Academic

HMM: Low-Fiber Western Diets Deter Good Bacteria. ?The stools of the African children contained al?

By Glenn Reynolds

HMM: Low-Fiber Western Diets Deter Good Bacteria. “The stools of the African children contained almost three times as many short-chain fatty acids. SCFAs are generated by bugs associated with diets containing a very high proportion of vegetables and cereals (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005963107). SCFAs kill harmful gut bacteria such as salmonella and help protect against inflammation. Allergies are often the result of an excessive inflammatory response to otherwise harmless agents.”

UPDATE: Reader Adrian Reilly is unimpressed: “This cheeseburger and beer-loving westerner has surpassed the life expectancy of most Africans by a significant margin.”

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on August 09, 2010 (boomark / email).