A potential link has been found in a new study at The University of Sydney that could benefit our immune system as well as our gut health.
A study from the University of Sydney has found that a high-protein diet can change the gut microbiota, which triggers an immune response. Researchers say the study takes us a step closer to understanding how diet impacts gut health and our body’s immunity.
Associate Professor Laurence Macia from the University’s Charles Perkins Centre said, “Our ultimate aim is to understand how we can manipulate the bacteria to optimise health, and we know that one of the easiest ways to change the microbiota is to change the diet.”
This is the first time this model has been applied in immunology. The research team used sophisticated modelling to study the effect of 10 different diets containing various macronutrients such as protein, fats and carbohydrates. In doing so, the team discovered that a high-protein diet changed the composition and activity of the gut microbiota.
Professor Simpson, Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, stated that ‘nutritional geometry’ can enable us to plan specific foods, meals, and diets based on nutrient composition to observe potentially linking health benefits and disease.
