Gut Check: Low-Calorie Sweeteners and the Gut Microbiome

We’re back again with another edition of Gut Check, our series on the relationship between food and the gut microbiome. So far, we’ve taken a closer look at how whole grains, fiber, and fermented foods affect our gut microbes. In this article we’re taking a closer look at low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) and the growing body of research on their connection to our microbial communities. LCSs (sometimes referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes) provide sweetness without adding a significant amount of calories. They have a long history of safe use in a variety of foods and beverages, ranging from soft drinks to candy to tabletop sweeteners. In the U.S., the most common LCSs are acesulfame potassium (ace-K), aspartame, monk fruit, saccharin, stevia and sucralose. LCSs are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the world today. And yet, research on their relationship to the gut microbiome is very much in its infancy. Most LCSs are not metabolized by our digestive enzymes, so they travel through the digestive system intact and pass out of the body unchanged. Because of this, scientists have long thought they have no effects on the body. However, recent research has revealed that some LCSs may influence the bacteria in our gut. Most of these studies have been done in animal models and have shown wide-ranging results—from reductions in total bacterial count to increases in short-chain fatty acids, which are made by gut bacteria and are thought to be beneficial for gut health. The translation of these results to humans can be tricky and, in many cases, it’s just plain impractical. A primary reason? Lab animals are often genetically identical to each other and live their lives in the same environments, while in humans the microbiome is reflective of widely […]

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Gut Check: Sugars and the Gut Microbiome

Welcome to Gut Check, our running series where we explore how the food we eat is connected to our gut microbiome. We recently took a look at how low-calorie sweeteners impact the microbes living in our gut (I’ll summarize here: we still don’t know if, or how, they do). In this article we’re taking a closer look at simple and added sugars and the (limited) research on their connection to our microbial communities. Although you’d never know it from the headlines, eating sugar can be part of a healthy diet. And that’s because sugar isn’t just in candy bars and doughnuts—it’s found naturally in fruits, grains, and dairy products, and even some vegetables. Sugars belong to the group of foods known as carbohydrates, one of the three major macronutrients that we need to sustain life (the other two being fat and protein). When we think of sugar, it tends not to be the sugars found naturally in whole foods. Instead, what typically comes to mind is table sugar, known in science-y terms as sucrose. Sucrose is made up of two sugar molecules, glucose and fructose. We use sucrose in baking, to sweeten our coffee, preserve jams and jellies, and to fuel the yeast that helps us create a loaf of homemade bread. Sucrose, glucose and fructose are classified as simple sugars because they’re not linked in long chains like starches and fiber are. Added sugars are the sugars and syrups that are put into foods during preparation or processing, or added at the table (like when you sprinkle brown sugar on your oatmeal). Since added sugars are usually simple sugars, we’ll lump them together just for today. Unhealthy diets, including those with too many calories from added sugars, are associated with an increased risk for conditions like obesity, type 2 […]

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Questions and Answers About Sugars

Think about the foods and drinks you most enjoy—do they have anything in common? Chances are, many of them contain some form and quantity of sugar. It could be naturally occurring sugars, like in fresh fruits and vegetables, or it could be the added sugars that are typically found in desserts. We are born liking sweet taste, and most people continue to enjoy the sweet taste of sugars throughout their life. Unfortunately, most Americans consume more added sugar than is recommended by health and nutrition experts. But that doesn’t mean that sugars need to be eliminated from a balanced plan for healthy eating. This article addresses common questions that many people have about sugars and their role in a healthful diet. What are sugars? Sugars are carbohydrates, one of the three macronutrients—along with dietary fat and protein—that provide us with calories. But all carbohydrates are not sugars. Sugars occur naturally in dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Sugars are also used as ingredients in many packaged foods and beverages. The most familiar sugar is sucrose (i.e., table sugar), which is a disaccharide made of two simple sugars: the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. Sucrose, fructose, and glucose are examples of sugars that are naturally occurring but are also used as added sugars. Other sugars commonly added to foods include corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. Why are sugars added to foods? Sugars play important roles in foods, and taste is only one of them. In addition to sweet taste, sugars provide various technical functions in food science, including contributing to a food’s color, structure, and texture; balancing acidity; controlling crystallization in candies and chocolates; providing a medium for the growth of yeast in baked goods; and preventing spoilage by binding water to reduce its activity. Are sugars safe to eat? The U.S. Food […]

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Gut Check: Prebiotics and Probiotics [INFOGRAPHIC]

We hear so much about eating to improve our “gut health.” These conversations almost always involve a discussion about foods that contain prebiotics and probiotics. But what exactly are they? Where can we find them? And do they really benefit our health? Read on for the details. The World Health Organization defines probiotics as, “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” The premise is that consuming probiotics will enhance or restore balance to our gut microbiome, which are the microbes that inhabit our gastrointestinal tracts. Probiotic bacteria are necessary for the fermentation of milk into yogurt and kefir. They’re also responsible for transforming vegetables into foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. During fermentation, bacteria or yeasts convert the starches and sugars found in foods into alcohol or acids. As their popularity grows, probiotics are being added to all kinds of food and drinks. Probiotic-containing products will mention them on food packaging with the phrase “contains live and active cultures.” The product label will also list specific types of bacteria in the ingredients list. The technical definition of prebiotics is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.” In simpler terms, we can think of them as substances in foods that can’t be broken down by human digestive enzymes. Instead, prebiotics travel to our lower gastrointestinal tract where they’re fermented by probiotic bacteria. In a nutshell, probiotics are microorganisms that are beneficial for our health, and prebiotics are what feed probiotics. Fruit, vegetables, cereals and other edible plants all have potential to provide prebiotics. Artichokes, asparagus, bananas, berries, chicory, garlic, green vegetables, legumes (like peas and beans), onions, tomatoes, oats, barley and wheat are among the sources of naturally occurring prebiotic fiber. If you’re a food label reader, you […]

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Get the Lead Out

Spring is in the air—and so are the annual testing lab reports on everything from cars to washers and dryers and even lead in fruit juices. That report reminded me of how fortunate I am that I understand where our food comes from. With my background in Food and Nutrition Sciences, I was not shocked to know that low levels of metals—such as lead, cadmium and arsenic—are present in our day-to-day meals. As a typical science nerd, I’ve memorized every element on the classic periodic table and learned that most elements are found naturally on the earth. Elements can be solid or liquid and metals are typically seen in their solid forms. Elements Are Essential for Life My nutrition training has helped me understand how natural elements can promote good health and are critical to sustaining life. We interact with some elements more than others. Some elements help us build strong bodies and others help us build the structures and technologies that make our lives easier. In addition to commonly known elements, like oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, there are dozens of others on the periodic table that are particularly necessary and beneficial to our health and well-being. For example, It All Starts in the Soil Plant-based foods and beverages all start in the soil. Plant life depends on the elements that are naturally present in the earth to grow. When fully grown, these plants are harvested, cleaned and sometimes processed to become the familiar foods we enjoy every day. Our bodies don’t produce every nutrient we need. We rely on our food to receive many of them. As part of their own growth process, plants take up all-natural forms of elements from the soil, air and water using their roots and stomata. Along the way, trace levels of natural metals […]

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A Reminder on Food Recalls and Food Safety

We expect food to be safe when making purchases at grocery stores and dining in restaurants. In fact, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey found that approximately 70 percent of consumers are somewhat or very confident in the safety of our food supply. However, we sometimes face that all-too-familiar yet oddly puzzling term, “food recall,” in the media. Many of us may wonder, “How could this happen?” or “Why isn’t my food safe?” But a food recall doesn’t mean we should lack trust in the safety of our food system. Let’s take a closer look at what a recall is and what to do when our food is recalled. Spoiler alert: The answer is not to panic! What is a food recall? A food recall is the removal of a food product from the marketplace due to a potential hazard in that product. These hazards might include contamination by a bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria; the presence of a physical contaminant like broken glass or metal; or improper labeling of a common allergen as an ingredient. Ben Chapman,PhD, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, spoke with the IFIC Foundation and notes that the most common type of recall is this third type: mislabeling, which generally is not an issue for consumers without food allergies. Bacterial contamination is the next most common cause of recalls. However, Dr. Chapman points out that bacteria-based recalls are not necessarily the result of increased contamination; instead they’re a reflection of better food production. “The more we look for Listeria, the more we’re going to find it,” Chapman says. That is, improvements in detection methods and technology in food manufacturing have been able to detect harmful bacteria sooner, often before too many (if any) […]

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The Little Guys of Regenerative Agriculture

Many of us loved making mud pies as kids—it may have been our favorite thing to do outside. But as kids, we likely never thought much about whether or not the soil that made those pies was healthy or if it could be used to grow a garden. We had no idea that healthy dirt was a “thing,” but most of us were not then—and are not now— farmers! Regenerative agriculture consists of farming practices that enhance the health of agricultural soil—the soil that grows crops in our food system. Soil composition and health can be altered by environmental stressors including harsh climate conditions, physical disturbances and chemical contaminants. But the overall health of soil depends largely on its carbon concentration. The element carbon is a building block of all animal and plant cells and is ubiquitous in our environment. Because carbon is a primary component of agricultural soil, careful carbon management is one of the most important aspects of growing sustainable plants in our food system. Our last regenerative ag post talked about practices that many farms are utilizing to support carbon management, including no-till farming; composting unused, biodegradable plant products; and planting perennial crops. Now let’s take a deeper dive into our agricultural soil and look at the “little guys”—including worms, bacteria, and viruses—that support carbon sequestration and soil health. As we’ll see, these tiny helpers work right alongside farmers to bring us healthy and renewable crops each year. Down to Earth There’s more to soil than just dirt. Soil contains an ecosystem that is abundant in various types of animals, food sources, nutrients and waste. All the elements in the soil ecosystem, both living and nonliving, work to create an ecological balance. And one major balance-keeper is earthworms. Many of us remember digging up these little guys […]

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Aflatoxins in the U.S. Food Supply

Not many of us know that aflatoxins contamination has been recorded as contributing to 25% of estimated loss of the world’s food supply. However, some of us may see aflatoxin in the news every so often being associated with food recalls. These food reliability and safety issues are why aflatoxin is on the radar of government organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the European Food Safety Authority. What are aflatoxins? Aflatoxins are part of a larger group of toxins called mycotoxins, which are toxic metabolites that are produced by certain types of fungi and can infect agricultural commodities and make food inedible. Aflatoxins are mainly produced from the Aspergillus species, usually in poor storage or adverse weather conditions. Aspergillus is a species of filamentous fungi found in soil, seeds and grains and decaying vegetation. The contamination occurs when Aspergillus species reproduce in favorable conditions (high temperature and humidity), invading the crop. There are four major types of aflatoxins: B1, B2, G1 and G2, which are named according to the mechanisms of detection (e.g., blue or green fluorescence under UV light). Aflatoxin B1 is the most common in food and is highly toxic having carcinogenic properties. In addition to these four, there is aflatoxin M1, which is produced as a byproduct of the B1 toxin undergoing an enzymatic process in milk and milk products. Now that you know what aflatoxins are and how they’re produced, let’s explore if they could be impacting how we build our grocery lists. Aflatoxins in food Many farmers and food producers in the United States are faced with aflatoxin contamination. In the southern and midsouth regions of the US, aflatoxins have been a recurring issue in corn leading to $20+ million lost. Aflatoxin contaminations have been reported in food and animal feed being […]

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