There is a theory that the more diverse the intestinal flora, the healthier you are. When you try to understand this in depth, you will come across the terms short-chain fatty acids and dietary fiber and their associations. Short-chain fatty acids are a general term for acetic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, etc. Short-chain fatty acids are produced in the process of intestinal bacteria eating and digesting food. This food is dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is contained in food, but it is a substance that cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes. Intestinal bacteria (such as bifidobacteria and Blauteia) break down dietary fiber, which the human body cannot digest by itself, and make it possible for the intestine to absorb it. Butyric acid and acetic acid produced by bifidobacteria and Blauteia play a role in regulating the intestinal environment. Many of the compounds produced by intestinal bacteria in the process of decomposing dietary fiber are essential for health.
Our bodies are very sensitive to a deficiency of short-chain fatty acids. When short-chain fatty acids decrease, the brain judges it to be an emergency and adjusts hormone secretion to increase appetite. When short-chain fatty acids decrease, a command is given to reduce the secretion of leptin, an appetite suppressant hormone. When the secretion of leptin is reduced, cells throughout the body also judge it to be a nutritional deficiency and accelerate the process of storing fat. This process promotes the progression of obesity. In this sense, short-chain fatty acids are an important health factor for preventing obesity and lifestyle-related diseases. In addition, short-chain fatty acids make it difficult for visceral fat to accumulate and improve insulin resistance. Furthermore, having a large number of bifidobacteria suppresses the number of opportunistic infectious bacteria such as E. coli. The short-chain fatty acids produced by bifidobacteria keep the intestines slightly acidic and work to suppress harmful bacteria.
Intestinal bacteria are also strongly related to the immune system, and methods are being developed to use this power to treat intractable diseases. The properties of bacteria are also diverse, and it has been discovered that some bacteria worsen inflammation and some bacteria activate cancer cells. Startups around the world are trying to commercialize intestinal bacteria. These startups are leading over 700 clinical trials to develop treatments that utilize intestinal bacteria. Dietary fiber is necessary to revitalize the intestinal flora. Even if you put only bifidobacteria into your intestines, if there is not enough dietary fiber, the ability to produce short-chain fatty acids will decrease. So why not make a pill that combines bifidobacteria and dietary fiber? If you take this with a meal, it will be a pill that ensures the ability to produce short-chain fatty acids. If such a system becomes possible, it will reduce concerns about obesity and lifestyle-related diseases.
