A Green Vegetable Compound Can Stimulate Bacterial Growth In The Gut

Researchers have recently found the microbes present in the gut to break down the plant-based sugar sulfoquinovose. This sugar is known to contain sulfur. The studies have shown special bacteria to help use the sulfosugar to develop hydrogen sulfide. In the low concentrations this gas is known to cause anti-inflammatory effects while in larger concentrations they cause cancer. The researchers have recently found spinach to have a pleasantry effect on the digestive tract as it contains hundreds of chemical compounds. The hundreds of microbial species present in the gut microbiome are known to help metabolize spinach easily. Thus, studying the gut microbiome can help understand the effect of nutrition on health. However, the metabolic capabilities of a number of bacteria still remain unknown. A team of researchers from the University of Vienna on analyzing the metabolism of sulfosugar sulfoquinovose by the microorganisms in the gut have found a few interesting facts.

The latest study is anticipated to provide knowledge to help develop therapeutic targets for understanding the interactions between nutrition and the microbiome in the future. The sulfonic acid derivative of glucose is a chemical compound present in the green vegetables such as algae, spinach, and lettuce. On detailed study, the researchers found the sulfoquinovose to help activate growth in limited organism of the gut. The bacterium Eubacterium rectale is known to ferment sulfoquinovose and produce dihydroxypropane sulfonate (DHPS) which provides energy to others such as Bilophila wadsworthia and this bacterium produces hydrogen sulfide.

The production of hydrogen sulfide in the body takes place with the help of special microorganisms or body cells and this gas is found to have an impact on the body. The positive and negative effect of the gas on the intestinal health makes it a decisive factor. Earlier it was known that the high consumption of meat and fat resulted in high amounts of sulfate and taurine in the intestine and these were the major sources of hydrogen sulfide for microorganisms. It is surprising that green vegetables such as spinach or algae containing sulfoquinovose could contribute to the production of the gas in the gut. The sulfoquinovose is also found to help stimulate growth of specific bacteria in the gut. It is suggested that sulfoquinovose could be termed as prebiotic.