Improve your diet
Improving your diet in something as simple as bread can have great health benefits
A study from Aragon shows that quality bread improves digestion and reduces the risk of intolerances, obesity and diabetes.
Improving our diet in something as simple as our daily bread can bring important benefits to our health. This is the result of research carried out within the framework of the Biomed-Aragón bioregion, by the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences (IACS), which shows that the quality of bread influences the behaviour of the intestines of mice. “If the bread is of low quality, made with industrial additives, the mouse’s gut microbiome is altered and causes systemic inflammation that can have long-term negative consequences for its health,” the researchers warn in a statement released on Tuesday.In contrast, when mice were fed quality bread or bread that had been fermented for a long time, no such inflammation was observed in the intestine; and, in the case of wholemeal bread, a good response was even observed in the intestinal flora, they add. These are the conclusions of the first phase of the study 'Effect of long-fermentation bread on the intestinal microbiome and systemic inflammation' carried out by Biomed-Aragón at the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences, a centre attached to the Ministry of Health of the Government of Aragon. Antonio Rezusta, head of the Microbiology section at the Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza, is the principal investigator of this study, which also includes the participation of Biomed researcher at the IACS, Pedro Marijuan; the president of the Richemont Club in Spain, Jorge Pastor; the researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, Rosa del Campo; and the researcher at the Aragón I+D Foundation (ARAID), of the University of Zaragoza, Julián Pardo. Numerous previous studies carried out to date address the effects of diet on the intestinal microbiome, but this is the first time that it has been studied in relation to bread. In this first phase of the Aragonese research, carried out on mice, the contribution of bread according to its fermentation methods in maintaining and improving the microbiome has been analysed. “During the second phase, which begins now, tests will be carried out on humans to find out its implication in the population, and also to find out how this affects particularly sensitive groups such as children and the elderly,” the researchers say.
What is the gut microbiome?
The intestinal microbiome is the set of microbes, viruses, fungi and yeasts that are in the intestine and that help us digest food. “If we have an adequate diet, we can maintain a healthy microbiome. But if our diet fails, inflammation is generated that eventually produces certain reactions in the immune system, which can lead to intolerance to lactose, gluten and many other foods,” warn the experts. This situation also affects our behaviour by increasing levels of tiredness and fatigue, and can also promote other diseases in the long term, such as obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease. According to Dr. Rezusta, “a good part of our health depends on having a non-inflammatory microbiome.” Research carried out at the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences has shown that bread made using industrial processes to reduce production times (through the use of boosters that shorten the fermentation process) causes intestinal inflammation in mice. On the other hand, “if the bread is of quality, that is, long-fermented or bacterially fermented (known as sourdough or baker's dough), it improves digestion and reduces the risk of suffering from intolerances and other diseases,” the researchers concluded in a statement. Fountain: http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/suplementos/salud/2016/04/12/mejorar-dieta-algo-tan-sencillo-como-pan-puede-suponer-grandes-beneficios-842129-1381024.html