Tomatoes have positive effect on intestinal health

Two weeks of a diet rich in tomatoes increased the diversity of intestinal microbes and increased the number of "beneficial" bacteria in young pigs. A study by researchers at Ohio State University was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.

The researchers conducted an experiment on 20 piglets that had recently stopped eating breast milk. Half of them received a standard diet and the other half received an adapted diet containing 10 percent tomato powder. The fiber, sugar, protein, fat, and calorie content were similar in both groups.

The results of the gut microbiota in the fecal samples showed that the tomato-rich diet increased the diversity of microbes in the gut. In addition, there was an increase in the content of Bacteroidota bacteria compared to Bacillota bacteria. Previously, this ratio of bacteria has been associated with positive health effects, including a reduced risk of obesity.

Previous studies have linked tomato consumption to a reduced risk of various conditions, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers, but the effect of tomatoes on the gut microbiome is still a mystery. The scientists' work was the first to study the effects of tomatoes on the gut microbiome of animals.

The authors chose pigs because their gastrointestinal tract is more similar to that of humans than that of rodents. The scientists now plan to repeat the study in humans.

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