The Ruminococcus bacteria in our gut microbiomes play a major role in helping us digest resistant starches – the complex carbohydrates found in high fiber foods such as lentils, beans, and unprocessed whole grains.
The slow digestion of these special carbs by Ruminococci has been associated with numerous health benefits such as reversing infectious diarrhea and reducing risk of diabetes and colon cancer.
One species of Ruminococcus has been associated with increased severity of Irritable Bowel symptoms, but most species are important and necessary for our digestive function.
Higher levels:
– Higher levels have been associated with low bacterial gene richness in the gut.
– Human studies have reported that Ruminococcus spp. tend to be more abundant in IBD; active UC, active CD, and ileal CD
– May be more prevalent in autism.
Lower levels:
– Levels are variable in IBS, depending on IBS subtype, with some researchers reporting increased concentrations and some finding decreased amounts.
References:
–Ruminococcus bromii is a keystone species for the degradation of resistant starch in the human colon [L]
– Association of symptoms with gastrointestinal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome [L]
– Human Gut Microbiota: Repertoire and Variations [L]
– Le Chatelier E, Nielsen T, Qin J, et al. Richness of human gut
microbiome correlates with metabolic markers. Nature. Aug 29
2013;500(7464):541-546. [L]
– Andoh A, Sakata S, Koizumi Y, Mitsuyama K, Fujiyama Y, Benno
Y. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of
the diversity of fecal microbiota in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. Aug 2007;13(8):955-962. [L]
– Png CW, Linden SK, Gilshenan KS, et al. Mucolytic bacteria with
increased prevalence in IBD mucosa augment in vitro utilization of
mucin by other bacteria. The American journal of gastroenterology. Nov
2010;105(11):2420-2428. [L]
– Joossens M, Huys G, Cnockaert M, et al. Dysbiosis of the faecal
microbiota in patients with Crohn’s disease and their unaffected relatives.
Gut. 2011;60(5):631-637. [L]
– Willing BP, Dicksved J, Halfvarson J, et al. A pyrosequencing
study in twins shows that gastrointestinal microbial profiles vary
with inflammatory bowel disease phenotypes. Gastroenterology. Dec
2010;139(6):1844-1854 e1841. [L]
– Lyra A, Rinttila T, Nikkila J, et al. Diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel
syndrome distinguishable by 16S rRNA gene phylotype quantification.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 21 2009;15(47):5936-5945. [L]
– Krogius-Kurikka L, Lyra A, Malinen E, et al. Microbial community
analysis reveals high level phylogenetic alterations in the overall
gastrointestinal microbiota of diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel
syndrome sufferers. BMC gastroenterology. 2009;9:95. [L]
– Finegold SM, Molitoris D, Song Y, et al. Gastrointestinal microflora
studies in late-onset autism. Clinical infectious diseases : an official
publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Sep 1
2002;35(Suppl 1):S6-S16. [L]
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