New Frontiers for Digestive Health Ingredients

Did our hunter and farmer ancestors suffer from the same painful level of gluten intolerance, inflamed bowels and colon cancer as much as we do?  Although the recordkeeping of digestive issues is relatively new, the likely answer is: probably not.

The disappearance of high levels of plant secondary metabolites from our diets may be one reason why. These bioprotective compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, tannins and fiber are found in high quantities in grains such as sorghum, barley and quinoa popular in times past  -- with today’s cereal grains like corn, soy and rice being low on the list. Add the effects of industrial food processing which remove nutrients and fiber, and creates a source of simple starches and sugars feasted on by the pro-inflammatory Clostridium difficile, and it is no wonder why today’s consumer (and their GI tract) screams for change. 

What to do? According to a recent review written by gastroenterologist Dr. Stephen O’ Keefe at the University of Pittsburgh, avoiding pharmaceutical antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors used to treat acid reflux are two possible solutions. The third solution he notes relates to increased consumption of fiber in the diet. 

Another emerging dietary solution is the use of plant-based antioxidants to help re-balance the gut microflora or microbiome in the right direction. Recently, a clinical study on cocoa flavanol consumption showed an increase in fecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, mirrored by a decrease in Clostridium and plasma C-reactive protein. Likewise, the phenolic tannins punicalaginsfrom pomegranate fruit are also shown to inhibit Clostridium and increase counts of bifido- and lacto- bacteria as well. The antimicrobial effects of punicalagins and EGCG from green tea on other ‘bad’ bacteria is also documented by several research groups. A  2011 study showed that punicalagins inhibited the dangerous Pseudomonas, probably due to direct blocking of swarming motility. 

Further, the antimicrobial effects of polyphenols on foodborne pathogens is also currently receiving much interest – with one study indicating that showed punicalagins,  EGCG from green tea, prodelphinidin oligomers from Elaeocarpus sylvestris seed, and procyanidins from loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica) all having significant antimicrobial effects. In broiler chicks, polyphenol-rich grape products inhibited Clostridium as well. 

As quantification of a wide range of microbial types in fecal cultures becomes easier and more cost-effective, we expect to see more good clinical research on the effects of dietary intervention on the gut microbiome. We hypothesize that we will see a good correlation between consumption of adequate doses of some plant-based antioxidants and ‘good’ gut microbes, and that this will lead to improvement in overall inflammatory status and markers of digestive health. 

In the meantime, while it may be difficult to replicate the pre-modern diet, it is relatively easy to find well-characterized sources of the same plant-based antioxidants that kept our ancestors healthy and balanced.