Microbe that Can Prevent Flu’ Identified

Moneylife Digital Team 17 August 2017

A new study conducted by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed that a particular gut microbe can prevent severe flu’ infections in mice, by breaking down naturally occurring compounds—called flavonoids—commonly found in black tea, red wine and blueberries. Around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 250,000 to 500,000 people die every year due to flu’-related complications. Previous research suggested that gut microbiome may be important in protecting against severe influenza infections. So, in this study, the researchers attempted to isolate the gut microbes that might provide protection.

The team was able to identify at least one type of bacteria, Clostridium orbiscindens, that degrades flavonoids to produce a metabolite that boosts interferon, a signalling molecule that aids the immune response. This reduced influenza-related lung damage in the mice. The metabolite is called desaminotyrosine, otherwise known as DAT. When the mice were given DAT and then infected with influenza, they experienced far less lung damage than mice not treated with DAT. DAT doesn’t target the virus. Instead, it targets the immune response to the virus. So, drink a lot of black and green tea.

Going Nuts!

The new hot diet book, The Pioppi Diet (reviewed on page 62), recommends having a handful of nuts daily. They are highly nutritious whole food, packed with monounsaturated fats. Several studies have shown that nuts can significantly improve lipid profiles and reduce the total to HDL (high density lipoprotein) ratio. But the greatest benefits of nuts, say Dr Aseem Malhotra and Donal O’Neill in the book, are their anti-inflammatory qualities. The participants in the “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet” (PREDIMED) study enjoyed a 35% decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) which is a marker of inflammation in the body after having nuts. Also, people with metabolic syndrome or type-2 diabetes have experienced improvements in blood sugar control when prescribed nuts.

Nuts also have a lot of very high-quality fibre which, the authors write, “you absolutely won’t find in ‘wholegrain’ breakfast cereals! Plus, ‘that fibre gets turned into short-chain fatty acids in the gut, which then nourishes that important bacteria in there’.” In the PREDIMED study, the participants were advised to consume, in total, 30gm of nuts a day: walnuts (15gm), almonds (7.5gm) and hazelnuts (7.5gm).

Sweet Potato as Health Food

Okinawa islands in southern Japan, perhaps, have the largest concentration of centenarians in the world. Elderly Okinawans have among the lowest mortality rates in the world from diseases of ageing. They enjoy not only the world’s longest life expectancy but the world’s longest health expectancy. Centenarians have a history of ageing slowly and delaying, or sometimes escaping, the chronic diseases of ageing including dementia, cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke) and cancer. Okinawa centenarian study has tried to uncover the genetic and lifestyle factors responsible for this remarkable ageing phenomenon. There are multiple books on the ‘Okinawa diet.’

Okinawans eat lots of vegetables, meat and tofu. But, most interestingly, the staple is not rice but sweet potato which has more fibre and a lower glycaemic index than regular white potato. Furthermore, it is packed with flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin E and lycopene. Carotenoids are a group of fat-soluble antioxidants; they naturally migrate to the fatty tissues of the body. This is what makes carotenoids so good for the skin. Try to eat more of sweet potatoes and less of the white ones, say nutritionists these days.

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