Study reveals how sugars wipe out important bacteria in gut

Hgreen56

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By Eve Glazier, M.D., , Elizabeth Ko and M.D. Andrews McMeel Syndication

Dear Doctor: My cousin says she heard that eating sugar pretty much wipes out the beneficial bacteria in our gut. Please tell me that’s not true. I’m an avid baker and love sweets and don’t think that I can give them up.
Dear Reader: We can reassure you that the report your cousin is referring to doesn’t claim that sugar out-and-out destroys the gut microbiome. But don’t celebrate with a home-baked brownie just yet. We’re afraid that the new research does contain some bad news for people who have a sweet tooth. According to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences at the start of this year, high levels of fructose and glucose in the diet wreak havoc on a certain protein that is necessary for beneficial bacteria to colonize the gut.
Why does that matter? The latest research continues to make clear that good health hinges on each of us maintaining a robust and diverse gut microbiome. Made up of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that number in the trillions, the gut microbiome plays a decisive role in digestion, the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients, and the optimal function of the immune system. Whether directly or indirectly, the thousands of species of microbes we host in our bodies affect most of our physiologic functions. At the same time, we have a direct effect on these populations, including through what we eat.
In addition to the word “probiotics,” which refers to beneficial gut bacteria, the term “prebiotics” has entered common usage. This refers to the portion of the diet that contains nutrients that are available to those trillions of gut microbes. Dietary fiber, which is made up of long chains of simple sugars bonded together to make a large and complex molecule known as a polysaccharide, sails through the small intestine largely undigested. That fiber reaches the part of the colon known as the distal gut, which houses the lion’s share of the gut microbiome. Not only does that dietary fiber provide nutrients to the gut microbiome, but it affects the growth and colonization of the microbial communities.
When it comes to monosaccharides, or simple sugars, like fructose and glucose, which are routinely added to a wide range of prepared and processed foods, it was believed that they were absorbed in the small intestine and never made it to the distal gut. However, it is now known that both fructose and sucrose do reach the distal gut. When they do, they have a negative impact on good bacteria like Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta for short), which are associated with a lean and healthy body. Instead of providing food, simple sugars in the distal gut stop the production of a key protein that B. theta needs in order to maintain and expand its presence. Without that protein, B. theta populations become significantly diminished.
It’s important to note that this research was done on mice. How or even whether it translates to the human microbiome is not yet known. But considering the many health problems clearly linked to added sugar, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, cutting out simple sugars makes sense.

Looks like, ray is wrong again. :confused:
 

somuch4food

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I'm starting to think it's more nuanced than this. Peat relies a lot on orange juice and apart from having sugar in it, it also tastes sour. Having looked into Ayurvedic medicine, I do notice some truth about the different "tastes" and my physiologic reactions. Pancakes with maple syrup are easier to digest when I added some sour tasting fruits to the combo. Maple syrup and pancakes on their own make me feel nauseous, but adding some fruits make the meal lighter and easier to digest.

We like black and white nowadays, but I believe the answer is in nuances. For me, sweets shouldn't be eaten on their own, but as part of a whole meal. Doing this, might help reduce the concentration of simple sugars when the meal reaches the large intestine.
 

KTownSatfats

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By Eve Glazier, M.D., , Elizabeth Ko and M.D. Andrews McMeel Syndication

Dear Doctor: My cousin says she heard that eating sugar pretty much wipes out the beneficial bacteria in our gut. Please tell me that’s not true. I’m an avid baker and love sweets and don’t think that I can give them up.
Dear Reader: We can reassure you that the report your cousin is referring to doesn’t claim that sugar out-and-out destroys the gut microbiome. But don’t celebrate with a home-baked brownie just yet. We’re afraid that the new research does contain some bad news for people who have a sweet tooth. According to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences at the start of this year, high levels of fructose and glucose in the diet wreak havoc on a certain protein that is necessary for beneficial bacteria to colonize the gut.
Why does that matter? The latest research continues to make clear that good health hinges on each of us maintaining a robust and diverse gut microbiome. Made up of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that number in the trillions, the gut microbiome plays a decisive role in digestion, the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients, and the optimal function of the immune system. Whether directly or indirectly, the thousands of species of microbes we host in our bodies affect most of our physiologic functions. At the same time, we have a direct effect on these populations, including through what we eat.
In addition to the word “probiotics,” which refers to beneficial gut bacteria, the term “prebiotics” has entered common usage. This refers to the portion of the diet that contains nutrients that are available to those trillions of gut microbes. Dietary fiber, which is made up of long chains of simple sugars bonded together to make a large and complex molecule known as a polysaccharide, sails through the small intestine largely undigested. That fiber reaches the part of the colon known as the distal gut, which houses the lion’s share of the gut microbiome. Not only does that dietary fiber provide nutrients to the gut microbiome, but it affects the growth and colonization of the microbial communities.
When it comes to monosaccharides, or simple sugars, like fructose and glucose, which are routinely added to a wide range of prepared and processed foods, it was believed that they were absorbed in the small intestine and never made it to the distal gut. However, it is now known that both fructose and sucrose do reach the distal gut. When they do, they have a negative impact on good bacteria like Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta for short), which are associated with a lean and healthy body. Instead of providing food, simple sugars in the distal gut stop the production of a key protein that B. theta needs in order to maintain and expand its presence. Without that protein, B. theta populations become significantly diminished.
It’s important to note that this research was done on mice. How or even whether it translates to the human microbiome is not yet known. But considering the many health problems clearly linked to added sugar, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, cutting out simple sugars makes sense.

Looks like, ray is wrong again. :confused:

Again? Really???
 

schultz

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it also tastes sour.

I've had some insanely sweet fresh squeezed orange juice. My friend who works at a winery checked the Brix on some and it was significantly higher than what regular orange juice is listed at. Somewhere around 30-35g of carbohydrates per cup versus 25g. Not sour tasting at all .
 
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I've had some insanely sweet fresh squeezed orange juice. My friend who works at a winery checked the Brix on some and it was significantly higher than what regular orange juice is listed at. Somewhere around 30-35g of carbohydrates per cup versus 25g. Not sour tasting at all .
Yeah, and some fruits, like jackfruit ,are really sweet. Just half a kilo of the flesh has around 100 grams of carbs (and it didn't even had to be bred to be that sweet). Of course, there are some organic acids in it too, but still quite sweet nonetheless. I wonder how sweet the fruits were during those periods when the Earth's air had much more CO2.
 

Zpol

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They are specifying baked goods (brownies, etc.) and processed foods which we know are full of other ingredients like starch, PUFA, gums, preservatives, etc. So why are they putting the blame on the sugar?
In the beginning, they are calling baked goods sweets but they are typically very high in fat but there's no mention of that. Personally, I think these foods, like brownies, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, should be called fatties not sweets.
And what's the control? Have they given some people a diet of nutrient dense foods and then added some sugar to it in another form besides bakery items and processed foods? I think that would be important to know.
Also, if a person is hypothyroid or has a metabolic issue, pretty much anything can cause endotoxin and dysbiosis.
 

RealNeat

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I'm starting to think it's more nuanced than this. Peat relies a lot on orange juice and apart from having sugar in it, it also tastes sour. Having looked into Ayurvedic medicine, I do notice some truth about the different "tastes" and my physiologic reactions. Pancakes with maple syrup are easier to digest when I added some sour tasting fruits to the combo. Maple syrup and pancakes on their own make me feel nauseous, but adding some fruits make the meal lighter and easier to digest.

We like black and white nowadays, but I believe the answer is in nuances. For me, sweets shouldn't be eaten on their own, but as part of a whole meal. Doing this, might help reduce the concentration of simple sugars when the meal reaches the large intestine.
i get constipation from only sourdough but with olive oil and balsamic i feel great. i crave vinegar when i eat sourdough, vinegar also seems to blunt the steep blood sugar response.
 

gaze

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Dietary fiber, which is made up of long chains of simple sugars bonded together to make a large and complex molecule known as a polysaccharide, sails through the small intestine largely undigested. That fiber reaches the part of the colon known as the distal gut, which houses the lion’s share of the gut microbiome.
this is a bold assumption. most people nowadays are dealing with some type of SIBO, the fiber, unless antiseptic like carrot or mushrooms, will feed bacteria way too soon
 
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this is a bold assumption. most people nowadays are dealing with some type of SIBO, the fiber, unless antiseptic like carrot or mushrooms, will feed bacteria way too soon
+1
 

X3CyO

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@Hgreen56

Right or wrong, rude is rude. Ray is wrong again? what was he wrong about before?


Peat's written essays, pages, built models for us to learn from and understand from beginning to end with his conclusions, and you post one post and thats it?

If sugar kills off bacteria, that fits Peats context of thinking less bacteria is better.


You havent even left any explanation of why this bacteria is so important, or brought us to any logical conclusion. Nobody should eat sugar ever? Whats the threshold? Are there other things that damage this important bacteria that need to be avoided?


We've been spoiled by Haidut, Travis, Tyw, and other people who properly display their arguments from start to finish with systems, mechanisms, and context all delineated, showing that they understand what they're talking about, why, and the role it plays in the bigger picture.


Although I avoid sugar from documented experience, this argument isn't compelling.
 

CLASH

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Purified granulated sugar may be an issue, as will most processes packaged food that is conflated solely with sugar.

Whole fruit, dried fruit and 100% fruit juice have performed very well in many of the studies I have read. This is not only from a microbiome standpoint but gut barrier, liver health, cardiovascular, diabetes etc. standpoint. Ray's primary recommendation has always been quality 100% fruit juice with ripe fruit. While I'm not here to defend Ray, I think its neccesary to be fair with presenting his points of view clearly when debating them. With that said, he has mentioned granulated sugar as a supplement and many people have taken that to an extreme, myself included, and have experienced undesireable effects.
 

Kvothe

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Looks like, ray is wrong again.

lol. A simpleton links an article from 2019 talking about a study that isn't even referenced in said article, and thus Ray is wrong again. Delightful.

"In our study, the numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were significantly lower in the rats fed starch compared with the sucrose-fed animals, suggesting that a dietary change from simple to complex carbohydrate cannot be considered as beneficial in terms of microfloral composition."


1609299885161.png
 
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Ben.

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When they do, they have a negative impact on good bacteria like Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta for short), which are associated with a lean and healthy body. Instead of providing food, simple sugars in the distal gut stop the production of a key protein that B. theta needs in order to maintain and expand its presence. Without that protein, B. theta populations become significantly diminished.
I am very very thin for basicky all of my life now and i basicly grew up on mostly sugar ... according to this statement i should be fat.

I dont understand how with thoose "trillions" of bacteria/fungi etc. we stil try to isolate their functions, trowh out the possibility of a complex system and intercellular communication right out of the ******* window and demonize one dietary aspect because of it.

Not only that but we use other animals mechanisms as proof. Yet the actuall evidence we have in humans are so widespread that some thrive on sugar and others suffer from it. Noone thus far is able to explain this, not realy. Stop spreading "one truth" concepts. Ray peats findings have helped many people and has its rightfull place as an health option to explore.
 
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Atman

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"Sugar is bad for your bacteria. Eat starch and fiber instead. Some study which we will not directly reference here has 'revealed' that."

No, thanks.
 

Atman

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I am very very thin for basicky all of my life now and i basicly grew up on mostly sugar ... according to this statement i should be fat.
Many fruitarians eat more than 400g of sugars a day and even though their diet lacks certain nutrients and they don't appear very healthy in general, virtually none of them are diabetic or fat. If the mainstream view of dietary sugar was correct, they should all be massively overweight and diabetic.
 

Richiebogie

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So more fibre = complex carbohydrates = polysaccharides feed good bacteria leading to fewer bad bacteria leading to less endotoxins = lipopolysaccharides.

However more simple sugars = monosaccharides deplete a protein which feeds good bacteria leading to less good bacteria leading to more bad bacteria leading to more endotoxins = lipopolysaccharides.

That sounds back to front. What do bad bacteria eat? How much fibre is optimal? There must be a point where more fibre becomes toxic.
 

SamYo123

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So more fibre = complex carbohydrates = polysaccharides feed good bacteria leading to fewer bad bacteria leading to less endotoxins = lipopolysaccharides.

However more simple sugars = monosaccharides deplete a protein which feeds good bacteria leading to less good bacteria leading to more bad bacteria leading to more endotoxins = lipopolysaccharides.

That sounds back to front. What do bad bacteria eat? How much fibre is optimal? There must be a point where more fibre becomes toxic.
I get a red inflammed face like seb dermatitis from simple sugars, no gas, and constipation. now if I eat fiber and oats starch I get no bloat, but a lot of gas, the face clears up and have good frequent bowl movements, explain that
 

SamYo123

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@Hgreen56

Right or wrong, rude is rude. Ray is wrong again? what was he wrong about before?


Peat's written essays, pages, built models for us to learn from and understand from beginning to end with his conclusions, and you post one post and thats it?

If sugar kills off bacteria, that fits Peats context of thinking less bacteria is better.


You havent even left any explanation of why this bacteria is so important, or brought us to any logical conclusion. Nobody should eat sugar ever? Whats the threshold? Are there other things that damage this important bacteria that need to be avoided?


We've been spoiled by Haidut, Travis, Tyw, and other people who properly display their arguments from start to finish with systems, mechanisms, and context all delineated, showing that they understand what they're talking about, why, and the role it plays in the bigger picture.


Although I avoid sugar from documented experience, this argument isn't compelling.
what if kills of the bacteria that is needed to take a ***t?
 

Matestube

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"Sugar is bad for your bacteria. Eat starch and fiber instead. Some study which we will not directly reference here has 'revealed' that."

No, thanks.

Haha you made my day. Very true we are better living off simple sugars.
 

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