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bottom left: Photo by Pixabay via Pexels; bottom right: Photo by Mariya via Pexels
A study has found that certain foods have antimicrobial properties, which help to shape the microbiome by producing viruses in the gut called bacteriophages. These engulf certain bacteria making them perish whilst providing space for others to flourish, like pulling weeds from a garden, so other plants can grow.
In the study, 28 food items demonstrated antimicrobial properties, with bacteriaphage production being highest with:
- neem
- aspartame
- stevia (plant-based sugar substitute)
- uva ursi (bear berry) present in toothpastes
and to a lesser extent with:
- honey
- licorice
- oregano
- cinnamon
- hot sauce
- cloves
- rhubarb
Depending on which bacteria are affected, this also means that eating too much of certain foods might end up killing beneficial bacteria in the gut affecting bacterial diversity of the gut. Further work would be needed to understand how these foods could be used to favourably manipulate the microbiome.
IBS Researcher 