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People are growing more aware of the role the microbiome plays in their health—especially the microorganisms that live in the digestive system, known as gut microbiome. Health issues that seem unrelated to digestion are increasingly being linked to the fungi and bacteria living in the gut.
Different proteins, different microbiome. A recent study found that the source of dietary protein can alter the composition and structure of the gut microbiome. The experiment, conducted in mice, observed essential changes in microbiota linked to diet.
“The composition of the gut microbiome significantly changed every time we changed the protein source,” Alfredo Blakeley-Ruiz, co-author of the study, said. “The protein sources with the biggest functional effects were brown rice, yeast, and egg whites.”
A variety of sources. Protein is a key nutrient that provides the essential amino acids the body uses to build its own proteins. Meat, fish, and eggs are common sources of amino acids, but they’re not the only ones.
The existence of alternatives raises the possibility of different effects on health and well-being—especially through the microbiome.
Metabolism of amino acids. In the study, the team used high-resolution mass spectrometry along with metagenomics and metaproteomics. Their goal: to observe how the gut microbiome changed when mice received protein from only one source, which was rotated weekly.
They found that some protein sources were associated with major changes. These changes appeared in how the mice metabolized amino acids and in how their digestive systems broke down complex sugars—an outcome the researchers didn’t initially expect.
Diets based on brown rice and egg whites increased amino acid breakdown, suggesting that gut microorganisms were actively processing proteins for their amino acids. The study was recently published in The ISME Journal.
A (too?) controlled environment.The research team acknowledged a few limitations. The first is dietary complexity: In the lab, mice were fed a radically simplified diet with only one protein source at a time.
While animal studies don’t always translate directly to humans, drastic dietary changes were expected to cause noticeable microbiome shifts. A more varied human diet would likely produce more muted effects.
Image | David Gabrielyan
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