Therapeutic food development leads to gut health breakthrough

Therapeutic foods have been used to combat malnutrition in children for nearly three decades. Now, research to develop more effective therapeutic foods has led scientists to uncover the diverse functions of a previously unidentified gut bacterial enzyme.

The groundbreaking discovery was made by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. The team has gone on to develop a therapeutic food, specifically designed to nourish beneficial gut microbes and enhance children’s growth.

How can therapeutic foods boost gut health?​The microbiota-directed therapeutic food, named MDCF-2, was developed through analysis of children’s gut microbiome responses to different foods.

Led by Dr Jeffrey I Gordon, the research team discovered the potentially far-reaching effects of a particular gut bacterium. The strain of the bacterium, harboured in the children’s gut microbial communities, possessed a previously unknown gene, capable of producing and metabolising key molecules involved in regulating many important functions ranging from appetite, immune responses and neuronal function. They also discovered the ability of pathogenic bacteria to produce disease.

“As we apply new therapies to treat childhood malnutrition by repairing their gut microbiomes, we have an opportunity to study the inner workings of our microbial partners,” said Dr Gordon. “We are discovering how the gut microbes affect different aspects of our physiology. This study shows that gut microbes are master biochemists that possess metabolic capabilities that we have been unaware of.”

The team are hopeful that this better understanding of the effect gut microbes have on the human body, could lead to new strategies to maintain human health and help guide the development of therapeutics for a wide variety of diseases beyond malnutrition.

What are Therapeutic Foods?​Therapeutic foods are prepared foods, which provide calories and nutrients in easily-accessible packaging. They are useful in the fight against childhood malnutrition. Ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) are a type of therapeutic food that provides carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

How was the study conducted?​The research team conducted two randomised controlled clinical trials on malnourished children, using their newly developed therapeutic food, MDCF-2. They identified a collection of microbes, whose abundances and expressed functions correlated with the improved growth of study participants. One of these beneficial organisms is a bacterium called Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

The team then studied mice born under sterile conditions. They colonised the gut microbiome of the mice, with defined communities of microbes. This led to the discovery that levels of two molecules – oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) – were much lower in the guts of animals that had been colonised with microbial communities containing a specific strain of F. prausnitzii, compared with animals lacking this strain. This, said the researchers, was notable as OEA and PEA are naturally occurring lipid signalling molecules, known to play important roles in regulating inflammation, metabolism, and appetite.

Gordon’s team employed a series of bioinformatics and biochemical tools to identify the enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), produced by the bacterial strain and responsible for degrading OEA and PEA. The human version of FAAH is widely known for its ability to break down specific types of neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids, and in so doing, regulate aspects of human physiology throughout the body. They noted that the discovery of the F. prausnitzii FAAH enzyme represents the first example of a microbial enzyme of this type and revealed a role for microbes in regulating levels of important molecules called N-acylethanolamides, including OEA and PEA, in the gut.

This study was conducted specifically on children. However, it’s likely the results would have similar, if not the same, results when conducted on adults. Further research would be required to confirm this.

“It’s astonishing how much the microbial version of this enzyme can do,” Gordon said. “These organisms are master chemists, and we’re just beginning to explore what they can do.”

What does this mean for food and beverage manufacturers?​The Gut health trend​ has become one of the most powerful forces in food and beverage since its rise to prominence in 2020.

“Gut health really is an important area within food and drink, particularly functional food and drink,” says Rick Miller, associate director for specialised nutrition at market research firm, Mintel.

And this increasing importance has led to a surge in development of products specifically designed to boost gut health.

“There has been an explosion in research in this space over the last decade,” said Richard Day, vice president of Medical Affairs & Clinical Development at food and beverage manufacturer ADM, while speaking on gut health at Future Food-Tech in London​.

This new research will likely lead to further new product development as brands seek to capitalise on the ever-growing gut health trend.

Global childhood malnutrition​Malnutrition affects 200 million children worldwide and that number is rising with the growing global population.

“Malnutrition is a universal issue holding back development with devastating consequences for entire nations. It has a devastating impact on children – it blunts intellect, reduces productivity, and perpetuates poverty,” said a UNICEF spokesperson. “UNICEF and the European Union are committed to scaling up and sustaining our efforts to reach more children.”

Despite this, childhood nutrition remains low on most European national agendas and is under-resourced.

Source: A human gut Faecalibacterium prausnitzii fatty acid amide hydrolase

Published online: 25 October 2024
DOI: 10.1126/science.ado6828
Authors: Jiye Cheng, Siddarth Venkatesh, Ke Ke, Michael J Barratt, Jeffrey I Gordon