” Overall dietary patterns have been related to differences in microbiome composition, but food-specific effects havent been studied quite,” Cooperstone stated. “Ultimately we d like to identify in people what the function is of these specific microbes and how they might be adding to possible health outcomes.”
The research was just recently published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
The tomatoes utilized in the study were developed by Ohio State plant breeder, tomato geneticist, and co-author David Francis, and are the type generally discovered in canned tomato products.
10 recently weaned control pigs were fed a standard diet plan and 10 pigs were fed the basic diet plan fine-tuned so that 10% of the food consisted of a freeze-dried powder made from the tomatoes.
Fiber, sugar, protein, fat, and calories were similar for both diets. The control and research study pig populations lived separately, and researchers running the research study lessened their time invested with the pigs– a series of precautions developed to guarantee that any microbiome changes seen with the study diet plan might be credited to chemical compounds in the tomatoes.
Microbial neighborhoods in the pigs guts were detected in fecal samples taken prior to the research study started and after that seven and 14 days after the diet plan was presented.
The team used a strategy called shotgun metagenomics to sequence all microbial DNA present in the samples. Results showed two primary changes in the microbiomes of pigs fed the tomato-heavy diet– the variety of microorganism species in their guts increased, and the concentrations of 2 kinds of germs typical in the mammal microbiome moved to a more favorable profile.
This greater ratio of the phyla Bacteroidota (formerly known as Bacteriodetes) compared to Bacillota (formerly called Firmicutes) present in the microbiome has been found to be connected with favorable health results, while other studies have linked this ratio in reverse, of higher Bacillota compared to Bacteroidota, to weight problems.
Tomatoes account for about 22% of veggie intake in Western diets, and previous research has actually associated the consumption of tomatoes with decreased danger for the development of numerous conditions that consist of heart disease and some cancers.
Tomatoes effect on the gut microbiome is still a secret, and Cooperstone stated these findings in pigs– whose intestinal tract is more similar than rodents to the human GI system– recommend its an opportunity worth exploring.
” This was our very first investigation regarding how tomato consumption might affect the microbiome, and weve characterized which microorganisms exist, and how their relative abundance has changed with this tomato intervention,” she stated.
” To truly understand the mechanisms, we need to do more of this sort of work in the long term in people. We likewise desire to comprehend the complex interplay– how does taking in these foods change the structure of what microbes exist, and functionally, what does that do?
” A better understanding could result in more evidence-based dietary recommendations for long-lasting health.”
Reference: “Short-Term Tomato Consumption Alters the Pig Gut Microbiome toward a More Favorable Profile” by Mallory L. Goggans, Emma A. Bilbrey, Cristian D. Quiroz-Moreno, David M. Francis, Sheila K. Jacobi, Jasna Kovac and Jessica L. Cooperstone, 8 November 2022, Microbiology Spectrum.DOI: 10.1128/ spectrum.02506-22.
The research study was moneyed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the Foods for Health effort at Ohio State.
The researchers discovered that young pigs that consumed a diet high in tomatoes for 2 weeks had a boost in the diversity of their gut microbes and a shift in their gut germs towards a more beneficial profile.
According to scientists, the favorable outcomes obtained from studies on pigs warrant further investigation in human topics.
According to scientists, a diet plan heavy in tomatoes for 2 weeks resulted in an increase in the diversity of gut microorganisms and a change in gut bacteria towards a more beneficial profile in young pigs.
Based upon these findings from a short-term intervention, the research team prepares to perform similar studies in humans to check out the potential health-related connections between consuming tomatoes and changes to the human gut microbiome.
” Its possible that tomatoes impart advantages through their modulation of the gut microbiome,” said senior author Jessica Cooperstone, assistant teacher of horticulture and crop science and food science and technology at The Ohio State University.