Gut feeling: ‘Overlooked’ bug could be key to health.
Cambridge researchers reveal findings of global gut bacteria study.
A new study by Cambridge researchers points to a previously overlooked group of gut bacteria as ‘key players’ in human health.
Thanks for reading The Cambridge Eye. Concerned about your gut health? Many are, judging by the seemingly endless ‘hacks’ on how to improve it on social media.
If, like me, you take a daily probiotic, whether as a supplement or a dollop or two of yoghurt with your chia and blueberries, you’ll probably find this new research worth digesting.
The bacteria, found to be higher in healthy people, are known as CAG‑170.
Although these have never been successfully grown in a lab, their ‘genetic fingerprints’ appeared repeatedly in the large‑scale study at the University of Cambridge, acting as an indicator of a well‑functioning gut.
Researchers analysed microbiome samples from more than 11,000 people in Europe, North America and Asia.
They compared healthy individuals with those living with conditions such obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease. Across the board, CAG‑170 were lower in people with disease.
The study was lead by Dr Alexandre Almeida:
We looked at the gut microbes of thousands of people across 39 countries and 13 different diseases including Crohn’s and obesity. We consistently found that people with these diseases had lower levels of CAG-170 bacteria in their gut.
They also found lower levels of CAG-170 in people with dysbiosis – a condition where the gut microbiome is out of balance - linked to long-term conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and anxiety and depression.
The science:
Analysis suggests these bacteria play a key role in breaking down carbohydrates, sugars and dietary fibres in the gut and are capable of producing significant amounts of Vitamin B12. It’s thought this is then used by other microbes in the gut, helping to keep the wider ecosystem stable.
Dr Alexandre Almeida, says the probiotic industry has not kept up with gut microbiome research.
People are still using the same probiotic species that were being used decades ago. We’re now discovering new groups of bacteria like CAG-170 with important links to our health, and probiotics aimed at supporting them could have a much greater health benefit.
The discovery could pave the way for new diagnostics and treatments with future probiotics designed specifically to support the growth of CAG-170.
But first, scientists will have to work out how to grow them in the lab.
Read more on the study from the University of Cambridge here.
You might also like:
