Many people ultimately turn to healthy eating to lose unwanted weight as adults. However, unfortunately, a new study has found that it may already be too late when it comes to maintaining gut health, as researchers discovered that high consumption of fats and sugars during childhood can permanently and significantly alter the gut microbiome.
As Professor Theodore Garland, the lead author of the study, explains: "We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to that affecting children who follow an unhealthy Western diet, which is high in fats and sugars, as the microbiome in their intestines continued to be affected even six years after maturation." Additionally, the results revealed that mature rodents on a high-fat diet had less diverse gut bacteria compared to younger mice. It is important to note that the term microbiome refers to the total collection of all bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that live inside and on the body of humans and animals, with most of these organisms residing in the gut, and the majority being beneficial as they play a significant role in stimulating the immune system, breaking down food, and manufacturing vitamins. In a healthy person, there is a balance between good and bad bacteria, and when factors such as antibiotics, diseases, or unhealthy diets disturb this fragile balance, the body becomes susceptible to illness, and even exercise will not help restore gut health afterward.
During the study, a group of young mice was divided into four categories, with half of the test mice continuing to follow a normal diet, while the other half transitioned to an unhealthy "Western" diet. Half of these mice also had access to running wheels, while the other half did not exercise at all. After three weeks of following these diets, all mice returned to a normal routine of healthy eating and no exercise. After fourteen weeks from the start of the experiment, the researchers examined the diversity and quantity of bacteria in the mice's guts. The study results showed that mice on a Western diet contained significantly less bacteria in their intestines, including a lower amount of the Muribaculum intestinale microbiome, with the study authors stating that this specific bacteria helps in carbohydrate metabolism. The results also demonstrate that gut bacteria are sensitive to exercise, as their levels increased in mice following a healthy diet along with exercise on the running wheel. However, these levels decreased in mice on a high-fat diet regardless of whether they exercised or not.
### Is Proper Diet More Important Than Exercise?
Researchers at the University of California concluded that the impact of a Western diet, which is high in fats and sugars, has long-term effects on a child's future compared to exercise. Professor Garland and his colleagues hope to replicate the study to measure when these microbiome changes first appear in humans, and they also want to determine whether the amounts of sugar and fats continue to alter gut health into later stages of life.
