Is sugar bad for the gut?

Veröffentlicht am: October 28, 2024

Nutritionist and dietician

Do you like eating sweets? A piece of chocolate here, a cookie there, the temptation is always great. But now that Christmas is over - the time of feasting - are you trying to eat less of it and only indulge your cravings at the weekend, for example? That won't be so bad, will it?

Unfortunately wrong thinking!

Let's start with a short question:

How long do you think it takes for sugar to have a detrimental effect on your intestinal flora?

2 days
7 days
30 days

If you think that it takes several days to weeks for sugar to have a negative effect on your health, you are wrong. After just 2 days (!), sugar damages the gut and all its beneficial intestinal inhabitants. Even if you only eat sweets at the weekend, your intestinal flora will be completely disrupted. A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2019 has now discovered this.

➤ On average, each of us consumes 100 g of sugar every day!

The surprising result of the study

In the study, the researchers wanted to find out how long it really takes for a change in diet - in this case with sugar - to have an effect on health. The results were surprising even for the scientists.

In an animal study, researchers at the University of Alberta found that mice fed a high-sugar diet showed increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation and more severe symptoms compared to mice fed a normal diet - after just 2 days! In addition, greater damage to the intestinal tissue was observed in the sugar-fed animals and the immune response was also defective.

According to expert Karen Madsen, this study reflects what many patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis have been reporting for a long time. Even small changes in diet can cause the symptoms to flare up again.

The common denominator of a high-sugar diet and bowel disease?

Intestinal bacteria have a major influence on our health. If we eat a diet rich in fiber, for example, this serves as fuel for the good intestinal bacteria. These are largely responsible for how well our immune system responds.

However, if we consume a lot of sugar-rich foods instead, the bad bacteria are nourished. These are associated with inflammation and an impaired immune response.

➤ Your diet determines the state of your beneficial gut bacteria!

The big problem...

According to experts, a diet high in sugar and low in fatty acids can lead to an increase in intestinal permeability, which can disrupt our overall health. The bacteria may be able to migrate from the gut to the rest of the body, where they can drive disease. There is evidence that there is a link between bacteria in the gut and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Sugar also weakens the immune system, which further impairs the body's internal defenses. Diseases have an easier time of it.

What can be done to save the intestinal bacteria?

Omega 3

In the study, it was observed that the symptoms could be reduced with the help of short-chain fatty acids.

However, other studies also show that omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on inflammatory bowel diseases, such as a study from 2013. In the study, it was observed that a lower risk of ulcerative colitis developed in those test subjects who took omega 3. Another finding was that trans fatty acids (bad fats) may increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease. It is therefore important to consume the right fatty acids.

Dietary fiber

A prospective study, also from 2013, was able to prove that a long-term intake of dietary fiber reduced the risk of developing Crohn's disease. Dietary fiber serves as food for the beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Pro- and prebiotics

The beneficial microorganisms have a positive effect on digestion and, above all, on our intestinal flora. For example, they convert fiber into short-chain fatty acids, help us absorb vitamins better and support our immune system.

The combination of pro- and prebiotics ensures that the intestinal flora is kept in balance by providing the beneficial intestinal bacteria and also their fuel - fiber.

Conclusion:

Even a short-term increase in sugar consumption of just 2 days damages our intestinal flora and paves the way for inflammatory bowel diseases. But not only that, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's are also associated with it. So make the most of the new year and give up sugar from now on. Take part in our sugar challenge, for example, and feel the difference!

Sources (in English):

Laffin, M., Fedorak, R., Zalasky, A. et al. A high-sugar diet rapidly enhances susceptibility to colitis via depletion of luminal short-chain fatty acids in mice. Scientific Report 9, 12294 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48749-2University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. (2019, November 14). Sugar binges increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114115949.htm

Ananthakrishnan AN, Khalili H, Konijeti GG, et al. Long-term intake of dietary fat and risk of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Gut 2014;63:776-784

Ananthakrishnan, A., Khalili, H., Konijeti, G., Willett, W., Richter, J. & Chan, A. (2013, August). A Prospective Study of Long-term Intake of Dietary Fiber and Risk of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Gastroenterology, Vol. 145, Issue 5, P970-977, doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.07.050

Antoine Racine, MD, PhD, Franck Carbonnel, MD, PhD, Simon S. M. Chan, MD BChir, PhD, Andrew R. Hart, et al. (2016, February). Dietary Patterns and Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Europe: Results from the EPIC Study, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 22, Issue 2, Pages 345–354, doi: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000000638

Clemente, J. C., Ursell, L. K., Parfrey, L. W., & Knight, R. (2012). The impact of the gut microbiota on human health: an integrative view. Cell, 148(6), 1258–1270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.035

Blandino, G., Fazio, D., & Di Marco, R. (2008). Probiotics: overview of microbiological and immunological characteristics. Expert review of anti-infective therapy, 6(4), 497–508. https://doi.org/10.1586/14787210.6.4.497

de Vrese, M., & Schrezenmeir, J. (2008). Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology, 111, 1–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2008_097