Peanuts and Herbs and Spices May Positively Impact Gut Microbiome - Neuroscience News

Summary: Consuming one ounce of peanuts or adding one teaspoon of herbs and spices to your daily diet has a positive impact on the health of your gut bacteria and improves immune function.

Adding a daily ounce of peanuts or about a teaspoon of herbs and spices to your diet may affect the composition of gut bacteria, an indicator of overall health, according to new research from Penn State.

In two separate studies, nutritional scientists studied the effects of small changes to the average American diet and found improvements to the gut microbiome.

“Research has shown that people who have a lot of different microbes have better health, and a better diet, than those who don’t have much bacterial diversity,” said Penny M.

In the herbs and spices study, which published in The Journal of Nutrition, scientists analyzed the impact of adding blends of herbs and spices — such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme — to the controlled diets of participants at risk for cardiovascular disease.

At the end of four weeks, participants showed an increase in gut bacteria diversity, including an increase in Ruminococcaceae, most notably with the medium and high doses of herbs and spices.

“The average American diet is far from ideal, so I think everyone could benefit by adding herbs and spices!

Peanut Study: The work was supported by The Peanut Institute and Penn State’s Clinical & Translational Research Institute.

“Peanuts as a nighttime snack enrich butyrate-producing bacteria compared to an isocaloric lower-fat higher-carbohydrate snack in adults with elevated fasting glucose: A randomized crossover trial” by Philip A.

“Herbs and Spices Modulate Gut Bacterial Composition in Adults at Risk for CVD: Results of a Prespecified Exploratory Analysis from a Randomized, Crossover, Controlled-Feeding Study” by Kristina S.

Peanuts as a nighttime snack enrich butyrate-producing bacteria compared to an isocaloric lower-fat higher-carbohydrate snack in adults with elevated fasting glucose: A randomized crossover trial.

In a randomized, crossover trial, 50 adults (48% female; 42 ± 15 y; BMI 28.3 ± 5.6 kg/m2; plasma glucose 100 ± 8 mg/dL) consumed 28 g/d of dry roasted, unsalted, peanuts (164 kcal; 11% E carbohydrate, 17% E protein, 73% E fat, and 2.4 g fiber) or a LFHC snack (164 kcal; 53% E carbohydrate, 17% E protein, 33% E fat, and 3 g fiber) for 6-wk (4-wk washout period).

Gut bacterial composition was measured using 16S rRNA sequencing in the whole cohort.

Herbs and Spices Modulate Gut Bacterial Composition in Adults at Risk for CVD: Results of a Prespecified Exploratory Analysis from a Randomized, Crossover, Controlled-Feeding Study.

Herbs and spices are rich in polyphenolic compounds that may influence gut bacterial composition

The effect of culinary doses of herbs and spices consumed as part of a well-defined dietary pattern on gut bacterial composition has not been previously studied

The aim of this prespecified exploratory analysis was to examine gut bacterial composition following an average American diet (carbohydrate: 50% kcal; protein: 17%; total fat: 33%; saturated fat: 11%) containing herbs and spices at 0.5, 3.3, and 6.6 g.d–1.2100 kcal–1 [low-, moderate-, and high-spice diets, respectively (LSD, MSD, and HSD)] in adults at risk for CVD

Fifty-four adults (57% female; mean ± SD age: 45 ± 11 y; BMI: 29.8 ± 2.9 kg/m2; waist circumference: 102.8 ± 7.1 cm) were included in this 3-period, randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study

The addition of herbs and spices to an average American diet induced shifts in gut bacterial composition after 4 wk in adults at risk for CVD