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Abby's Magazine - Volume 4 Issue 3 | Page 45 leafy Greens promote healthy Gut Bacteria In related news, researchers have found that leafy green vegetables contain a certain kind of sugar that feeds healthy gut bacteria, which in turn help crowd out more harmful microbes. e sugar, called sulfoquinovose (SQ), is produced in plants by photosynthesis. Gut bacteria extract sulfur and carbon from SQ for nourishment using an enzyme called YihQ, which is actually produced by E. coli bacteria. While E. coli is typically associated with food borne disease, there are many different strains of E. coli, and only certain ones are harmful. E. coli-derived YihQ breaks down the sugar, allowing the bacteria to metabolize its various components. As reported by Medical News Today: "Bacteria use SQ as a source of carbon and sulfur. Sulfur is important for building proteins — the essential building blocks of all living organisms — explain the authors, who point out that SQ is the only sugar molecule that contains sulfur. Senior author Dr. Ethan Goddard-Borger...says: "Every time we eat leafy green vegetables we consume significant amounts of SQ sugars, which are used as an energy source by good gut bacteria …". Crucial and protective strains of Escherichia coli and other beneficial bacteria in the gut ... use SQ as a source of energy. ese bacteria provide a protective barrier that 'prevents growth and colonization by bad bacteria, because the good bugs are taking up all the habitable real estate,' Dr. Goddard-Borger adds." VeGetaBle fiBer — another important dietary component for a healthy Gut e microbes in your body consume the same foods you do, and as a general rule, the beneficial ones tend to feed on foods that are known to benefit health, and vice versa. Sugar, for example, is a preferred food source for fungi that produce yeast infections and sinusitis, whereas healthy probiotic-rich foods like fermented vegetables boost populations of health-promoting bacteria, thereby disallowing potentially pathogenic colonies from taking over. Besides the SQ found in leafy greens, other vegetables are an excellent source of fiber, which is another important food source for healthy gut bacteria. Some of the microbes in your gut actually specialize in fermenting soluble fiber found in legumes, fruits, and vegetables, and the by- products of this fermenting activity help nourish the cells lining your colon, thereby preventing health problems associated with leaky gut syndrome. e most important fermentation by-products are short- chain fatty acids, like butyrate, propionate, and acetate. ese short chain fats help nourish and recalibrate your immune system, thereby helping to prevent inflammatory disorders such as asthma and Crohn's disease. ese fats also increase specialized immune cells called T regulatory cells, which help prevent autoimmune responses. Via a process called hematopoiesis, short-chain fatty acids are also involved in the formation of other types of blood cells in your body. ese fats also serve as easy substrates for your liver to produce ketones, which efficiently fuel your mitochondria and serve as important and powerful metabolic signals. the danGer of low-fiBer diets Unfortunately, few Americans get the recommended 30 to 32 grams of fiber per day, and when fiber is lacking, it starves these beneficial bacteria. Recent research shows that low-fiber diets cause "waves of extinction" in the gut of mice, and that this altered gut flora is passed on to offspring. As much as 60 percent of the microbe species suffered severe decline in the low-fiber group.