The protective mucus lining the epithelium of the colon became thinner in mice given too much sugar. This has been shown in the laboratory animals in a new studychronic inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) or colitis. In addition, researchers who examined her colon found more bacteria that can damage this protective mucous layer of the intestines.
How too much sugar consumption promotes inflammatory bowel disease
Colitis is a major public health problem in most Western countries, according to the study authors. IBD can even cause persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. The number of adults suffering from such a disease has increased enormously in recent years. In addition, colitis also occurs in children who have not historically suffered from it. Because of the disease's much higher prevalence in Western countries, researchers have considered the Western diet, which is high in fat, sugar and animal protein, as a possible risk factor. While high-fat diets have been found to trigger IBD, the role of sugar has been more controversial, the study authors said.
The study showed that too much sugar consumption was caused by the glucose in corn syruphigh fructose content as the main suspect. This ingredient was developed by the food industry in the 1960s and then increasingly used to sweeten soft drinks and other foods. The incidence of this type of colitis has also increased in Western countries over the same period. This is particularly true in children, according to the study. The researchers found that mice that were either genetically predisposed to developing colitis or that were given a chemical that triggers IBD developed more severe symptoms when they were given sugar first.
Study results
The researchers used gene sequencing techniques to identify specific species and prevalence of bacteria. Those found in the colons of mice before and after receiving their sugar regimen. After seven days, excessive sugar consumption showed significant changes in the gut microbiome in mice fed sucrose, fructose and glucose. Bacteria known to produce degradative enzymes such as Akkermansia were found in greater numbers. Some other types of gut bacteria that are considered healthy and common in the gut microbiome, such as Lactobacillus, are less common. So the researchers saw evidence of a thinning of the mucus layer that protects the lining of the colon.
They also observed signs of infection from other bacteria. The mucus layer protects the intestinal mucosal tissue from the invasion of intestinal microbiota. Higher abundance of degradative bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides fragilis, in glucose-treated mice is therefore a potential risk to the intestinal mucus barrier. After the researchers noticed microbiome changes in sugar-fed mice, they fed samples from the former to other laboratory mice. These mice developed more severe colitis. This suggests that glucose-induced susceptibility to colitis may be transmitted along with the destructive gut microbiota of affected animals. Researchers are planningthis studyto further investigate the effects of high sugar intake. This will help you determine how this affects the development of other inflammatory diseases such as obesity, fatty liver disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
