Tiny sunflower seeds pack a big healthy gut boost for kids with CF
Simple snack helps lower levels of bacteria linked to inflammation in lab testing
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Sunflower seeds may offer significant digestive, nutritional, and gut bacteria benefits for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a new laboratory study.
Researchers used in vitro (lab-based) techniques to simulate the digestion of various nuts and seeds and to estimate their effects on gut microbiota, or communities of bacteria in the digestive system. They found that sunflower seeds increased protein and healthy fats while decreasing certain potentially harmful bacteria. Peanuts also had notable protein benefits, while almonds provided the least protein under CF conditions.
“These findings highlight the differential digestibility and microbiota modulation of nuts and seeds under CF-specific conditions, with sunflower seeds emerging as a promising dietary component for children with CF,” researchers wrote.
The study, “Digestibility and microbiota modulation by nuts and sunflower seeds in cystic fibrosis: an in vitro approach,” was published in the European Journal of Nutrition.
Challenges of digestion and diet in CF
CF is a genetic condition that causes the body to form abnormally thick, sticky mucus. Digestion problems in CF may be related to increased acidity and low levels of certain molecules important in food breakdown. Also, CF blocks the release of enzymes from the pancreas that help with digestion, especially of fats.
“The high-fat, high-energy diet has been a mainstream recommendation in the nutritional treatment of [CF], to compensate for fat and energy loss derived from maldigestion,” the researchers wrote. However, there is concern that children with CF may eat foods low in fiber and high in saturated fats to reach these goals. In the long term, this could have negative effects for health.
Nuts and seeds are nutritious and healthy foods that could help support a CF diet. However, little research is available about how CF digestion problems affect nut and seed breakdown, and no studies had previously explored the impact of nuts and seeds on the gut microbiota of children with CF.
In the study, a team in Spain addressed these questions using in vitro testing. Their first step was to design a model of gastrointestinal conditions in healthy people and CF patients. By mimicking digestive fluids in a test tube, they could assess how CF affected the digestion of hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds.
One metric of interest was the matrix degradation index (MDI), which measures the physical breakdown of foods. For hazelnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds, the MDI was significantly lower under CF conditions compared to healthy conditions. This suggests decreased breakdown and, potentially, reduced exposure to nutrients.
The researchers also measured the digestibility of proteins and fats. As expected, protein and fat digestibility were significantly lower in CF across all tested foods. Sunflower seeds led to the highest protein digestion in the disease model, while almonds led to the lowest. Sunflower seeds also showed the least reduction in protein digestion compared to healthy conditions.
In CF gastrointestinal conditions, sunflower seeds and peanuts led to more effective fat breakdown than almonds and hazelnuts.
As such, “sunflower seeds and peanuts could be a valuable food for contributing to a high-calorie and high-fat diet that supports overall health and weight maintenance, along with high protein and dietary fibre,” the team wrote.
To complement this analysis, the team built a simulation of colonic fermentation, a stage of digestion that occurs in the large intestine. Using fecal samples from children with CF and healthy controls, the team cultivated bacteria that mimicked their gut microbiota. Then, they added the digested foods from the first set of experiments.
Sunflower seeds stood out
Each food altered levels of at least one group of bacteria. Sunflower seeds stood out as the only food to significantly decrease levels of Acidaminococcus bacteria. These microorganisms are associated with intestinal inflammation and lower growth.
However, sunflower seeds and the tested nuts also affected levels of bacteria in ways that could be harmful. The team predicted that these effects could destabilize the balance of sugars in the gut and increase inflammation risk.
The same model allowed the researchers to assess how the nuts and seeds affected levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are a type of fat which help regulate energy use.
All tested foods significantly increased levels of linear-chain SCFAs (lc-SCFAs), a subgroup that generally promotes gut health and healthy energy use. “The formation of lc-SCFA could provide health and nutritional benefits for the host,” the researchers wrote.
However, levels of branched-chain SCFAs (bc-SCFAs) also increased. Under healthy conditions, increasing bc-SCFAs may reduce gut health. However, the effects of these molecules in CF specifically aren’t clear, the scientists noted.
Based on these results, the team concluded that, among the tested foods, sunflower seeds may offer the best balance of nutritional benefits across protein and fat digestion and microbiota changes. However, the in vitro model made it difficult to assess the actual health effects of these changes. Future studies in animal models or people with CF may help determine the significance of these findings.
Regardless, the techniques that the team used could have relevance for testing the potential digestive effects of different foods in CF. “This in vitro study provides a valuable screening approach to inform potential dietary recommendations for children with cystic fibrosis,” the team wrote.
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