• May 3, 2022
• By admin

Food Cravings are just your Gut Feelings.

A Your gut is home to a diverse spectrum of microbes.

The gut microbiota, a diverse and dynamic collection of microorganisms found in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, has a significant impact on the host during homeostasis and disease. Several variables have a role in the development of the human gut microbiota during childhood. Diet is thought to be one of the most important factors in the development of the gut microbiota throughout time. Intestinal bacteria are important for immunological and metabolic homeostasis, as well as pathogen protection. The development of numerous inflammatory illnesses and infections has been linked to a change in gut bacterial composition (dysbiosis). The interpretation of this research is dependent on a greater knowledge of inter-individual differences, bacterial community heterogeneity along and across the GI tract, functional redundancy, and the need to separate cause from effect in dysbiosis situations. The current state of knowledge about the growth and composition of the human GI microbiota, as well as its impact on gut integrity and host health, are summarised in this review, highlighting the need for mechanistic studies focused on host-microbe interactions.  The number of microorganisms living in the GI tract has been estimated to be greater than 10¹⁴, which includes 10 times the number of bacterial cells as human cells and more than 100 times the quantity of genetic content (microbiome) as the human genome.

The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract is shaped by a variety of factors.

According to a recent study, nutrition has a significant impact on gut flora. The ability of microbial members to metabolize simple carbohydrates drives the ileal microbiota, according to meta-transcriptomic research, indicating that the microbiota has adapted to the nutritional availability in the small intestine. An otherwise matched diet high in resistant starch or non-starch polysaccharide fibre (wheat bran) resulted in a robust and reproducible enrichment of various bacterial species in the human gut, as proven in crossover research. The abundance of several microbial species in the gut microbiota of babies can also be affected by feeding practices. Bifidobacterium longum and some Bacteroides species, for example, can use fucosylated oligosaccharides found in human milk to outcompete other bacteria like E. coli and Clostridium perfringens. Individual microorganisms, as well as consortia of bacteria, have been demonstrated to be extremely reliant on the nutrient composition of the diet. Prevotella develops best on carbs, while Bifidobacteria benefits from dietary fiber, and Bacteroidetes prefers specific lipids as a substrate.

Microbes can influence the cravings of their hosts.

Plenty of research has implicated the gut microbiome as a crucial regulator of brain and behavior, demonstrating how bidirectional communication via the gut microbiota-brain axis is critical for maintaining host metabolism and energy homeostasis. However, there have been fewer studies on how the microbiome may influence addiction-related behaviors like “food/eating addiction.” Even while the data isn’t complete, there’s growing evidence that microbiome dysbiosis plays a role in the formation of these bad habits. There is some evidence that there is a link between desires and gut microbiota composition. Despite consuming comparable diets, people who are “chocolate wanting” have different microbial metabolites in their urine than others who are “chocolate indifferent.” Many gut bacteria can produce peptides, which are analogous to hunger-controlling hormones like peptide YY and ghrelin. Antibodies have been developed against these peptides in humans and other animals. This raises the prospect that microorganisms could directly or indirectly influence human eating behavior via peptides that imitate hunger-regulating hormones or antibodies that interfere with appetite regulation. The development of a robust link between gut microbial patterns and human disease is probably the most difficult task in gut microbiota research. The study of gut microbiota is still in its infancy, and much more research is needed to map out disease correlations. However, there is reason to be optimistic. There’s a lot of buzz these days about using prebiotics and probiotics to change our gut microbiota. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria, whereas probiotics are live bacteria found in foods and supplements. Patients with a severe kind of gut bacterial infection called Clostridium difficile, which has been resistant to antibiotics, are now being treated by faeces transplantation. As we learn more about how our gut bacteria influence our bodily functions, including food appetites, such targeted strategies are likely to become more popular.

References

1. Alcock, J., Maley, C. C., & Aktipis, C. A. (2014). Is eating behavior manipulated by the gastrointestinal microbiota? Evolutionary pressures and potential mechanisms. Bioessays, 36(10), 940–949. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201400071
2. How gut bacteria affect your food cravings | Gut Dr. (2014, November 7). Dr. Gut | Gut Info You Can Trust. https://www.gutdr.com/how-gut-bacteria-affects-food-cravings/
3. Novelle, M. G. (2021). Decoding the Role of Gut-Microbiome in the Food Addiction Paradigm. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 6825. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136825
4. Thursby, E., & Juge, N. (2017). Introduction to the human gut microbiota. Biochemical Journal, 474(11), 1823–1836. https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20160510