Eating plenty of wholemeal bread, vegetables and beans could reduce the risk of potentially fatal food poisoning, British research suggests.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge said eating fiber-rich foods helps feed beneficial bacteria that naturally live in our gut and protect against insects entering through contaminated food.
They came to this conclusion after examining the microbiome – a term for the ecosystem of microscopic organisms in our digestive system – of 12,000 people from 45 countries.
The scientists said that whether or not someone got food poisoning depended on the presence of a certain type of protective bacteria in their intestines called Faecalibacterium.
These friendly insects helped destroy some of the most common culprits behind the dreaded symptoms of food poisoning: a group of insects called Enterobacteriaceae, including Shigella and E.coli.
Writing in the journal Nature Microbiology, the experts explained that Faecalibacterium feeds on fiber and converts it into beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids.
These acids are said to help protect against a hostile takeover by insects that cause food poisoning.
Dr. Alexandre Almeida, an expert in veterinary medicine and author of the paper, said the results show the importance of what we eat.
Scientists from the University of Cambridge said eating plenty of fiber helped feed beneficial bacteria that naturally live in our gut, protecting us from the bacteria that enter through contaminated food.
“By eating fiber in foods such as vegetables, beans and whole grains, we can provide our gut bacteria with the raw material to produce short-chain fatty acids – compounds that can protect us against these pathogenic insects,” he said.
Enterobacteriaceae is most often infected through contaminated fruits, vegetables and undercooked meat.
Although food poisoning is normally a mild condition, some members of the Enterobacteriaceae family can cause serious conditions such as pneumonia and meningitis.
And it is worrying that some of them are becoming increasingly resistant to the drugs used to combat them.
Dr. Almeida: This was another reason to keep the microbiome healthy so it could act as a preventive measure.
“With higher antibiotic resistance rates, there are fewer treatment options available to us,” he said.
‘The best approach now is to prevent infections in the first place, and we can do this by reducing the opportunities for these disease-causing bacteria to thrive in our gut.’
Food poisoning is a common condition in Britain, with an estimated almost 2.5 million cases per year in Britain
Fellow author Dr Qi Yin, another expert in veterinary medicine, said: ‘This study highlights the importance of studying pathogens not as isolated entities, but in the context of their surrounding gut microbiome.’
Food poisoning is a common problem in Britain, with an estimated almost 2.5 million cases every year.
The vast majority of these are mild, but for some vulnerable people, such as the elderly, it can be much more serious, with an estimated 200 fatalities each year.
Last year, Britain was hit by a serious E.coli outbreak, which resulted in one death and dozens of hospital admissions, ultimately traced to contaminated lettuce.
Fiber, also called roughage, is the part of plant foods that our small intestine cannot digest, allowing it to reach the large intestine and help prevent constipation.
The latest data from the British Dietetic Association shows that the average Briton consumes just 18 grams of fiber a day, far less than the 30 grams recommended by the NHS.