Research has found a connection with the prominent presence of certain microbes and diabetes. Though they differ from one to another, a person with diabetes is more likely to have a certain suite of microbes than a person without diabetes. A recent Popular Science article (“Scientists want to turn our gut bacteria into medicine”, August 31, 2017 by Claire Maldarelli) referred to this connection of gut microbiomes and diabetes.

Researchers at Rockefeller University were able to isolate N-acil amides with GPR119, which helps control blood sugar in mice. Mice that received N-acil amides had significantly better glucose metabolism than those that didn’t. A person with diabetes is more likely to have this certain suite of microbes than a person without diabetes, for example. But the mechanisms of this bacterial influence are still pretty mysterious. (Source: “ Scientists want to Turn our Gut Bacteria into Medicine,” Popular Science, Claire Maldarelli, Aug. 31, 2017).

Fermented foods and gut health.

Production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially butyrate, in the
gut microbiome is required for optimal health but is frequently limited by the lack
of fermentable fiber in the diet. Short–chain fatty acids are produced by the friendly bacteria in your gut and are believed to play an important role in health and disease risk. They may reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other conditions.

Researchers at the Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, attempted to increase butyrate production by supplementing the diets of 174 healthy young adults for 2 weeks with resistant starch from potatoes (RPS), resistant starch from maize (RMS), inulin from chicory
root, or an accessible corn starch control. RPS resulted in the greatest increase in to-
tal SCFAs, including butyrate. (By Nielson Baxter, January- February 2019 edition, mBio / American Society of Microbiology). Although the majority of microbiomes responded to RPS with increases in the relative abundance of bifidobacteria, those that responded with an increase in Ruminococcus bromii or Clostridium chartatabidum were more likely to yield higher butyrate concentrations. RMS and inulin induced different changes in fecal communities, but they did not generate significant increases in fecal butyrate levels. These results reveal that not all fermentable fibers are equally capable of stimulating SCFA production, and they highlight the differences between the individual’s microbiota in determining whether or not they respond to a specific dietary supplement.