Is the secret to stopping type 1 diabetes in your gut?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where a complete death of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas occurs.

It can affect both children and adults and its onset is often sudden, requiring the injection of insulin on a daily basis, forevermore.

If that burden isn’t enough for people to cope with, it’s also accompanied by a variety of potentially life-threatening consequences.

And one thing has always been made abundantly clear — diet and lifestyle have no influence whatsoever on its development, unlike type 2 diabetes.

That is, until now…

For the first time ever, researchers have discovered quite the contrary — that diet may in fact, protect against type 1 diabetes.

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A gut feeling

In recent years, the area of gut microbiota has become of increasing interest to scientists across most fields of disease research. Mainly because it was discovered that the ten trillion or so gut bacteria inside us, play a powerful role in immune responses.

In terms of type 1 diabetes, two particular metabolites (butyrate and acetate) have been shown to elevate the number and function of regulatory T cells.

Since type 1 diabetes is a T-cell mediated disease, these findings are incredibly important…

Both of these metabolites are short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers in the colon. These SCFAs are then absorbed into the bloodstream, circulated through the body, and get taken up by various organs where they influence lipid, glucose and cholesterol metabolism.

SCFAs are also used for around ten percent of our daily energy requirements, help increase gut barrier function, act as potent anti-inflammatory agents and maintain immune tolerance to food antigens.

Overall they play a very significant role in our health. And this new discovery around type 1 diabetes is truly profound…

The researchers discovered that mice fed acetate in their drinking water for 5 weeks had a 40 percent incidence of type 1 diabetes, compared to a 70 percent incidence in the control group. By 10 weeks of treatment with acetate, the mice had significantly less immune cell infiltration into pancreatic cells.

When they fed mice SCFA-enriched diets of acetylated or butyrylated high-amylose maize starch, the mice showed higher levels of SCFAs in their feces and blood after 5 weeks.

While each metabolite seems to offer some degree of protection, the combined effect of increasing both metabolites was miraculous, completely stopping the progression of type 1 diabetes!

At this stage, researchers propose that acetate and butyrate affect histone modifications and change gene transcription, as well as signal specific metabolite sensors that regulate inflammatory responses in the body.

Interestingly, the same type of SCFA supplementation has been successfully used in clinical trials to treat gastrointestinal disorders, without any negative effects. This means researchers will now move to conducting clinical trials to establish if these metabolites produce the same results against type 1 diabetes in humans.

One important thing to note is, while high-amylose maize starch is available to purchase, this is not the same as the acetylated or butyrylated high-amylose maize starch used in these studies. Some studies have shown however, that regular maize starch does have a positive effect on SCFAs as well. But just to be clear, it is not exactly the same supplement.

Until more information becomes available about how to specifically increase acetate and butyrate in high doses via supplementation, you can resort to whole food sources that increase the natural production of acetate and butyrate in the colon — namely, eating high fiber foods.

Eat a high fiber diet

Many studies show that dietary fibers, both soluble and insoluble, encourage healthy gut microbiota. The amount of fiber and the type of fiber you consume has dramatic effects on the composition of the gut microbiota. Therefore, you want to eat a variety of different types to encourage bacterial diversity.

In terms of your protection against type 1 diabetes, there are several types of dietary fiber that can influence the production of SCFAs…

Inulin. Found in artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions, asparagus, chicory root, wheat and rye.

Resistant starch. Found in cooked and cooled rice and potatoes, beans and legumes, grains, seeds and green bananas.

Pectin. Mainly found in apples, oranges, citrus peels, carrots, cherries and apricots, along with smaller amounts in other fruits and berries.

Oligofructose. Like inulin, this fiber is also found in artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions, chicory and asparagus.

Fructooligosaccharides. Found in a wide range of fruits and vegetables but particularly bananas, onions, garlic and asparagus.

Cellulose. Forms the structure of most vegetables so eating an abundant variety is important.

It’s recommended you aim for at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber intake per day, but the more you get, the greater the health benefits.

Just be wary though, if you’re not used to eating a lot of fiber, increase your levels slowly and ensure you drink plenty of water alongside it. If you don’t, you’ll likely get stomach cramps, gas and other digestive problems. These will eventually resolve themselves as it just takes a little time for the body to adjust.

The researchers of this new study were of course ecstatic about these findings. So much so that they report that this illustrates the dawn of a new era in treating human disease using medicinal foods.

Of course the use of food as medicine isn’t really anything new, it’s just been forgotten by mainstream medicine.

After all, it was Hippocrates who stated way back in 400 BC that: “Food is thy medicine” — because it is!

As this new study proves in the modern era, there is still great power in the food you eat. But, it’s up to you to choose those nutrient dense whole foods that heal, over the packaged and processed foods that harm.

Sources:

1. Mariño E, et al. Gut microbial metabolites limit the frequency of autoimmune T cells and protect against type 1 diabetes. Nat Immunol. 2017.

2. Le Leu RK, et al. Butylated starch intake can prevent red meat-induced O6-methyl-2-deoxyguanosine adducts in human rectal tissue: a randomised clinical trial. Br. J. Nutr. 2015;114:220–230.

3. Den Besten G, et al. The role of short-chain fatty acids in the interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and host energy metabolism. Journal of Lipid Research. 2013;54(9):2325-2340.

4. Clarke JM, et al. Effects of high-amylose maize starch and butyrylated high-amylose maize starch on azoxymethane-induced intestinal cancer in rats. Carcinogenesis. 2008;29(11):2190-2194.

5. OregonState.edu. (2014). Linus Pauling Institute. Retrieved 10 April, 2017, from http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/fiber