Posted on 11/04/2022 3:02:55 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A type of dietary fiber called inulin, commonly used in health supplements and known to have certain anti-inflammatory properties, can also promote an allergy-related type of inflammation in the lung and gut, and other parts of the body.
The study found that dietary inulin fiber alters the metabolism of certain gut bacteria, which in turn triggers what scientists call type 2 inflammation in the gut and lungs. This type of inflammation is thought to have evolved in mammals chiefly to defend against parasitic worm ("helminth") infections, and is also part of normal wound healing, although its inappropriate activation underlies allergies, asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
Small amounts of inulin are present in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have found that inulin boosts populations of beneficial gut bacterial species, which in turn boost levels of anti-inflammatory immune cells called regulatory T (Treg) cells.
Researchers gave mice an inulin-based, high-fiber diet for two weeks, and then analyzed the many differences between these mice and mice that had been fed a diet lacking inulin. A major difference was that the inulin diet, while increasing Treg cells, also induced markedly higher levels of white blood cells called eosinophils in the gut and lungs. A high level of eosinophils is a classic sign of type 2 inflammation and is typically seen in the setting of seasonal allergies and asthma.
Ultimately the researchers found that the eosinophil response was mediated by immune cells called group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), which were activated by elevated levels of small molecules called bile acids in the blood. The bile acid levels were elevated due to the inulin-induced growth of certain bacterial species—a group called Bacteroidetes, found in both mice and humans—which have a bile acid-metabolizing enzyme.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
this looks like it causes problems to only certain people. not everybody.
but there is no indication as to how you can tell whether inulin will cause you problems or not.
There are other forms of fiber, so there’s not a great need to expose oneself to more than naturally occurs with normal food intake, in my understanding.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221828
“Here, we show that inulin increases beneficial microbiota and decreases harmful microbiota in the feces of young, asymptomatic APOE4 transgenic (E4FAD) mice and enhances metabolism in the cecum, periphery and brain, as demonstrated by increases in the levels of SCFAs, tryptophan-derived metabolites, bile acids, glycolytic metabolites and scyllo-inositol. We show that inulin also reduces inflammatory gene expression in the hippocampus. This knowledge can be utilized to design early precision nutrition intervention strategies that use a prebiotic diet to enhance systemic metabolism and may be useful for reducing AD risk in asymptomatic APOE4 carriers.”
My question is…..how much inulin we’re given to the mice over a two week period.
Was it a total amount that a normal person would consume in a life time?
Or, wast it 10x the amount a normal person would eat in a life time?
???
C.M. You should also avoid burdock root and rhubarb. (Which is generally not a problem for most people!)
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