This week Down Under

Smart pill trial reverses assumptions about fibre's effect on the gut

By RJ Whitehead

- Last updated on GMT

Smart pill trial reverses assumptions about fibre's effect on the gut
Melbourne researchers have conducted the first ever trials of smart pills that measure intestinal gases inside the body. The results reveal some unexpected ways that fibre affects the gut. 

The smart gas-sensing tablets, which were developed by researchers at RMIT, send data from inside the gut directly to a mobile phone. The results of the trial were published in the journal Gastroenterology.

The research was conducted on two groups of pigs fed respectively on high and low-fibre diets to examine the impact of fibre on intestinal gases. 

Pigs were used because their digestive systems are similar to those in humans, and the results indicate the technology could help doctors differentiate gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. 

Lead investigator Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh said that intestinal gases have been linked to colon cancer, IBS and inflammatory bowel disease, but their role in health is poorly understood and there is currently no easy and reliable tool for detecting them inside the gut. 

The results, he said, reversed current assumptions about the effect of fibre on the gut.

We found a low-fibre diet produced four times more hydrogen in the small intestine than a high-fibre diet​,” said Professor Kalantar-zadeh. 

This alone surprised the researchers, who expected more fibre would equal more hydrogen, which is produced through fermentation. 

The smart pills allow us to identify precisely where the gases are produced and help us understand the microbial activity in these areas. It’s the first step in demolishing the myths of food effects on our body and replacing those myths with hard facts​.”

The researchers also found that high-fibre diets produced more methane in the large intestine than low-fibre diets, suggesting that painful gut gas retention could be avoided by cutting back on high-fibre food.

While the results suggested that a high-fibre regimen could be better for patients with IBS caused by bacterial overgrowth in small intestine, the ratio of carbon dioxide and methane gases remained the same in the large intestine for both diets

This suggested that neither diet would be helpful for people suffering IBS diseases associated with excess methane concentration

We hope this technology will in future enable researchers to design personalised diets or drugs that can efficiently target problem areas in the gut, to help the millions of people worldwide that are affected by digestive disorders and diseases,​” said Professor Kalantar-zadeh.

More stories from Down Under…

Australian nutrition industry plays down chromium III study’s findings

The Australian nutrition industry has hit out at a recently published study in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie ​that links chromium III effects on mice cells, calling the research inconclusive. 

Chromium

Carl Gibson, chief executive of Complementary Medicines Australia, said the study did not have a meaningful contribution on the human use of the supplement.

The researchers, led by Lindsay Wu of the University of New South Wales, found that chromium III might not only be useless, but it could very well become hazardous.

"We were able to show that oxidation of chromium inside the cell does occur, as it loses electrons and transforms into a carcinogenic form​,” said Dr Wu.

"This is the first time oxidation was observed in a biological sample with the same results expected in human cells​.”

The compound is commonly found in health supplements and has long been touted as an essential nutrient and possible treatment for metabolic disorders like diabetes.

Gibson said the study looked at the injection of chromium III directly into mice fat cells, and did not take into account the physiological mechanisms of chromium handling by the body.

There are many biochemical processes that take place in human nutrition, and the transport of nutrients around the body to active sites, including excretion or storage, was not included in the researchers’ methodology​,” Gibson said, adding that the compound’s safety had been supported by evaluations from international authorities. 

Scientific opinion on the long-term safety of chromium establishes that no credible data or reports have shown adverse effects in humans from its consumption, and animal data also suggest that orally administered chromium is extremely innocuous​.

While it is important that any recommendation for supplementation of complementary medicines takes into account associated risk, any alarmist reports resulting from this study ignore the totality of scientific evidence in human clinical trials that have provided strong support for the safety of chromium supplements​.”

Rains offer respite from New Zealand’s El Niño drought 

Recent rain has been a welcome respite from ongoing dry weather conditions in much of New Zealand, but farmers New Zealand will continue to feel the impact of El Niño for months, the Ministry for Primary Industries has warned.

NZ

"In many of the drought-hit areas, particularly Canterbury and Marlborough, the rain was a great morale booster​," said David Wansbrough, the ministry’s director of resource policy.

"Crop farmers have had a better start to the year, as any good rainfall like this really helps new crop growth. But where pasture has died from over a year of dry weather, more rain will be needed to break the drought and it will be months before production recovers​.”

However, much of Otago did not receive the amount of rainfall that its northerly neighbours enjoyed. In the Strath Taieri, some locals have been reporting the driest conditions they have ever seen, Wansbrough said.

"Farmers are doing a good job of working through their drought management plans. For many, destocking in November and early December means that remaining animals can be kept in good condition even under this pressure​," said Wansbrough.

"Driving around the lower and eastern North Island you can see plenty of bales of hay in the paddocks, which shows farmers there have geared up well for a dry summer."

An increasingly dry Northland did particularly well out of the recent deluge, getting up to 80mm of rain, but it has since been hammered by strong easterly winds, which dries the soil out and can damage crops. 

Under El Niño, elevated activity in the tropics also means a higher chance that cyclones or ex-cyclones could drop closer to NZ, bringing storms and heavy rain to the top and east of the north island.

Food companies advised to bone up on new nutrition standard

The antipodean food regulator has reminded food businesses that they must become familiar with the requirements of the new nutrition and health claims standard before its transition period ends next week.

FSANZ

Fsanz acting chief executive Peter May said that during the three-year transition period, companies had been able to comply with either the old standard or the new one, but from January 18 they must all comply with the new standard.

Food businesses making nutrition or health claims should familiarise themselves with the requirements in the standard​,” May said.

A guidance document, which has been prepared by food regulators and is on the Fsanz website, will help businesses decide whether they can make nutrition or health claims​.

If businesses require more information they should seek legal advice or contact their local food enforcement agency​.”

Related topics Policy Oceania

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars

Food & Beverage Trailblazers

F&B Trailblazers Podcast