Gut microbiome is one of my fields of expertise as a dietitian-nutritionist specialized in autoimmune diseases and plant-based nutrition, as it plays a big part in the immune system, autoimmune diseases and general health. Obviously, gut microbiome is also an important factor in cases of cancer and their treatment, which means that it’s an extremely interesting field for research, as it gives us the opportunity to alter gut microbiome through our diet in a very short period of time and benefit our condition. So today, we’ll see what a review that was published in the British Journal of Cancer has to say about it, summarizing what we all know so far. And I must underline here the importance of all health professionals being informed on such data.
Let’s see what gut microbiome is all about and why it is so important. Gut microbiome is the total amount of microbes in the human gastrointestinal tract, which includes just about everything, from viruses to bacteria, fungi, yeast, protozoa and archaea –about 100 trillion micro-organisms. No wonder why it is thought to be the last undiscovered human organ and we can safely say that it has a significant effect on our general health and immune function due to their proximity to the immune environment within the gastrointestinal tract. If our gut microbiome is healthy and balanced, with the good bacteria being more than the bad ones, there’s adequacy in the bacteria that help in the fermentation of fiber and the production of short-chain fatty acids, the main metabolites produced by the gut microbiome in the large intestine. In their turn, short-chain fatty acids give energy in gut cells and affect the health of immune system in general and a bunch of our organs. It’s safe to say that negative alterations in the gut microbiome have been linked to a lot of chronic diseases like autoimmune diseases, dementia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc.
But what is going on with cancer and the gut microbiome?
The composition of the bacteria in our gut has been linked with the development of a number of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary malignancies including oesophageal, liver, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. It is clear by now that gut microbiome synthesis might affect the response of some cancer treatments, especially those targeting the immune system. As far as immunotherapy is concerned, there’s some research pointing out that fiber in everyday nutrition as well as whole foods can help with immunotherapy, leading to higher levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
As you may have realized by now, our everyday nutrition is utterly important for both gut microbiota and therefore cancer protection and treatment, with the plant-based nutrition to be highly protective.
Note that, according to research and publications from Mayo Clinic, vegans appeared to have the lowest rates of cancer of any diet, with vegetarians being next in line. As we know, plants produce phytochemicals that protect cells from damage, while they are also anti-inflammatory and they’re full of fiber, which has been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer by 25% and 10% respectively. Plus, plants have fewer calories, which help us maintain a healthier weight which is also a factor of good health –being overweight is a risk factor for some types of cancer. Add all these to the gut microbiome review and you can easily understand why you need a diet full of plant foods.
Resources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-021-01467-x
https://shireenkassam.medium.com/review-of-the-weeks-plant-based-nutrition-news-20th-march-2022-c164c0aa3c67
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/79/5/727/4690182?login=false
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795809/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34256014/
