Molecules Produced by Gut Bacteria Could Help The Human Body Fight Cancer
Our guts are fabulous places, filled with a myriad of microbes. These tiny life forms help us with everything from fermenting fiber to feeling full. But their effects don't stay just in the gut.
We know that gut microbes like bacteria and yeast have a role to play in diabetes, depression and neurovascular disease. Now, scientists have discovered that molecules produced by stomach bacteria could give the human body a helping hand when it comes to the immune system, even going so far as to help fight tumors.
"The results are an example of how metabolites of intestinal bacteria can change the metabolism and gene regulation of our cells and thus positively influence the efficiency of tumor therapies," says immunologist Maik Luu from University Hospital Würzburg in Germany.
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are one of the helpful molecules produced when dietary fiber is fermented in the gut. Major SCFAs are acetate and butyrate, along with the less common pentanoate, found only in some bacteria. All of these SCFAs have a bunch of positive health effects in humans, such as the regulation of insulin resistance, cholesterol, and even appetite.
