role of dietary fibres in enhancing the availability of microbiome-produced B vitamins in our guts.
It found that consuming higher amounts of dietary fibre can help gut bacteria to utilise the B vitamins they produce, which subsequently enhances the availability of B vitamins to the human 'host'.
Dietary B vitamins have many positive effects on human health, including immune regulation and cognitive health.
The levels of B vitamins in the colon entirely depend on the ability of the gut microbiome to synthesise such nutrients, so finding ways to enhance the activity of these nutrient-enhancing microbes could offer as a significant benefit to our general gut health.
Findings from this study also offer the industry novel insights into the intricacy that underlies the relationship between the diet, and how it affects our gut and immune health — as well as the benefit of functional foods on our overall health.
How the study was performed
To discover how functional foods — such as dietary fibre — can impact the activity of the gut microbiome, the research team fed rodents various diets which varied in fibre content.
The effect of each diet was then analysed to asses how it could impact the gut bacteria present in the rodent's microbiome, and what knock-on effect this would have on host immunity.
Gut microbiota prove essential in B vitamin production
It was found that fibre deprivation led to a marked decrease in microbiota-produced B vitamins — which are crucial for many bodily functions.
On the other hand, rodents supplemented with complex cereal fibres or prebiotics such as inulin exhibited a marked increase in B vitamin production, and — subsequently — immune balance was established.
The lead investigator in this study, Prof. Mahesh Desai explained: “Our findings underscore the significant role of dietary fibres in
modulating the gut bacteria's metabolic output, particularly in enhancing the availability of B vitamins. This, in turn, has a profound effect on the host's immune landscape."
"Since vitamin B deficiency is associated with a plethora of diseases, our study highlights the potential for dietary interventions to boost B vitamins in the large intestine in order to support immune health.”
“Dietary fibre is a catch-all term for a very diverse class of carbohydrates,” co-first author Dr Erica Grant noted. “Our research shows that specific types of fibres, like inulin, are more effective in supporting growth of beneficial bacteria that produce B vitamins; whereas the absence of these fibres creates an environment that drives specific bacteria to use the B vitamins for themselves.”
This study could have significant implications for personalised nutrition and the development of targeted dietary interventions.
