By Amber Roman
03 Dec 2024, 15:57 PM EST
A groundbreaking study by the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen has revealed how individual differences in physiology and the gut environment affect microbiome composition and human metabolism. This breakthrough, achieved through the use of smart capsules, underlines the need for personalized approaches in nutrition and healthcare.
In 2021, 50 volunteers participated in this groundbreaking research by ingesting a capsule the size of a thumb joint along with a standard breakfast. The capsule traveled through the digestive tract from the stomach to the large intestine, collecting precise data on pH, temperature and pressure. The results revealed significant variations in digestion time and intestinal conditions between participants. While some capsules completed their journey in just 12 hours, others took up to 72 hours to be expelled with feces.
The small intestine, key in nutrient absorption, showed transit times that ranged between two and ten hours depending on the individual. These differences, as explained by Henrik Roager, principal investigator of the study, directly impact the amount of nutrients absorbed and those that reach the large intestine, where intestinal bacteria act. This finding is essential to understand why each person reacts uniquely to the same foods and opens the doors to more precise and personalized dietary strategies.
The smart capsule represented a technological leap compared to traditional analysis methods based on stool samples. Through their journey, the researchers were able to track how the gut environment evolved in real time. In the stomach, the extremely low pH reflected the action of gastric acids that break down food. As it passed into the small intestine, the pH increased due to the alkaline bicarbonate released to neutralize the acid. Subsequently, in the large intestine, the pH decreased again with bacterial fermentation, and then gradually increased as fatty acids were absorbed and bacterial activity changed.
The detailed analysis of these data allowed us to observe how variations in pH and other intestinal conditions are closely related to the composition and activity of the microbiome. “Each person’s unique environment partly explains why our gut bacteria and digestive processes are so different,” Roager said. These differences not only influence nutrient absorption, but also how gut bacteria produce metabolites essential for health.
This innovative approach not only provides more detailed information about gut physiology, but could also transform the way we approach nutrition and digestive health. According to Nicola Procházková, co-author of the study, the results highlight that dietary patterns and general diet recommendations may not be suitable for everyone. For example, the same food can have different effects depending on the time it spends in the small intestine or the bacterial activity in the large intestine.
Furthermore, this work helps explain previously observed phenomena, such as variability in metabolic responses to identical diets. Individual differences in the speed of intestinal transit and local conditions can influence problems related to digestion, such as intolerance to certain foods or metabolic diseases.
The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from DTU Food and KU Leuven, and its results were published in Nature Microbiology. The project is part of the Challenge PRIMA program, which seeks to develop innovative scientific solutions for health and nutrition.
With this research, scientists are moving toward designing highly personalized dietary recommendations that take into account the uniqueness of each digestive system. As Roager summarized, “we are all unique, even in our gut. “This underscores the importance of abandoning the one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and prioritizing strategies that consider our physiological differences.”
These findings reinforce the idea that the gut microbiome is a reflection of our internal conditions and how we interact with the foods we consume. With tools like the smart capsule, a new chapter opens in the study of the digestive system, paving the way toward truly personalized, science-based nutrition.
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