When it comes to questions about health and longevity, many researchers have turned to the gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the gut – for answers.
According to an article by reversescientists are just beginning to understand the many ways the microbiome affects our health, but early evidence suggests it may play an important role in the outcomes of diseases like cancerprolonged covid and Parkinson’s disease.
Determining which foods are beneficial to the microbiome is an area of particular interest. Herbs and spices, which have been used therapeutically for centuries, enter this area. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits of spices such as garlic, ginger and chili pepper are well documented.
But what do we know about spicy foods and the microbiome? Are spices beneficial for the gut microbiome?
In a study published at the end of 2022 in Journal of Nutritiona team analyzed the effect of daily consumption of spices on the microbiome of people with high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These spices included cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and turmeric (also known as turmeric).
The 48 participants had obesity and at least one other cardiovascular risk factor, such as high blood glucose. All received the same diet for four weeks, but three different doses of herbs and spices: one group received 0.5 grams a day, another 3.3 grams a day, and the last 6.6 grams a day.
A study published in 2019 in the journal Nutrients revealed that a 5-gram capsule containing spices, including ginger, black pepper and cayenne pepper, changed the composition of gut bacteria after two weeks.
In contrast to previous analyses, such as that of 2019, “our study is the first to analyze spices consumed as part of meals and ‘snacks’”, in opposition to a supplementI told reverse Kristina Peterson, a professor at Texas Technical University and one of the researchers on the study.
The researchers wanted to see how the composition of the bacteria family Ruminococcaceae could change with the consumption of spices. The team focused on these bacteria because previous research suggested that people with more Ruminococcaceae had less long-term weight gain.
Other study showed that changes in intestinal bacterial composition in mice, including enrichment of Clostridia from families Mogibacteriaceae and Ruminococcaceae, contributed to the suppression of obesity food induced. “This suggests that gut bacteria contribute to metabolic pathways that increase energy expenditure to protect against diet-induced obesity,” she explained.
In the most recent study, researchers found that all groups had an increase in the bacteria Ruminococcaceae – the group with the biggest increase in spice intake saw the biggest changes after four weeks.
“I would hesitate [em] describe the bacteria as “good” or “bad”, we still don’t know enough. In addition, we need to think about the entire structure of the microbiome. Whether or not the bacteria are suppressing or increasing the enrichment of other bacteria and what their functions are,” said Kristina Peterson.
Joe Schwarcz, director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University, agreed. His work focuses on helping people accurately interpret science and health information.
“We have to be careful not to put the cart before the horse. It’s so easy to say, ‘we have to feed our microbiome and make sure the good bacteria multiply at the expense of the bad bacteria. But no one is really safe what are these good bacteria; more than 500 bacterial species have been isolated from the intestine. The real question is, which of these are beneficial in a way that has clinical significance?”
Kristina Peterson is aware of the distinction. “In this study, we looked only at the composition of the intestinal microbiome (…) We need more research to analyze what these organisms are doing, their functionality and how this contributes to health or disease”, she indicated.
“Now that we have established that herb and spice intake as part of a diet that mirrors what Americans eat affects the composition of the gut microbiota, we can further studies to better understand the process. At this time, it is premature to suggest that herbs and spices should be consumed for gut health,” explained Kristina Peterson.
However, it clarified that other benefits of consuming herbs and spices have nothing to do with the gut microbiota.
“Adding herbs and spices is a great way to flavor healthy foods like vegetables (…). We know that vegetables are good for health. So this is another way that herbs and spices can indirectly help improve diet and, in turn, health.”
But Joe Schwarcz stressed: “There is no reason not to add spices to your food. Might add some spice to your life. Just don’t expect it to make you live longer.”
ZAP // 
