Love Chocolate and Cheese? They May Help Keep the Gut Healthy

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Those fond of cheese can join in too. According to a latest study, loading up on protein rich foods such as nuts, eggs, seeds, beans, poultry, yogurt, cheese and even chocolates may foster a more tolerant and less inflammatory gut environment. This would further provide relief to those who have been reeling with abdominal pain, diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease. The findings revealed that these foods contain profuse amount of tryptophan. Trytophan is an amino acid that is used in the buildup of proteins.

During the study, the researchers found that when these trytptophan rich foods were fed to mice, it led to the development of immune cells that bolstered a tolerant gut. Researchers said that a protein rich diet triggers the appearance of immune cells in Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) - a bacterium that usually resides in the gut, which can promote a more tolerant and less inflammatory gut immune system.

Marco Colonna, Professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis said, "We established a link between one bacterial species - Lactobacillus reuteri - that is a normal part of the gut microbiome, and development of a population of cells that promote tolerance." More the tryptophan intake by the mice, more was the presence of these immune cells.

For the study, the researchers examined mice that had lived under sterile conditions since birth and was germ-free. The study revealed that when the L. reuteri was introduced to these mice, the immune cells arose. Further, when the tryptophan was doubled in the mice's feed, the number of such cells rose by a whopping 50 per cent.

Researchers noted that humans have the same tolerance-promoting cells as mice, and have L. reuteri in the gastrointestinal tracts. Luisa Cervantes-Barragan, one of the postdoctoral researchers from the team said, "The development of these cells is probably something we want to encourage since these cells control inflammation on the inner surface of the intestines,"

"High levels of tryptophan in the presence of L. reuteri may induce expansion of this population," Cervantes-Barragan added.

The study was published in the journal Science.

(Inputs IANS)