Gut Bacteria Linked To Diabetes Epidemic
September 28, 2012 by Sam Rolley
Healthy gut bacteria have been directly linked to good overall health in numerous studies. New research amplifies the importance of ensuring the friendly bacteria in your gut are plentiful.
A new study published in the medical journal Nature indicates that the epidemic of type 2 diabetes often discussed by health professionals is directly related to the lack of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract.
“We have demonstrated that people with type 2 diabetes have a high level of pathogens in their intestines,” said the lead researcher for the Nature study, Jun Wang from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, in a media statement.
Researchers found that study subjects with type 2 diabetes often had accompanying high levels of toxic gut bacteria. They plan to do further research to learn whether the unhealthy bacteria are the root cause of diabetes.
“We are going to transplant gut bacteria from people that suffer from type 2 diabetes into mice and examine whether the mice then develop diabetes,” said another of the lead scientists behind the project, professor Oluf Borbye Pedersen from the University of Copenhagen.
The number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has snowballed in recent years. Scientists believe there are just as many undiagnosed people with the illness. With the possibility of a direct link between the disease and gut bacteria, there are a few easy dietary measures you can take to ensure gut bacteria health.
- Avoid antibiotics, which kill healthy bacteria.
- Eat a diet filled with raw foods and prebiotics, such as: fruits, legumes and whole grains.
- Eat probiotic foods such as yogurt and naturally fermented sauerkraut to replenish healthy gut bacteria.
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