A recent study, published in Nature Communications, has found that eating a fibre-rich breakfast consisting of muesli and enough fruit and vegetables throughout the day everyday can help maintain a rich variety of bacterial species in the gut. This latest finding suggests that it may have a positive influence on chronic inflammatory joint diseases, and prevent bone loss.
A team of researchers at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg (FAU) in Germany revealed that a healthy diet rich in fibre is capable of changing intestinal bacteria in such a way that more short-chained fatty acids, in particular propionate, are formed.
According to the researchers, short-chained fatty acids are quite important for the body. It provides energy, stimulate intestinal movement and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
"We were able to show that a bacteria-friendly diet has an anti-inflammatory effect, as well as a positive effect on bone density," lead author Mario Zaiss from the FAU said.
"We are not able to give any specific recommendations for a bacteria-friendly diet at the moment, but eating muesli every morning as well as enough fruit and vegetables throughout the day helps to maintain a rich variety of bacterial species," Zaiss added.
While doing the study, the researchers had focused on the short-chain fatty acids propionate and butyrate that are formed during the fermentation processes caused by intestinal bacteria. It is assumed that these fatty acids, which can be found in the joint fluid, have an important effect on the functionality of joints.
In addition to this, the team has also proved that a higher concentration of short-chained fatty acids that can be found in bone marrow is slowing bone degradation down considerably. In bone-marrow, propionate caused a reduction in the number of bone-degrading cells.
"Our findings offer a promising approach for developing innovative therapies for inflammatory joint diseases as well as for treating osteoporosis, which is often suffered by women after the menopause," Zaiss said.
(With inputs from IANS)
