advanceindianews.inYour gut is crawling with tiny, single-celled parasites called Blastocystis. Gross, right? But a new study shows that these intestinal parasites may be linked to an unhealthy diet. A study published in the journal Cell She has discovered that the presence of Blastocystis in the human intestine could be related to better health outcomes in a population sample from 32 different countries.
“We found that the presence of Blastocystis in the human gut is linked to a better cardiometabolic profile and lower obesity rates,” said study co-director Francesco Asnicar of the University of Trento, Italy. The study also put 1,124 participants on a Blastocystis-rich diet of less processed, high-fiber foods, which “significantly improved their diet quality and weight loss,” Asnicar said.
What is Blastocystis?
Blastocystis is a type of microscopic single-celled germ (microorganisms, like bacteria) that lives in the intestines of humans and non-human animals. In addition to living in the gut, bacteria can also infect the skin and mouth. When they are good, they can play an important role in our health. They make up what is known as the microbiome.
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“Until now, [the] Research has focused on bacteria [microbiome] “But the role of other microorganisms, including Blastocystis, is very poorly studied,” said the study’s other co-leader, Elisa Piperni of the University of Trento in Italy. Blastocystis is a somewhat controversial group of microorganisms because scientists have been unable to agree on whether the parasites are harmful or not.
“Until now, there was no evidence of any direct role of Blastocystis in promoting health. To be on the safe side, all Blastocystis were classified as harmful intestinal parasites,” said Sara Vieira-Silva, a microbiologist at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany.
Vieira-Silva, who was not involved in the University of Trento study, said the new findings helped clarify the debate: They provided “additional support that some Blastocystis subtypes are part of a balanced gut microbiome in healthy individuals.” A Blastocystis infection is called blastocystosis. It can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, anal itching and gas, among other symptoms.
Part 1 of the study: Blastocystis and general health
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 57,000 people from 32 countries and looked at the relationship between gut levels of Blastocystis, diet, cardiovascular health and metabolic factors such as obesity and diabetes.
Higher levels of Blastocystis in the gut were linked to indicators of better cardiometabolic health (i.e. lower chances of heart attacks, obesity, and diabetes), while lower levels of Blastocystis were associated with long-term health problems, including obesity.
The study also found considerable differences in Blastocystis subtypes, depending on a person’s age, geography (where they live), and lifestyle. Newborns, for example, do not have Blastocystis. The microorganisms become established when we get older and start eating complex foods.
Luis Pedro Coelho, a computational biologist at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said the geographic spread of the study, with data from 32 countries, added weight to the findings. [shows] “It’s a complicated picture,” Coelho said. “I would have expected the Westernized samples to look very similar to each other compared to others, but here, the United States, Europe and China are very different.”
Second part of the study: Blastocystis diet for six months
During the study, 1,124 healthy individuals participated in a six-month personalized dietary program, which ended with gut microbiome sampling before and after the intervention. Participants followed personalized dietary advice, based on both the foods and the specific characteristics of each person.
“We found that participants significantly improved the quality of their diet and lost weight, and we observed a significant increase in Blastocystis [to] “A relative abundance,” Asnicar said. Average weight loss of 1 body mass index (BMI) point. BMI is a way of categorizing an individual’s weight and potential health problems.
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It was not possible to determine which specific foods increased Blastocystis abundance in the gut. But overall, people who consumed higher amounts of unprocessed plant foods, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, legumes and green vegetables, were more likely to have Blastocystis-rich microbiomes.
Maria Vehreschild, a physician and scientist at Frankfurt University Hospital, was not surprised that the diet improved health outcomes. “This is something that has been known for a long time. The difficult thing is to change people’s eating habits. Most of us know what is healthy, but that doesn’t mean we change our diet accordingly,” said Vehreschild, who was not involved in the study.
Does Blastocystis lead to a healthier lifestyle?
The study does not make clear whether the presence of Blastocystis directly leads to better health or whether it indicates a generally healthy lifestyle, Coelho said. “There is no causal evidence that they have a positive effect on health. In particular, since they can be predicted by the rest of the (bacterial) microbiome, they could simply be indicators of good general health,” he said.
Asnicar raised the same issue, saying the research team did not yet know what “potential effect” the presence of Blastocystis had on a person’s health: “Several genetic, genomic and functional aspects of Blastocystis remain to be elucidated,” he said, adding that further experimental studies were needed.
